Italians di Beppe Severgnini 
Il Twitter del direttore 
Former PM Matteo Renzi has no regrets about the past, and says he would do it all again, constitutional referendum included. Accordingly, at the Leopolda convention yesterday, he once more raised the issue of the €80 bonus for families. “It should not be done away with,” he announced in his concluding speech, “but also extended to families with children”, because, he warned, “a country has no future unless it has children”. The PD secretary promised that the first proposal his party would make after elections would be for a month of mandatory civilian service: “New rights go hand-in-hand with new duties”.
And Renzi, predictably, did not disown the Jobs Act either, but reiterated its importance: “We have created a million jobs, and we aim to create as many again in the future”. If this is to happen, however, Europe’s economic policy can no longer be based on austerity. This is why the secretary named Macron as the “point of reference” for this battle within the EU (although also because the other members of the Party of European Socialists (ESP) enjoy less popular consensus). Speaking from the stage of a packed conference hall, which had already been at full capacity hours before his arrival, the former premier confirmed another proposal: tax incentives for home-helps. Guaranteeing his party’s commitment to passing legislation on living wills, Renzi stressed that the country also needs to deal with the conditions of people towards the end of their life. Renzi did not however speak about the ius soli bill. Not only is this proposed legislation controversial, but it lacks sufficient support in the Senate to push it through. On the issue of living wills, on the other hand, he has support from the 5-Star Movement (M5S). The Renzi we saw yesterday was clearly in “election campaign mode”, preferring to talk about “concrete action” rather than “political tactics”. In fact, he only mentioned the centre-left coalition a couple of times in passing, to “welcome” those who wanted to join, and guaranteeing “equal dignity” for allies. He went on to promise “respect and no feelings of rancour” towards those who had left its ranks.
An attack on the breakaway Democratic and Progressive Movement (MDP) had in any case already been provided by the warmly received deputy-minister Teresa Bellanova: “Those who say they oppose Berlusconi and populism while attacking Renzi and the PD do not realize that this will make them become de facto allies of Berlusconi and populist movements”. In his speech, Renzi also thanked Fassino, “who is better than me” at weaving together the coalition, and Prodi and Veltroni, who “gave a hand”. He presented the image of a reconsolidated party, because, the secretary stressed, “you can’t quarrel from morning till night”. Of course, Renzi is well aware of the Democratic Party’s difficulties, and knows there is the danger of being squashed between the centre-right and the M5S, although he tried to laugh it off: “There is a head-to-head between Berlusconi and [M5S secretary] Di Maio to see who finishes in second and third place in the election.” And precisely because, by his own admission, he was in “election campaign mode”, Renzi mentioned one of the battlegrounds on which the campaign will be fought: social media. The PD secretary returned to the issue of fake news, which, he said, should be called by its real name: “propaganda”. “We know what you’re up to,” he warned M5S and the Northern League, and added: “Once a fortnight the PD will release a report on the disgusting rubbish we find on the internet”.