We have a DRIN — Part I

Caveat: To contextualize this post, please take into account that in my opinion this is the role played by politics in modern society.

I have never been active in politics. Many don’t do that because they think politics is inevitably “dirty” and want to stay away from it. Other even believe the active politics should not be considered a duty for “common” citizens. On the contrary, I believe it is a noble endeavor if carried out with sincerity and dedication to serve the community.

So far, being active in politics has simply never been part of my interests, aside from the fact that I am not cut out for activities like this. Like me, many of my compatriots have made similar choices. However, the current situation in my country has reached a point where we can no longer afford this luxury. I do not want to sound too drastic, but Italy is destined to smash into a wall without making substantial course corrections. The Argentine scenario has long been on our horizon. Indeed, we remain one of the most industrialized countries in the world, and the level of private savings is still very high. Yet, the structural problems — which we have been facing for decades now — are there for all to see, although many pretend they don’t exist. Slow, unrelenting dismantling of national health service — once the jewel in the crown of our public welfare state — is just the tip of the iceberg.

In light of the current situation, I am convinced that every citizen ought to feel a moral duty to make their own contribution to reverse the course of decline on which we are set. And I believe that this sentiment is more widespread than we think, although political involvement in the last rounds of elections clearly shows that the disaffection of Italian citizens for politics has peaked as never before. This phenomenon is entirely understandable: we are witnessing unprecedented deterioration of the Italian political class, which in turn is an inevitable consequence of the general degradation of the entire social fabric of my country.

In such a depressing scenario, a sudden light sparked, however. In the summer of 2024, a brand new association was born, whose name is Drin Drin. Literally, its birth is due to a “playful” bet, with a specific goal: to serve as an incubator for creating a new political party based on principles of rationality, pragmatism, and competence.

Those familiar with the Italian reality will immediately recognize in this description similarities with the 5 Star Movement, a political case — regardless of the judgment on its work — that represented unquestionably a strong element of novelty, not only within national borders. This was so true that its resounding electoral success had also been echoed in the international media.

In addition to the moral duty I mentioned earlier, there is also a more personal reason. After having spent half a century on this earth, one begins to wonder whether it is not time to start thinking about returning something — i.e., what is known as “give back” in the Anglo-Saxon culture. I am not afraid to criticize Italian society harshly, but there is no doubt it has given me so much. More explicitly, I would not like to leave this world with the remorse of not having at least tried. I said to myself, therefore, if not now, when? I want to be very transparent about this: I am of an age where I do not get caught up in easy enthusiasms, and I am not certain at all that the Drin Drin association (and the party that will be born from its ashes) will succeed. Turning this country inside out — fist and foremost, from a cultural standpoint in regard to managing the res publica — is a monumental endeavour. Nonetheless, it is true that, this association is now by far the “political object” least distant from my way of seeing the world. Upon learning of this initiative, I therefore didn’t hesitate and joined in. In addition to the reasons I mentioned, I confess that I was also driven by a strong curiosity: seeing, from the inside, the process of building a political party ground up is not an ordinary privilege, definitely. It doesn’t happen every day that you can witness such an event while sitting in the front row.

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This is the first post in a series that will serve as a chronicle of my experiences within this association that is turning into a political party (more on that in future posts). A long, bumpy, and exhausting journey has just started. Stay tuned for newer episodes!

Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.

John F. Kennedy