Countercurrent (PdL faction, Italy)

Countercurrent (Controcorrente) is a liberal faction within The People of Freedom (PdL), a political party in Italy.

The faction was launched in October by some 30 liberals who opposed Giulio Tremonti's policies as economy minister. They included Antonio Martino, Giorgio Stracquadanio, Guido Crosetto, Isabella Bertolini, Giuseppe Cossiga and Giuseppe Moles. Some of them were also members of Christopher Columbus Foundation (Martino), while others were considered Silvio Berlusconi's loyalists (Stracquadanio). More specifically, members of Countercurrent were committed liberals who were unconfortable with Tremonti's policies (dirigist, in their view) and wanted a return to Forza Italia's early libertarianism and to the so-called "spirit of 1994", the year of Berlusconi's entry to politics.^[1]^[2]

Somewhat surprisingly, on 3 November 2011, Stracquadanio and Bertolini signed an open letter to Berlusconi along with four recent splinters from the party (Roberto Antonione, Giustina Destro, Fabio Gava and Giancarlo Pittelli) in which they asked Berlusconi to step down and made a call for a new executive.^[3]^[4]^[5]

References

Italian political party factions

The People of Freedom	Christian democrats (Network Italy, Christopher Columbus, Pisaniani, Christian Democracy, Liberal Populars, Christian Reformists, Christian Populars) – liberal centrists (Liberamente, Tremontiani, Magna Carta, Dellutriani) – liberals (Countercurrent, Free Foundation, Popular Liberalism) – social democrats (Reformism and Freedom, We Reformers, New Italian Socialist Party, European Reformists) – liberal conservatives (Protagonist Italy, Foundation of Freedom, Open Space) – national conservatives (New Italy, Movement for Italy, Libertarian Right) – grassroots (Promoters of Freedom, Circles of Freedom, Clubs of Freedom, Circles of Good Government)

Democratic Party	Majority (Bersaniani, Dalemiani–Reformists and Democrats, Lettiani–360 Association, To the Left, Democrats Really, Democracy and Socialism, Social Christians) – Democratic Movement (Veltroniani, The Populars–Fourth Phase, Liberal PD, Democratic Ecologists, Theo-Dems) – Democratic Area (The Populars–Franceschiniani, Fassiniani, Serracchiani-Civati) – non-aligned (Big Bang, Change Italy, Ulivists, Together in the PD) – associate parties (Italian Radicals, Moderates for Piedmont)

Lega Nord	Bossiani–Magic circle – Maroniani – Calderoliani – Venetians – issue oriented groups (see Factions of Lega Nord)

Union of the Centre	Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (Casiniani – Tabaccini – Liberals and Christians) – Daisy Populars – White Rose – former PD and PdL members – minor parties

Future and Freedom	Generation Italy – National Area – Libertiamo

Communist Refoundation Party	Refoundation in Movement – Being Communists – The Ernesto – HammerSickle – Counter-current – To the Left with Refoundation recent splits (Communist Alternative Party – Communist Project/Communist Workers' Party – Critical Left – Refoundation for the Left/Movement for the Left)