Davide Berretta, in today's International Herald Tribune, has a very smart piece about Silvio Berlusconi ("Il Cavaliere," as the press sometimes refers to him here in Italy) and the current national election campaign. Things have been getting a bit weird during this final week (voting is Sunday and Monday) of the campaign. First, in Monday night's debate, Berlusconi, during his final summation, announces that he will abolish the property tax on residences if he wins the election. It came completely out of the blue, and would mean about a 30% loss of revenue for local governments ... and then, after the debate, he was asked by a reporter how he thinks the vote will go; he replied: The Left can't win; I have too much respect for the Italian electorate to think "che ci siano cosi tanti coglioni" -- that they would have the balls -- to vote against their own interests. It is (apparently) a very vulgar expression, not the sort of thing Italians expect their PM to say -- although, as Berretta points out, maybe Berlusconi gets to play by new rules.
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Maybe it is good to havec a little honest talk instead of the normal platitudes before they rip the electorate off.
The generous pension system (that has been a God-given right for generations of Italians) is bloated and can no longer be adequately sustained. In addition, Italy has had an overly protectionist economy (especially for its workers and failing companies) that has restrained Italy from achieving its economic potential. Hostility toward foreign investment (i.e. foreign company buy-outs of traditional Italian companies) is common and privatization (which Berlusconi has pressed for) sets off protests and polemic debate. Lastly, and an area I am most interested in, Italy’s chaotic legal system is in need of radical reform (according to two Italian lawyers I use as outside counsel on Italian legal issues, the average duration of a civil suit in Italy is between 10-30 years). Navigating through the morass of legal bureaucracy is perilous, time-consuming, and madding at times.
Having said all that, Berlusconi and his coalition have shown more promise than those in the past by attempting pension reform, such as extending the retirement age, and inviting more outside investment into Italy without fear that they are somehow losing their Italian character, among other reforms. In my opinion, a win for Romano Prodi’s coalition would be a return to the same old socialist polices.
So I say to Il Duce, Forza Italia! Forza Berlusconi!
Berlusconi will lose because the Italian economy is seen as the weakest in Europe. But Prodi will not win by much because nobody believes his Socialism is likely to do anything but make the economy worse. He may not be a communist, but he is in their coalition. Expect very low voter turn out
Why "should" Italians be eager to replace Berlusconi with a left-wing anti-American little thing like Prodi? It is sad that the IHT puts its editorials in the news section...but that is nothing new, is it?
The Financial Times translated it as "dickheads," FWIW.
It's too bad some of the earlier commenters on this thread are too blind or ignorant to see through him.
What a choice for Italy - the failed policies of the left vs. this monster.
Hey I know another country that has that problem...
Il Cavaliere today, from La Repubblica.
For those of you following the Delay resignation this week, there are some interesting questions that were brought up in conversation. The timing of Delay's resignation poses significant issues of representation for the citizens of the 22nd Congressional District. Delay has decided to step down in such a manner that he can really control the process of selecting the next Republican candidate for Congress.
Gov. Perry (R-TX) has stated that unless Delay steps down by the end of this week, there will NOT be a special election. Instead, the district will most likely not have a representative from June to November.
Let me say this is not a partisan comment. I have no editorial comments on Delay's resignation or any political consequences arising from the resignation. My question, and the question of those I spoke with is the following:
Can a citizen force a special election by suing the Governor? The obvious assertion would be that the Governor is effectively denying citizens their constitutional right of representation in the US House of Representatives. Would a citizen of the district have standing to sue? Would a governor's refusal to hold a special election constitute denial of constitutionally guaranteed rights?
Again, this is not a partisan thread. I just found the question posed by a friend to be quite interesting, and seemingly, the implications on election law would be quite significant.
Thank you in advance for your insight.
C'est la vie
Uh... I really hope you meant to type "Il Cavaliere" not "Il Duce". Freudian slip?
For those who don't read Italian, the Repubblica story linked to above includes a description of the crowd at Berlusconi's rally closing the campaign. Maybe Americans think it's sort of cute and don't take it seriously, but shouts of "Duce, Duce" should send shivers down your spine.
Actually, I did mean "Il Duce" and it's a common nickname given to Berlusconi in Italy. Benito Mussolini does not have the same stigma or taboo that, for example, Adolf Hitler has in Germany. In fact there are many people in Italy who look fondly upon the Mussolini years, so much so, that Alessandra Mussolini (the dictator's granddaughter) has been elected to both the Italian and the EU's parliaments and is currently running again in the 2006 elections next week.
Coming from his detractors, it's understandable. Coming from his supporters, it's shameful.
"A proposito," by the way, I have rarely heard Berlusconi referred to as Duce except by his worst enemies, even those who admire Fascism having been forced to admit that Mussolini was, well, somewhat flawed in his presentation. The title "cavaliere" or "knight" is by contrast legitimate, the idea of "knight of the republic" having been created as a sort of substitute for inherited titles which are banned under the Italian constitution. So if anyone outside the opera tells you "I am the Duke of Savoia," or some such thing, you can tell them that they are a liar. Or in the spirit above, "macche coglione sei!"