Piers Akerman: Giorgia Meloni holds a mirror up to progressives and the picture isn’t pretty

The prospect of Italian politician Giorgia Meloni becoming Italian prime minister has sent the progressive world into a tailspin.

The prospect of Italian politician Giorgia Meloni becoming Italian prime minister has sent the progressive world into a tailspin.

She’s been slammed as far-right, fascist even, because elements of her party can trace their heritage back to the fascist Benito Mussolini. There is, however, zero evidence – so far – that she intends to reintroduce any of Mussolini’s heinous policies.

The same shaming argument could be used against the ALP for its links to Communism and the White Australia policy.

What frightens the progressives in Europe (and Australia) is Meloni’s embrace of traditional values which don’t include bowing before the shrill advocates of identity politics.

She is condemned, as she said in a speech to the World Congress of Families, because she defines herself as an Italian Christian woman and mother.

Leader of Italian far-right party "Fratelli d'Italia" (Brothers of Italy), Giorgia Meloni takes a selfie on October 1, 2022 during a visit to the "Villagio Coldiretti" in Milan. Photo: Piero Cruciatti

Identifying by nationality is a sign of aberrant nationalism to progressives who insist that we must all pretend that we believe we are all equal and virtually anonymous within the United Nations.

Unless of course you are at present a Ukrainian (and Meloni is opposed to the authoritarian criminal Putin’s attempt to seize swathes of that country).

Leader of Italian far-right party Brothers of Italy Giorgia Meloni holds a placard reading "Thank You Italy" after an address at her party's campaign headquarters. Photo: Andreas Solaro

Or, in Australia’s case, you are attending an event organised by a historically corrupt sporting organisation such as FIFA’s soccer World Cup in Qatar, which managed to secure the rights to the 2022 event despite its flagrant breach of universal human rights.

Let’s just say there will be no homosexual pride rallies in Qatar, where Muslims face the death penalty for acts of sodomy while others merely face fines or up to three years in prison.

Of course, just as the Nazis tried to hide their anti-Semitic policies during the 1936 Berlin Olympics to convince visitors they were just a friendly lederhosen-wearing, beer-drinking bunch of well-intentioned citizens, the Qatar government has said it will permit foreign same-sex couples to hold hands and kiss in public without fear of arrest during the World Cup.

Turning a blind eye to reality is so commonplace in the progressive world now that it’s amazing supporters don’t fall over in giddy heaps.

The European nations that so eagerly signed up to every stupid emissions target and closed their coal and nuclear plants are now falling over each other in their race to recommission coal mines, restart coal-fuelled power plants and even introduce fracking as the prospect of a winter in which they may have to rely on unreliable renewable sources of solar and wind power becomes a reality.

Giorgia Meloni delivers a speech on October 1, 2022 in Milan. Picture: Piero Cruciatti

From the Baltic to the Mediterranean, the smug, once-socialist nations are being forced to rethink suites of policies.

The Germans have walked back from their beloved Mutti Merkel’s ban on nuclear and coal, and are living with millions of unwanted migrants who flocked into the country following her erasure of borders.

The Swedes are not only rethinking their neutrality but have rejected the soft progressive migration policy which saw their country invaded by sham refugees with a tendency to violence such that Sweden is known not only for being the birthplace of Ikea but for topping the European charts for rapes, shootings and bombings.

The progressives are silent about these facts but find the time to protest against Meloni’s defence of the natural family founded on marriage, her desire to increase the birth rate of Italian nationals so as to avoid the need to rely on newly-arrived migrants for the workforce, and to put a value on human life and freedom in education while rejecting gender ideology.

Western feminists have largely been as silent about the protests against Iran’s mullahs for their murderous attacks against women who refuse to wear hijabs as they have been in support of Meloni.

She should be an international standard-bearer for women as the only female party secretary in Italy, a candidate for the mayoralty of Rome while pregnant, a voice for those who want to be mothers and hold power.

As she said, the low birth rate is the biggest problem facing Europe.

Meloni believes in a society where every choice has consequences and you accept responsibility for them.

She rejects a society where every desire becomes a right, every whim becomes a right and no one bears any responsibility.

Perhaps Meloni has drawn so much angst because she represents a link to values that the social media culture abhors but which were lauded when the Queen’s life was celebrated just a week ago.

She has held up a mirror to the progressive society and the picture isn’t pretty.

In a recent speech she quoted the British author G.K. Chesterton’s lines: “Fires will be kindled to testify that two and two make four. Swords will be drawn to prove that leaves are green in summer.”

Those swords have already been drawn here when so-called experts introduce their indulgent tailored versions of facts to support unproven modelling of everything from global warming to pandemic controls.

Conservatives should take heart that the progressive world is showing signs of decay.