by Peter Franklin at UnHerd’s The Post
In Conan the Barbarian (1982), a victorious general asks Arnold Schwarzenegger “what is best in life?” — to which Arnie infamously replies: “To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women!”
In other words, winning is not enough — others have to lose.
As Giorgia Meloni savours the taste of victory this morning, there will be those who see her as an all-conquering barbarian — the Right-wing populist who took her Brothers of Italy (FdI) party from just 4% of the vote in 2018 to a commanding first place in yesterday’s Italian general election.
However, she hasn’t just won — her enemies have lost. At time of writing, we don’t yet have the full results, but the figures reported by the BBC, show the FdI breaking through the 25% barrier. That’s a clear lead over the Democrats (PD), which appears to have under-performed expectations — despite being the main party of the anti-populist establishment.
Meanwhile the Five Star Movement…
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