Perched, forced into an “armed truce”. Beppe Grillo and Giuseppe Conte they meet at lunchtime in Rome, on the terrace of the Hotel Forum. The guarantor arrives in his good retreat Roman precisely to take stock with the M5S president. No party headquarters: the location once again remains the hotel which was the scene of all the most important Roman summits of the M5S.
An hour and a half face to face after the defeat at the European Championships. The star-studded president brings with him the speeches started during the National Council. At the table we discussed the relaunch (with interventions) in the territories – supporting the activity also with economic support – and obviously the third mandate, a hypothesis that is not easily digestible for Grillo. And also of the idea, launched by the M5S president, of one Constituent to be organized in the autumn, a move which – according to those in the know – would not have completely convinced the guarantor.
Those close to Conte speak of “a nice meeting, in which we talked about themes and vision”. The Movement is tight-lipped and tries to keep what has been said as confidential because “it’s a delicate moment”. What filters through is that it was a «interlocutory meeting»: a first step, in short. From Contian circles, a certain optimism on the part of the leader on an axis with the guarantor can be seen. The seeds to revive the Five Star Movement would have been sown. But those who know him well speak of a Grillo who is firm on the issues he cares about most. Starting from the name of the Movement and the involvement of the base. The doubts would also and above all concern the idea of changing the name of the Five Star Movement.
The star-studded founder immediately after Conte saw the treasurer of the M5S Claudio Cominardi. And what the former deputy declared after the meeting sounds like a confirmation of the guarantor’s wishes. «In the symbol we have the writing 2050. And I hope it stays that way»says Cominardi, effectively stopping the idea of a rebranding. And again: with Grillo we talked about “direct democracy, participatory tools at every level and starting from the Municipalities”. The summit between Grillo and Conte is the common thread of the discussions within the entire Movement. For opposite reasons, parliamentarians in their first and second terms are champing at the bit. And even the Orthodox wing is in turmoil as it hasn’t been for some time. «A Pandora’s box has been opened», say the stars.
The fears are rekindled by the former post-vote polls that show the Movement overtaken by Forza Italia. «This is the worst moment in the history of the M5S», confess the Five Star Movement. Many parliamentarians intend to put pressure on the leader: they will not accept a postponement until July. And there are those who hypothesize a change of top management or a “new directorate” with the historic big names to assist the leader. Hypothesis on paper, with only one certainty: «We will not give Conte the possibility of leaving the problems to the autumn». As for Grillo, several M5s exponents hope that he will make his voice heard to “bring about a turning point before it is too late”. The game between the Five Star Movement for the future of the party has just begun, but the feeling is that those who are really pushing for radical changes are in a great hurry.
