Salvini's Hopes and Covid Realities

https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/opinion/covid-19-is-putting-italys-populists-to-bed/

The Covid crisis has in more than one instance boosted the standing and profile of Right-wing politicians as their core supporters are in many cases Covid-deniers and sceptics.

And yet that's not the case in Italy. Salvini's orchestrated comeback is hitting some serious bumps in the road. Because unlike the Trumpists in the United States, even Right-leaning Italians know the dangers of Covid and the way it has ravaged some of their regions – especially the North, the heartland of the Lega Party and Salvini's home turf.

In times of crisis people are more likely to look for practical solutions and a return to stability. Salvini's narratives regarding Covid restrictions, vaccines, and even the EU gain less traction in light of the 2020 pandemic. It's as if suddenly many Italians have realised that for all his rhetoric he's not for them – he's for himself. And some of his pet issues such as immigration – they don't seem all that pressing at the moment.

Salvini is still very entrenched in the Italian political system and the Lega is strong enough that he's probably secure. But his quest for the prime minister's office does seem a little more distant than it did in the spring. Even the anger at the EU for failing to rally around Covid-hit nations like Spain and Italy has fallen by the wayside. As the crisis has worsened the initial focus on the South has dissipated as nations like France and now Germany have suffered their own difficulties.

Well, if Salvini gets bored I'm sure he can come to the United States. The American Evangelical community and its connected think-tanks will welcome him with open arms.