Saturday, November 12, 2011

A Word from Europe ... Y'All Think You Got Troubles

Try being Italy. You thought eight years of Bush was bad, try 17 years of Berlusconi. A lot of Americans right now - on the Left as well as the Right - are being stupid in blaming all the problems the US is encountering on President Obama. Our problems go back to Ronald Reagan's policies and include Bill Clinton's missteps as well as George W Bush's continuations.

But the Italians have only one man to blame for 17 years of treating the country like his personal fiefdom. Italy became Berlusconi S p A.

You think Bush was hated? Look at what's happening outside the governmental palace in Rome right now:-



The song they're singing is "Bella Ciao" a song of the Communist partisan resistance to Mussolini during the Second World War; and that's exactly what Berlusconi was, amidst other things (namely, a horny old man preying on increasingly younger women and an outright crook): a quasi-fascist, with emphasis on the fascisti part. When we talk, with presumed authority in the United States, of fascism, well, here's a country which went from fascism Mussolini-style to fascism Berlusconi style. Berlusconi was the prime minister - and he owned, literally owned, most of the newsprint media and a fair shake of the radio and television media, itself.

Information control, anyone? People in the US will be surprised to know that Murdoch's final success in obtaining permission from Berlusconi to air Sky Italia in the country wasn't an aiding and abetting of Berlusconi's particular conservative politics as such - Murdoch presented the opposing viewpoint, and - as such - Murdoch is viewed as a liberal saviour in Italy.

Kinda funny, yes?

Here's some more reaction from the Italian people to Berlusconi's departure from power:-



And here's more of the crowd yelling "Thief" and "Buffoon" at the Prime Minister:-



Now here's real passion without violence: "The last big Mediterranean dictator has departed," the speaker says:-



What comes next? Well, for the moment, there'll be an appointed "technocratic" government until elections. Honestly, there are SO many political parties in Italy, your head would spin trying to keep count of them all. But here's a rarity amongst politicians anywhere in the world - Antonio di Pietro, an entirely honest activist and politician and leader of one of the larger opposition parties. He's in the middle of this gaggle. They call him the Italian Obama.

One hopes. Speriamo bene.



Now here's a proper version of Bella Ciao to send Silvio on his way:-

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