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Silvio Berlusconi is a man who loves jokes and amusement.
Mindful of his youthful experience as entertainer in cruise ships, as soon as he can he draws his old arms and begins to make everybody laugh. At Italy.
His amusing performance intensify when he is abroad. Maybe the air of foreign countries inebriates him of inspiration. Who knows.
The latest show of the “most loved by Italians” stand up comedian has been in Trieste where he peekabooed Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany.
But previously he had had an acclaimed performance in Russia: “I will try to help relations between Russia and the United States, where a new generation has come to power. I don’t see problems for Medvedev in establishing good relations with Obama, who is also handsome, young and suntanned”
Chill among the American and international press.
United States and the rest of the world celebrate an historic turning point not only, and mostly, because after ten disastrous years of Bush’ presidency a young President with innovative ideas has been elected, but also because after forty years since the Civil Rights Act in 1964 the first black President has been elected and chosen by the American people.
When all of this is happening in the world the Italian Prime Minister dives into a joke that only some old man nostalgic of fascism would have said.
Offended that the world with one voice has judged disparaging and racist his joke Mr B choses the way of diplomacy to explain his “witty remark” and he has called whoever had criticised him an idiot.
But the Italian Prime Minister has a long story and these are just crumbs.
It is disconcerting that having strong evidence in hand in Italy nobody, a part from a couple of journalists who mostly writes books and have blogs, talks or writes about who really is Silvio Berlusconi, the head of the Italian Government.
It is disconcerting that people voted and still vote for him, blind or preferring being blind to who he is and how he is using political power for himself.
It is even more disconcerting that the opposition don’t talk about it everyday. Are they afraid that they might win elections if they do? Mr Veltroni and fellows “shadow-statesmen” what were you thinking about during the electoral campaign? And what are you thinking about now?
Here is a very good report (dated 2003) by Wide Angle (WNET New York network) about Berlusconi. What has it changed now, after five years? Nothing.
Silvio Berlusconi, some days ago, at a dinner at the White House
Berlusconi: “Questo è ciò che può fare il troppo amore” “This is what too much love can do!”
That’s Amore!
Some weeks ago Minister Mara Carfagna gave Italy a lesson of great morals.
The woman who used to perform as showgirl in TV shows and who posed partially nude for a calendar and for magazines firmly stated “I do not understand who sells her own body”.
She announced a new bill against prostitution in street; according to what she stated who will be caught with a prostitute will be immediately catapulted into a jail. The future law punishes clients and prostitutes caught bargaining in street: they risk from 5 to 15 days of arrest and a fine from 200 to 3.000 euro.
The law won’t deal with slave trades, exploitation of underage prostitution and it won’t regulate prostitution as in Holland for instance.
Practically the bill is just a huge electoral spot that Italian newspapers and TV news have helped to issue without explaining what the truth is: it will be very difficult to end up in jail.
As journalist Marco Travaglio explained in his blog, even if the judge applies the maximum punishment, 15 days, nobody will end up in prison. In Italy probation is applied up to 2 years of punishment and if the punishment goes over 2 years and arrives at 3 years this is not served in prison but mostly in social services. So even if the client always gets the maximum punishment he will have to be arrested and sentenced at least 73 times to go beyond 3 years and end up in prison.
It is unbelievable, and yet it is true.
Censorship is part of Italian politics, media and people’s DNA, they rise scandalized and terrify at the first sign of freedom of expression and thought.
On Tuesday in Roma, Piazza Navona, there has been a crowded demonstration against Silvio Berlusconi’s Government and his legislative masterpieces.
Intellectuals, artists, journalists and comedians attended it. The leader of Italia dei Valori Antonio Di Pietro, who strongly supported the demonstration, was the only politician to get on the stage and talk. The Partito Democratico, the other opposition party, was absent and criticized those gathered in that square decided to shout their own indignation against the present actions of the Government, despite there were several PD flags waving in Piazza Navona proof that not all electors share their opinions and political choices.
Walter Veltroni, leader of PD, and his “Shadows-Ministers” decided to demonstrate in Fall. Mr Berlusconi is working really hard to pass every sort of unconstitutional and ad personam law (5 in a month) right now, but the biggest Italian opposition party will demonstrate against it after a couple of months. A tortuous logic.
After the demonstration in Roma, censors from every political front, starting from Walter Veltroni, rose for what had been said on that stage and, above all, for what two comedians had said. Besides Italian media simply forgot or just hinted at the reasons why all those people had gathered in square.
During the last days Italian newspapers whispered and hinted at presumed “strong erotic content” wiretaps between Berlusconi, who was leader of the opposition at the time, and the showgirl Mara Carfagna. According to the newspapers during the phone calls they talked explicitly about oral sex.
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