Meloni's policy has mostly been to tack toward the centre, which has given her great credibility and standing within the EU Establishment. But as the article points out, there's still a very ugly Right-wing side to her domestic policy. Politically it's brilliant as it doesn't allow domestic rivals like Matteo Salvini to outflank her, but I think it's also indicative of her true colours and the nature of her political pedigree.
As the US has moved to keep migrants in Mexico for processing and the UK attempted to outsource some of its immigrant infrastructure to Rwanda, Italy has likewise turned to Albania as a dumping ground for the migrants it doesn't want. And yet to Meloni's frustration the courts have issued various rulings questioning the legality of her policy.
She's capitalizing on the unpopularity of the judiciary and public perceptions of corruption and painting the judges as obstructionists motivated by political interests. It's noteworthy that she paints this as an attempt to undermine and overthrow her government - when in fact she's the one attempting to undermine and subordinate the independent judiciary to her government and strip it of its role and ability to hold elected governments accountable. It's a rather Trump-like move in seeking to eliminate the checks and balances essential to a liberal democratic order.
It's proper (and expected) that Berlusconi's name would enter the discussion because these moves are reminiscent of his tactics and yet Meloni is proving more aggressive and her policies are much farther to the Right than the late media mogul, P2 member, and three-time prime minister.
Brussels could move against Meloni, but at this point in time figures like Ursula von der Leyen rely on Meloni's support to retain their office. And given the instability of German politics and the unpopularity of Macron, Giorgia Meloni is in fact one of the most powerful leaders in Europe right now. She will continue to berate and undermine the judges and will do so until someone stands up to her.
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