Those embarking on the study of history will learn that the concept of liberty is one of the characteristics of Western Civilization. The famous French historian, Ferdinand Braudel, penned a three-volume book inspired by this basic concept. Yet our Western Civilization had to wait for the advent of industrialization and the mass production of newspapers and other printed matter, for liberty to start being consumed by the masses. Prior to industrialization, newspapers existed but the concept of liberty was restricted to the elite. Unequivocally, the press in England helped the country develop its own style of democracy, which was different to that emerging on the Continent where the widespread distribution of newspapers came later. It should be remembered that during Early Modern Times practically all of Europe was governed by monarchs or aristocratic families. To some extent, Maltese parliamentary democracy was built and inspired by this British model.
Recent elections in Italy have brought to world attention another development in this new form of parliamentary democracy and freedom of expression. Last Sunday's election brought about the rise of two distinct but in many ways similar political parties; triumph for both the Lega Nord led by Matteo Salvini and the Movimento 5 Stelle (M5S) of Beppe Grillo. In this blog, I am going to focus on Grillo's movement. Salvini's victory deserves a separate independent analysis.
An Italian comedian, actor and political activist, Grillo has now become one of Italy's linchpin politicians. His success however also goes to the computer programmer, Gianroberto Casaleggio. It was Casaleggio's idea to extend the right of freedom of expression beyond the sphere of the traditional printed word. He extended it to the digital domain. This unknown programmer, who died in 2016, is now the subject of studies and analysis by many researchers in politics.
While it was known that digital media could be an effective medium to exercise freedom of expression, Casaleggio succeeded where many failed. He transformed a website into a forum of political debate. His success rests on the fact that he made this form of non-print develop in the minds of many as a form of political freedom. Many had tried before, and even after, but did not achieve Casaleggio's results. In my opinion, this is due to the fact that those who failed were unsuccessful in transforming their website into a platform that could be perceived as a true medium of political freedom.
What is now emerging, particularly in mainland Europe, is that - for the electorate - the traditional parties are stuck in the eighteenth-century ideas where freedom of expression is tantamount to the right of free religious expression. As at the time of Rousseau, there are still politicians in the West who believe that they can justify their corrupt political existence by attacking Europe's Christian civilization. In our digital age, freedom of expression has come to signify many more diverse factors. In the meantime, those parties that failed to realize that the world has moved on, have created a new form of religion. It is they who are now issuing fatwas against those perceived as critics within political parties and who simultaneously work to strengthen their arrogant dynasties within their own parties.
Beppe Grillo and Casaleggio have succeeded in overturning all this. Luigi Di Maio, the rising star of the M5S had no chance of making it in any of Italy's traditional political parties but Grillo and Casaleggio gave him a platform from which to express his natural political talents. Di Maio became the personification of the anti-establishment. Italy, like most of the rest of the European continent, is suffering from an apparent political delusion. It has taken M5S ten years to reach its goal. One needs to remember that the M5S is a leftist movement run by Di Maio, whose father was a district leader of the now defunct Neo-Fascist party, Movimento Sociale Italiano (MSI).
Many have spoken about the possibility of a hung parliament in Italy. Yet, I am sure that there are going to be interesting political surprises.
The M5S won because it realized that the Left in Italy was failing to please. Renzi's Government first, and Gentiloni afterwards started to appear ambiguous. Worse still, for many on the Left, Gentiloni began being seen as guarantor of bankers and important industries. Grillo made sure that his message reached the right audience. His listeners were mostly from the Southern part of Italy where the traditional parties faced serious problems as their power and authority crumbled. They lost control of the electorate, while Grillo won through digital technology. Pitching the right message, Grillo's strategy was to link corruption to a failed economic system. It is only through such strategy that political messages on corruption can succeed with the electorate. In the south, the economy is not doing well and therefore such a message reached the right audience. In those areas, where the economy is doing well, like in the North of Italy, the M5S failed to garnish votes, even though it originated from Northern Italy.
Then, there was Grillo's attack on the parliamentary nomenclature. Unlike what has happened in Malta, where the opposition joined government in granting MPs a pension after five years or even less, Grillo attacked the hefty salary of the Italian parliamentarians and his deputies led by example. In the case of Malta, it seems that the draft legislation will give an MP a pension after one legislation, which can be less than five years or as was the case of the between 1996 and 1998, of just 22 months!
This strategy increased Grillo's political advantage. As the story of the last American elections is showing, authorities are having problems in their counter attacking these type of strategies, in particular if those making the political attack have behind them an effective net. Let's hope that this does not lead - as has already been happening - to the total control of technology. But this vote has also shown that modern politics can lead to extreme situations, if not abuse, in the expression of freedom. Grillo has absolute power over his own blog. He can control all types of communication that navigate within his blog including expelling members from his own website. Expulsion is not direct, but usually is implemented after a vote is taken on the blog. Expulsion is epitomized as a legitimate exercise of freedom of expression.
The obvious question here would be why many Italians still voted for Grillo? The reply that they are uninformed does not hold water. Those voting for Grillo form part of what is called the knowledge society. Perhaps, one can ask whether knowledge, after this vote - and other similar situations in Europe - is still a public good? The answer is yes. It would be a mistake for any government to try to control the right of citizens to access knowledge. Wherever knowledge is available to people, it is a public good. Grillo tried to impart his knowledge and was successful in 'knowledge production'. Traditional politicians failed because they failed to capitalize on the benefits of innovation, failed in the way they could transfer their knowledge to people and worse still, with a vast section of the electorate, they appeared to be fake in their 'knowledge production'
Incidentally, knowledge society exercised its own checks. Grillo did fairly bad in those towns and cities which are led by a mayor from the M5S. And this should make us reflect more on the concept of freedom of expression and the use of the net.
While the law in Italy allows and guarantees freedom of expression, certain actions go beyond such right. In theory, freedom of expression cannot be used to haunt and taunt citizens. In practice, freedom of expression has ended up doing just so. In the 19th century, there was censorship. It was a direct way for the state to exercise control. In the 21st century, we are facing the situation where the law and legal procedures are being turned into new forms of subtle censorship. What has been termed as SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) is a case in point.
Yes, the digital world is bringing back to the fore the old 19th century concept of censorship. Grillo has used it against some of his rebellious members. Until these new parties become fully part of the establishment, they are rightly seen as good forces to oust from power the traditional parties that find themselves victims of our knowledge-based society. Traditional parties are the new victims of this Digital Age and their own system of self-gratification and political corruption.