The 5 Star Movement: a political laboratory

Abstract

The history of the Five Star Movement is brief but complex. From the outset, the Movement’s political symbol provided a sort of ‘common brand’ for local action groups and movements, already active on the ground, engaged in pursuing environmental issues and in defending public amenities. In the initial phase of its existence, its voters were oriented to the left. Then, as time went by, it won support also from those on the centre-right, in particular from PdL and Northern League voters, owing to the disappointment they felt as a result of the scandals and internal divisions that had hit those parties. In the end, Grillo’s Movement became a sort of vehicle of anti-political protest, used by citizens to voice their discontent with traditional parties and professional politicians. On the basis of this widened support, it achieved unexpected electoral success at the 2013 general election. The Five Star Movement would not exist without Beppe Grillo; and it shares, in fact, the main features of the personal party model. However, the ‘personalised’ nature of the leader’s relationship with his voters does not stand out as much as one might expect. The Movement’s main political proposal revolves around a critique of representative democracy, and a strong preference for direct and deliberative democracy. In short, it is very difficult to define Beppe Grillo and ‘his’ Movement, since this political entity is not representative of a ‘specific model’ but is, rather, an accurate reflection of the ongoing crisis European democracies are now experiencing.