Social Right

Social Right (Destra Sociale) was the main national and social-conservative faction within National Alliance, a political party in Italy.

The faction had two main leaders: Francesco Storace and Gianni Alemanno. Although the first had once been one of the closest aides to Gianfranco Fini, the faction soon became the most vocally critic of his leadership and his departures from the tradition of the post-fascist Italian Social Movement. Its positions ranged from a strong social conservatism to a sort of economic left-wing populism, favouring big government rather than free market.

In the 2002 party congress Social Right had more than 30% of the delegates.^[1] In that occasion Storace was particularly critical of Fini.^[2]

In 2006 Storace broke with Alemanno as the latter chose to support Fini and his proposal to merge the party with Forza Italia and, thus, enter the European People's Party. Storace accused Fini of being a Christian democrat^[3] and formed D-Destra, a new faction, while Alemanno launched New Italy.^[4]

Since Storace's departure in 2007 to form The Right, which caused the definitive separation from Alemanno,^[5] and National Alliance's merger into The People of Freedom in 2009, most members of the faction conclusively distanced from Fini. Their leader Alemanno coalesced with party Christian democrats on many issues^[6] and became very close to Silvio Berlusconi. Alemanno's New Italy is now active within the new party.

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