By Giorgia Meloni
Friday, May 01, 2026
Fairy tales aren’t real life. There are no fairies that
can make you beautiful by waving a magic wand, nor are there princes who rouse
you from sleep with a kiss. In real life, you have to pull yourself out of your
own circumstances. That’s what I’ve always believed and that’s what I’ve always
done — with the same determination I now bring to delivering what I promised
Italians. And I owe it to them — because they’re the ones who made it happen,
not me. You see, when I became prime minister, I wasn’t struck by the fact that
many people were happy, but that they got so emotional. “Why are you all
crying?” I asked with a mix of surprise and embarrassment. I even joked, “I
haven’t even started yet and you’re already crying?”
But then I understood. My story breaks the taboos of a
country at a standstill, of decisions over people’s lives being made behind
closed doors, the shattering of thresholds that we believe we are excluded
from, of the idea that certain opportunities are beyond our reach. It wasn’t
just the political moment, the return of the center-right to government, it was
a government formed by the direct expression of a popular vote, after a decade
of power games and governments chosen by the establishment.
And there was something else in those strong emotions. I
understood it completely when a very important person, sitting right here in
the early hours of my term, explained his tearfulness in just a few words:
“Giorgia, this wasn’t supposed to happen.” It’s true. It may seem like a fairy
tale, but it isn’t. It’s determination and sacrifice. Study, discipline — and
obviously a good amount of luck. Though I’m not sure lucky is the right way to
describe finding yourself governing Italy in this economic situation. But
knowing that what seems impossible or like a fairy tale is actually within our
reach can completely change people’s way of thinking. All too often, I’ve heard
people who didn’t have everything they wanted say, “It’s the government’s
fault,” or “politics’ fault,” or “the fault of where I started.” Sure, those
things matter, and it’s my job to work on that. But are we sure that’s the only
thing? What I mean to say, or ask is, “Are you sure you did everything you
could to achieve the goals you set for yourself?” As I see it — and based on my
personal experience — I’m certain that fate depends on what we are willing to
do, on how much we’re willing to work, on how much we’re willing to sacrifice.
Our fate depends on us. And if I can get this message across — while at the
same time guaranteeing that everyone starts with the same conditions and the
same opportunity to try — then we can change everything.
The moment the left heard the word “meritocracy,” it flew
into a rage. And do you know why? Because meritocracy dismantles the concept of
the boss-state. It’s what sets us free. You can’t control it, you can’t steer
it. It doesn’t need party affiliations or circuits that promote you based on
your political loyalties — or rather, those you claim to have whenever it’s
convenient. Meritocracy is the opposite of real socialism and the Five Star
Movement’s principle that “one is equal to one.” Because that’s nonsense — no
ifs, ands, or buts. It’s been dragging us down since 1968. It pushed the idea
that there’s no point in giving it your all because everyone will get the same
result anyway — even those who decide to do nothing. It’s a shrewd way to move
your friends up the line. One is not equal to one. One has to be equal to one
when it comes to opportunities, not results, which instead depend on that one’s
subjectivity.
Decline is not a fate; it is a choice. That’s the same
principle I’ve been trying to explain all along, applied to an entire country.
If someone who came from nothing can end up governing Italy, then maybe all of
us can accomplish things once thought impossible. And if we can do it — and we
are Italy — then this country, too, can reach goals we never imagined possible.
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