{"id":2249,"date":"2022-09-27T14:42:36","date_gmt":"2022-09-27T15:42:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/malvinartley.com\/blog.malvinartley.com\/?p=2249"},"modified":"2022-09-28T06:37:49","modified_gmt":"2022-09-28T07:37:49","slug":"italys-historic-vote","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/malvinartley.com\/blog.malvinartley.com\/2022\/09\/27\/italys-historic-vote\/","title":{"rendered":"Italy\u2019s historic vote"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the 25th<\/sup> of this month we went to the polling stations in Italy and cast our vote for the Prime Minister and Senate. Meloni was widely forecast to win the PM\u2019s seat, which she did, landing her as the first female PM in Italian history. It was a great day for women in politics. And just who is Giorgia Meloni, for those who don\u2019t follow Italian politics? Well, to hear the Western liberal press, she is the leader of a far-right, neo-fascist party, making her the most far-right prime minister since Mussolini<\/a><\/span>. Fascism is returning to Italy! \u2013 or so the press would have us believe. What is the truth? We\u2019ll start to unpack that a little here, along with a brief look at Meloni.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, the liberal press \u2013 outfits like The Guardian<\/em>, New York Times<\/em>, Reuters<\/em>, Washington Post<\/em>, has already started with seeking to cast Giorgia (pronounced like ‘Georgia’, the state or nation) Meloni in a poor light. We have headlines like, the most radical government since Mussolini<\/a><\/span> (Guardian), Italy on course for far-right government<\/a><\/span> (the WaPo was actually more nuanced than expected), a leader with post-fascist roots<\/a><\/span> (NYT) \u2013 is already sounding the warning bells for Europe, stoking fears of a far-right, neo-fascist wave across Europe. Recent elections in Europe have seen Sweden narrowly elect a right-wing coalition, the UK Conservative Party appointing Truss as their poseur far-right PM (more on that in another post), Victor Orban in Hungary stirring the EU pot, and so on.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Wall Street Journal<\/em> calls Meloni \u201can untested leader<\/a><\/span>\u201d. And on cue, those outlets also have to include that Meloni confronts an economic crisis provoked by Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, with the Financial Times<\/em> quipping that stopping the war is the only way to avert the economic crisis<\/a><\/span>. It is a false narrative, which we will address a little later in this piece. That economic crisis is one of the biggest reasons Meloni was elected, but it has little to do with Russia.<\/span><\/p>\n

The conservative press, unsurprisingly, is more sparing of Meloni. Breitbart<\/em> headlines that \u201cItalians Vote in Election that May Overturn EU Order<\/a><\/span>\u201d, calling her coalition a \u201cright-populist coalition\u201d. Fox News<\/em> simply calls the coalition \u2018right wing\u2019<\/a><\/span>. Further down in that piece they roll out the far-right and neo-fascist meme. But even in the right-wing press, \u201cthe most right-wing leader since Mussolini<\/a><\/span>\u201d trends.<\/span><\/p>\n

As an aside and for Americans, who likely wouldn’t know, Mussolini is still here, in the guise of his granddaughter, Alessandra<\/span><\/a>. She was once a member of Parliament, but she is best-known now for having landed a post and competing in Ballando con le Stelle<\/em>, the Italian version of Dancing With the Stars<\/em>. But we digress.<\/span><\/p>\n

Basically, no one really knows at this point how the Meloni coalition and its policies will pan out. That is as much as anyone can rightly say right now, because Meloni and her coalition have yet to form government. That will happen over the next month, if it happens (which it most likely will). What we hear out of the press instead amounts to fearmongering \u2013 baloney about Meloni. If a week is an eternity on politics, anything can happen over the next days. The Meloni coalition faces some very serious issues. At this point we should have a look at her astrology, because what would be needed in such a case is a leader who can stand her ground and get things done.<\/span><\/p>\n

Giorgia Meloni\u2019s chart is below (bigger<\/a><\/span>):<\/span><\/p>\n

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Her birth time is from memory. The immediate thing that stands out in the chart is the combination of the \u2018Big Three\u2019 \u2013 Sun, Moon and Ascendant. With Meloni we have Capricorn Sun, Sagittarius Moon and Leo Ascendant. A cursory look at events in her life appears to confirm the rising sign and degree. We will leave that analysis for this post. That said, this is an executive combination of factors. From here, things get rather interesting, and we will only address the more important factors relating to politics.<\/span><\/p>\n

The general character one sees with this combination is one of ambition, wide interests, a love of travel, a keen sense of values (whether or not one agrees with them) and discrimination \u2013 a force in her sphere of influence. It also describes a person of strong opinions, likes and dislikes, and reasons for all of them. She is intellectual rather than romantic. It is not a combination that suffers fools. She likes a good mental challenge and must have intellectual equals around her \u2013 a tall order, to be addressed shortly. She has some of the markings of mechanical genius if she were to choose that path, but instead she has chosen politics. It is the type of personality that will choose facts over sentiments every time, analyses over guesswork, though she has the capacity for the latter, too. As an aside and a personal one at that, she collects angels, of all types and materials, reflecting her Catholicism.<\/span><\/p>\n

With her Sun trine Jupiter she was always bound to be a person of influence and authority, given the preceding combination. Adding to the strength, luck and influence is the Saturn\/Uranus square, giving her independence and at times, quarrelsomeness, along with a steely magnetism. Saturn is retrograde in the chart, showing \u2018father issues\u2019, as in a father who is somehow absent (whom she hasn\u2019t seen since she was 12 and she declares to be a dead relationship, with transiting Pluto square to natal Saturn and directed Mars square the Meridian axis, among other factors at the time), so family stability became an important issue for her.<\/span><\/p>\n

But when it comes to rough-and-tumble politics, the following combinations shine out in Meloni\u2019s chart: Mercury\/Mars conjunction in Capricorn and Mars square Eris, coupled with the Saturn\/Uranus square \u2013 she is not a person to back down in a debate, and in fact loves a good fight. She is a warrior woman. This is important going forward.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meloni is not a person to be trifled with. She will stand her ground, which is why Italians voted for her, because she will stand up for Italy, too \u2013 so she says. She also knows her business, having been described as \u2018precise and prepared<\/a><\/span>\u2019 (translate from Italian), indicated by the Mercury\/Mars conjunction, also sextile to Uranus (further increasing her independence and fearlessness). And the 1st<\/sup> house Saturn lends a serious, sometimes dour note to her nature.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brussels has an able opponent in Meloni if she chooses to go up against them. And of herself she has said<\/a><\/span> (again, translate) she is moody, she angers easily, cries, says foul words, but knows how to control herself. In public she comes across as very self-controlled. But one can still see the hair-trigger when she doesn\u2019t agree with something.<\/span><\/p>\n

If all this sounds like an effort to paint a positive picture of Meloni, these are indeed desirable qualities in a leader, because one wants a person in her position to be able to actually lead instead of being a puppet. Meloni is quite a contrast from someone like Liz Truss, for example, the latter coming across more like a deer in the headlights. It is also to show that if Brussels is worried about Meloni, they should be. She will argue for Italy instead of toeing Brussels\u2019 line. Or will she? This is something worth parsing and is important for Italians to know.<\/span><\/p>\n

Much has been made of Meloni being a Eurosceptic, having stated in the past that Italy should leave the EU. Now she says she wants to change the nature of the EU, but not leave the Union. In other words, she would defend the nation\u2019s interests without disrupting the EU. Also much has been made about her views on abortion and LGBT issues, as well as civil rights. Is any of that about to drastically change? Probably not. The big worry before this government will be Italy\u2019s economy and it is likely to take up all of their time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meloni campaigned on a platform of \u201cPronti a risollevare l’Italia\u201d (\u201cReady to revive Italy\u201d). There are two parts to the motto \u2013 sovereignty and economy. Italy has been in the economic doldrums, as has much of the West, for decades. Especially since the 2008 financial crisis Italy has suffered more than most EU countries, having been named pejoratively as one of the PIIGS nations<\/a><\/span>. The acronym is clear enough. The Northern European nations have little respect for Italy, see the PIIGS nations as being on the order of feeding from the EU trough and see Italy\u2019s financial policies as being irresponsible. And those northern nations hold a large sway over the policies of the ECB.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meloni\u2019s Ascendant and Moon fit with the synthetic Leo and Sagittarius of the Italian people. She has struck a chord with the voters. The hope of the vote is that Meloni will be able to stand up to Brussels and find relief for struggling Italians. Instead, the Western press harps on about the neo-fascist past of Meloni\u2019s associations. It is a measure of the discomfort the Western establishment feels about her being elected. People should not be mistaken, though: The vote on Sunday was not a vote for fascism. It was a vote for change and a reaction against:<\/span><\/p>\n