Persefone Campaigning

14/09/2025

The far right in the West have been playing a long game. Their campaigns aren’t about policy, they’re about emotion. Anger, fear, resentment. Over years, they’ve normalised certain ways of thinking about women, LGBTQ+ people and non-white communities.

Their core target is clear: white men with fewer economic opportunities. The same “strategists” and “thought leaders” are recycled across borders, amplified by online networks that spread this messaging faster than fact can catch up.

Progressives can’t counter this with a standard policy campaign. So what are we going to do to stop this?

14/09/2025

When left parties copy the right’s language on borders and migration, they don’t “reassure” anyone. They just shift the entire debate further to the right.

People don’t actually feel safer when politicians promise to “toughen borders” or “send people back.” They feel safer when they see stability in their communities: secure jobs, affordable homes, decent healthcare, and leaders who protect rights instead of stoking fear.

If progressives want to win trust, they have to set the agenda, not chase it. Security isn’t about harsher policies, it’s about creating conditions where people don’t feel threatened in the first place.

Every time the left repeats the right’s language on migration, whether it is “illegals,” “stronger borders” or “stop the boats,” it confirms the right’s story that people arriving are a threat.

The real issue is not asylum seekers. It is governments failing to manage the system. Long delays, endless hotel bills, chaotic decisions… that is what makes people angry.

Instead of promising more barbed wire, progressives should say: we will process claims quickly so people either integrate and work, or return if they do not qualify. We will stop wasting money on limbo and start running an orderly, fair system.

That makes people feel safe, not because someone was deported but because the system actually works.

28/08/2025

For years people have argued that the way to fix Italy’s political instability is to elect the head of government directly. The premierato is presented as the definitive answer: a leader chosen by the people, five years guaranteed, a majority assured.

This proposal is attractive because it touches a deep psychological need. When society lives in uncertainty, with economic crises, wars nearby, migration and climate change, the desire for protection grows. At such moments the complexity of institutions, with their balances and counterbalances, feels burdensome. It seems easier to rely on a single figure who promises to decide for everyone.

This is where regression comes in. It works as it does with children, who look for the parent who reassures and punishes. It is a return to a state of dependence, a collective infantilisation that reduces individual responsibility. Applied to an entire community, this dynamic becomes dangerous.

Delegating everything to a strong leader may give the impression of safety, but in reality it makes us vulnerable. It means that the freedom of citizens depends on the will of one person alone. In the United States millions believed that Trump could solve every problem. They gave up their own critical sense and now find themselves with weakened institutions and a divided country. In Hungary the search for order has handed Orbán power without checks, reducing citizens to spectators.

Democracy, by contrast, is the exercise of maturity. It is slow and conflictual because it distributes power, forces people to share decisions, and demands mutual responsibility. This difficulty is our safeguard: it prevents anyone from governing without limits and keeps us adult citizens.

The premierato does not bring real stability. It brings an illusion that infantilises society, teaching people to think that a single leader is more reliable than collective institutions. It is a step backwards in democratic development.

Italy does not need a father/ mother to decide for everyone. It needs adult citizens, capable of facing complexity and carrying the weight of freedom. Authentic stability is born from this maturity, not from obedience to a charismatic leader.

28/08/2025

Da tempo si sostiene che la soluzione all’instabilità politica italiana sia eleggere direttamente un capo del governo. Il premierato viene presentato come la risposta definitiva: un leader scelto dal popolo, cinque anni garantiti, una maggioranza assicurata.

Questa proposta attrae perché tocca un bisogno psicologico profondo. Quando la società vive nell’incertezza, con crisi economiche, guerre vicine, migrazioni e cambiamenti climatici, cresce il desiderio di protezione. In quei momenti la complessità delle istituzioni, con i loro equilibri e i contrappesi, appare faticosa. Sembra più semplice affidarsi a una sola figura che promette di decidere per tutti.

È qui che scatta la regressione. Funziona come nei bambini, che cercano il genitore che rassicura e punisce. È un ritorno a uno stato di dipendenza, un’infantilizzazione collettiva che riduce la responsabilità individuale. Applicata a un’intera comunità, questa dinamica diventa pericolosa.

Delegare tutto a un leader forte può dare l’impressione di sicurezza, ma in realtà ci rende vulnerabili. Significa che la libertà dei cittadini dipende dalla volontà di una sola persona. Negli Stati Uniti milioni di persone hanno creduto che Trump potesse risolvere ogni problema. Hanno rinunciato al proprio senso critico e oggi si trovano con istituzioni indebolite e un Paese diviso. In Ungheria la ricerca di ordine ha consegnato a Orbán un potere senza contrappesi, riducendo i cittadini a spettatori.

La democrazia, al contrario, è l’esercizio della maturità. È lenta e conflittuale perché distribuisce il potere, costringe a condividere le decisioni, obbliga alla responsabilità reciproca. Questa fatica è la nostra garanzia: impedisce a chiunque di governare senza limiti e ci mantiene cittadini adulti.

Il premierato non porta vera stabilità. Porta un’illusione che infantilizza la società, abituandola a pensare che un capo sia più affidabile delle istituzioni collettive. È un passo indietro nello sviluppo democratico.

L’Italia non ha bisogno di un padre/ una madre che decida per tutti. Ha bisogno di cittadini adulti, capaci di affrontare la complessità e di reggere la fatica della libertà. La stabilità autentica nasce da questa maturità, non dall’obbedienza a un leader carismatico.

17/07/2025

Public speaking is a universal skill, but it’s far from universal in style. This course explores the fascinating cultural contrasts between US and European presentation styles

16/06/2025

🧠 Why Do Some Nations Turn from Victim to Aggressor? And Why Do We Keep Electing Leaders Who Reflect That?

In both psychology and geopolitics, there’s a haunting pattern: unhealed trauma, personal or collective, doesn’t just disappear. It mutates. Often into control, aggression, or moral exceptionalism.
Think of how trauma narratives shape the policies of leaders like Netanyahu, Putin, or Trump. But the harder truth? These leaders often don’t impose themselves on us: we elect them. Why? Because they reflect something in the collective psyche: a desire to feel safe, powerful, or vindicated after suffering.

In this article, I explore:
• How trauma distorts leadership and national identity
• Why remembrance alone doesn’t heal
• The danger of strongman politics as a psychological defence
• And what real moral maturity in leadership could look like

This isn’t just about the Middle East or the USA. It’s about all of us, and the unconscious forces shaping today’s politics.

🔗 https://persefonecoaching.wixsite.com/persefonecampaigning/post/when-victims-become-aggressors-understanding-how-collective-wounds-shape-national-behaviour

Would love to hear your thoughts.
What wounds are still shaping the world, and how do we begin to heal them?

In both psychology and geopolitics, there's a powerful and often unsettling pattern: victims can become oppressors. This is not due to moral failure alone but often stems from deep psychological forces embedded in individual and collective trauma. What starts as a defensive posture can turn into dom...

05/06/2025

We spend years learning facts we may never use, yet most of us were never taught how to manage our emotions, communicate with empathy, or navigate conflict.

Emotional Intelligence isn’t just a “soft skill”, it affects how we lead, work, parent, and relate to others. It shapes our mental health, resilience, and ability to survive in a complex world.

Imagine how different life could be if we learned self-awareness and emotional regulation as early as we learned multiplication tables.

14/05/2025

Why Starmer’s Shift to the Right on Immigration Rhetoric Will Backfire:
Keir Starmer’s recent embrace of tougher rhetoric on immigration appears to be a calculated move to win back voters who’ve drifted toward Reform UK. But it’s a strategy doomed to fail, and for one very simple reason: it’s inauthentic.

Those who’ve already left Labour for Reform won’t be persuaded by this pivot. They’ve long made up their minds that Labour doesn’t speak for them, particularly on cultural issues like immigration. A sudden adoption of harder language won’t convince them. It will simply appear opportunistic.

More damaging, though, is what this move signals to Labour’s own base. Long-time supporters, activists, and members of the party will see it not just as cynical, but as a betrayal of Labour’s values. For many, immigration isn’t merely a policy issue; they're now more likely to vote Green.

In trying to appease the right, Starmer risks bleeding support from his left. Worse, he undermines one of the few things that still resonates with disillusioned voters: integrity. If Labour’s positions appear malleable, shaped more by polling than principle, then what does the party stand for?

Political triangulation might win headlines, but it rarely inspires trust. And without trust, you don’t win elections, or govern effectively.

19/04/2025

🇮🇹✨ Why saying “Domani vado dal dottore” might be fine in conversation… but not in a political campaign.

When we speak in public — especially in politics — the tense we choose shapes the vision we communicate.

Too much present tense? Your message might feel flat, reactive, or too focused on now.
Use the future, and suddenly you’re inspiring belief in what’s possible.

I just published a short piece on how this plays out in Italian political messaging — with practical examples and why it matters for campaign strategy.

🔗 https://persefonecoaching.wixsite.com/persefonecampaigning/post/does-the-language-we-speak-influence-how-we-think-about-the-future-a-reflection-for-political-commu

If you’re working in political comms or campaigning in Italian, this one’s for you.

Does the language we speak influence how we think? According to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, it might. This theory suggests that the structure and vocabulary of our language shape how we perceive reality. When applied to political communication, it raises a compelling question: if a language rarely t...

19/03/2025

The Left Needs to Offer More Than Just a Reaction

As politics becomes more polarised again, the left is finding itself in a difficult position. While the right have mastered the art of selling a clear, emotionally charged vision, the left often focuses on countering policies instead of offering a cohesive alternative. In Italy and many other countries they are currently in the opposition so it should make their job easier!

What’s missing? A well-articulated, values-driven vision that unites the left’s policies. Without this, the left risks being seen as fragmented and defensive rather than a credible force for change.

The key lies in framing policies around shared values—such as fairness, opportunity, and shared prosperity—and repeating these messages in a way that resonates emotionally. People aren’t motivated by a list of policy fixes—they need a vision that connects with their hopes and aspirations.

In my latest post, I explore how the left can shift from a reactive stance to one that offers a clear, forward-thinking narrative that inspires and unites.

https://persefonecoaching.wixsite.com/persefonecampaigning/post/the-left-needs-a-vision-building-a-clear-identity-for-the-future

Politics is polarised again, the left is struggling to define what it actually stands for. While conservatives are effective at selling a clear, emotionally charged vision rooted in tradition, security, and national identity, the left tends to focus on countering right-wing policies rather than pres...

16/03/2025

For years, the Italian left has struggled to define itself clearly on social media. Too often, progressive parties and politicians focus on criticising the right rather than offering a compelling alternative vision.

But people don’t vote for critiques—they vote for hope, identity, and a better future. In other words a clear vision.

Social media isn’t just a tool for communication—it’s a battleground for shaping perceptions, defining movements, and mobilising voters. To win, the Italian left must do more than react to the government’s actions; it needs to set the agenda, create a strong identity, and show how its vision will improve people’s lives.

Political parties need to go beyond just criticising opponents. Social media offers an opportunity for left-wing parties

29/01/2025

The new Italian bill proposed under the 'Ddl Sicurezza' is causing significant concern. This legislation aims at university surveillance and could infringe on academic freedom and privacy. Learn what it means for the future of education here: https://wix.to/NQ0G3yG

A new proposal in Italy, part of the “Ddl Sicurezza” (Security Bill), has sparked serious concern regarding privacy and academic freedom. The bill, currently under discussion, introduces the idea that universities could be compelled to share personal data on students, staff, and researchers with...