How the hell has the Italian electorate once more elected this man? While in Italy we can expect an alliance with post-fascists and even greater media control in his hands, the international scene can wait with baited breath for more of those excruciating foot-in-mouth moments (such as regarding Finland and the EU Food Safety Authority). Let’s at least hope the EU keeps a proper eye on his media empire.
Anyway, at least Berlusconi is 71 now, and has a pacemaker. I do however suspect a quarrelsome coalition is more likely to be his downfall than any health issue though.
[UPDATE, 17.04.08]
It’s started already… Berlusconi has described Zapatero’s cabinet that contains 9 women and 8 men as “too pink” and reckons Zapatero will have problems leading them. Apparently few people in Italy even remarked about this. More from EUObserver.
The election outcome will also mean a further turnover in Italian MEPs: at least 11 have been elected to new Italian Parliament. And there’re a couple of MEPs who are waiting for second round local elections results (if successful, they will leave Strasbourg)
Ok.
but you comparized Angela Merkel with our berlusconi…….
She doesn’t do a lot for her country?????
Again, I don’t Agree. Mrs Merkel is a better politicians then berlusconi, she does so much for Germany and at last I think your country is going fine.
There are many challanges for future, but you are on the right way. IMHO.
Yes, though I mean the situation overall. Merkel may not be corrupt, I do not know, though I believe, what matters in the end is – what are they doing for the people?
What does she do for our country? Are you talking about our unemployment rate going down? They are faking the statistics – many of these people are working for low loans and therefore additionally receive support by the government. But they do not count these people as unemployed, even though they make maybe only 400 Euros or less by themselves. It’s a joke. More and more people are eating at “Die Tafel”, because they can’t afford paying for their family’s food anymore.
Just because companies make a lot of money it doesn’t mean the people in your country are doing well.
It’s all a matter of how to fake your statistics.
At least he’s in his country. Mrs. Merkel is only on tour around the globe all the time. She is already more or less the head of the EU, but she doesn’t do a lot for her country.
Just a lot! loll
Sorry EU Law, but Merkel is much better. She’s not corrupt, does not own most of Germany’s media, and behaves on the international stage with a degree of restraint and decorum.
Seen from outside Italy, Italian politics looks a lot worse than most other EU countries’ political systems.
Yes it is!compared with Italian “new” prime minister.
Do you think, Mrs. Merkel is so much better?
What a pathetic state of affairs in Italy…
@ Eu Law
I don’t agree with you.
So you’re about as lucky people as we are in Germany.
Eu Law, do you know what is the truth? we haven’t a good candidate at all…
Maybe it’s simply the best candidate they have… 😐
thanks,
at present clear analyses are just what remain to us… ;__;
Clear analysis Giacomo.
Yes but French electorare does not have umberto bossi and lega nord!
I have explained here why I think HE didn’t win but the hard federalist and quite xenophobic party Lega won. I am sorry but my rough analyses is only in Italian. I can summarize in this way.
If we look at percentages of the last three national elections, 2001, 2006 and 2008, Berlusconi and his personal party is slowly fading away, for countering this trend he fused with ex-fascists party (which was not a personal party) and created a new brand party, “People of Liberty”.
Of course Berlusconi still has a core of followers around 20-25% but he is not able to attract more than that by his self, he needs to integrate, or eat…, other structures, firstly ex-fascists and then the more specialized party of Lega. However Lega was able to maintain much of its independence and on my view they are the actual winner of these elections, a party which doubled its mass of voters in respect to both 2001 and 2006 elections.
However Lega it’s a very “specialized” party with a root demand called “independence” or at least very hard federalism…. The social base of this is the very difference, socially and economically speaking (not ethnically!), among north and south Italy, so this is not just a matter of opinion or media-pumped xenophobia but of concrete differences__I am not a Marxist but in this case I think that money and factories count a little bit more than ideas…
So Berlusconism, as it is called in Italy, is fading away and in some time it will lose its force, but the differences among the “two Italy-s” were not solved by 60 years of Central Government so they will not disappear so easily… the only hope is that the incoming federal reform will be a good one (I hope but not dream…). This will bring the Lega to the end of its trip and them maybe the Democratic Party will be able to win again (if they will to really innovate, at present they have just done half of the job). If the federal reform will not be good and will just increase States expenditures and political corruption then… maybe the Democratic Party will win anyway, but Italians will have to pay a very very high price…
No comments… the French electorate does no better.
“How the hell has the Italian electorate once more elected this man? ”
I don’t know John! :@