-  PART 1

– PART 2

– PART 3

– PART 4

– PART 5

Yup, a little italian-german language mixture to get the right effect!

Several governments has failed to as have courts trying to do their job – but it is about time for a joined-up, co-ordinated effort to bring the buffone to his untergang.

The easiest would be to have the Italian people vote against him and then the new government take action. In fact the Italians have voted against him on several occasions despite him controlling the media to an extreme degree. But then the governments have failed to take action – the last from 2006 would not interfere with his conflict of interest as his empire was of italian national value – the buffone must have laughed when he heard and saw that!

So even if the Italian people voted against him the likely of any action being taken is close to zero. So what are the options? There are a couple of obvious ones – for now these will be the only ones we present here:

1. Petition:

The Lisbon treaty offers the possibility of bringing a petition to the commissioners if one million have signed it. The petition would be on conflict of interest, sure, and a million signatures should be easy to get. That the commission would take action is however doubtful. There are toughies in the commission like first Vice-president Vivian Reding but then again her boss, Durao Barroso, isn’t and would probably not push anything forward. Occassionally he wants to show that he is tough so maybe he would do it in this case – remains to be seen. Petition first!

2. European Court of Justice.

Lisbon treaty or not – the European Court of Justice has ruled that the Italian broadcasting system does not abide the EU law and therefore Rete 4 should give up its frequencies to Europa 7. However, this is simply not happening – so lawlessness brought to EU-level. Bad. European Court of Justice should be reminded to follow up on the ruling.

I have had the chance to meet people who admit they vote Berlusconi.

I imagine that that is nothing special in certain circles in Italy but in the rest of Europe it is a bit like meeting someone who denies holocaust (think of it – how many Italians you know or have met and how many have said they vote for the buffone?). Most Berlusconianos are aware of that and will hence not tell foreigners, like me, that they actually vote for him. However, speaking Italian I sometimes manage to gain their trust.

Having now spoken to quite a few of them and having given it a bit of thought I believe we can put buffone-freaks/Berlusconianos into three categories:

1. The deniers

There are those who have been so brainwashed by now that they actually begin to believe that the man is not guilty of anything, that the media is not on his side, that the judges in Italy are all communists, that his accomplices do not manipulate media coverage, that passing legislation in parliament allowing for false accounting is not in his interest, etc. These are the closest to the holocaust deniers and are hard if not impossible to get thru to.

2. The ultra-pragmatists

Then there are those who admit everything: that he has mafia connections, has masonic lodge business, has committed bigscale the tax fraud, pass false accounting legislation to save his own ass, that he bribes judges, embezzles, that he uses the state to serve his own interests, etc – and then say that there is no alternative!

Now, you can choose to love to hate the other Italian parties – but accept all of the above and yet still vote for him takes a level of forgiveness that would leave even Mother Teresa gabing! The ultra-pragmatists basically say that the buffone is all he is charged for being and devil-like – but the others are the real devil (of whom you cannot accuse the same). To me that is not pragmatisme – that is taking it to a whole new level – ultra-pragmatisme.

3. The menofreghisti (the ‘I-couldn’t-care-less’)

This group has given up figuring out whether the guy is guilty, self-serving, immoral, or the like, but appreciates his entertainment value. They find it funny when he flips the bird, when he starts singing, when he keeps Angela Merkel waiting, when he shouts at politicians in the European Parliament – he constitutes a rebel for them – somebody who is just as indifferent to the establishment as they’d like to be if they had the chance.

The above serves mainly as an observation. However, it might be worth considering the above when trying to win over buffone-freaks and when targeting campaigns against the buffone. None of the three groups are easy to get through to. However, on the surface, the third group – the menofreghisti (the ‘I-couldn’t-care-less’) – would be the easiest. You would just need a bigger clown than the buffone (and there are people who do that for a living so that should not be hard to find). However, if a politicians does more clownacts than the buffone he might recruit this segment but he will alienate others (unless he, of course, have hundreds of people working for him on television channels assuring us that this kind of behaviour is normal!).

However, this is only one part of the problem – even more serious is that the other Europeans – and I think primarily of the politicians in the European Parliament and the Commission – have failed to address the biggest political embarassment in Europe since World War II. Let us hope that changes soon.

Cross your fingers for 2010 – and act!

2009 turned out to be bad year for the buffone – independently of whether you like him or not!

His wife is divorcing him, one of his laywers has been convicted of taking a bribe from him, one of his many self-serving laws aiming at granting him immunity was overruled by the Italian constitutional court, a No Berlusconi day was launched not only in Italy but across the globe, he was hospitalised and suffered injuries after a heavy souvenir of the Milan cathedral was thrown in his face, his second in charge Fini was caught bad-mouthing him, he was humiliated publicly by Michelle Obama, made a fool of himself at EU summits, his approval ratings fell 10% (although still above 40% unfortunately), he lauded the last European Dictator saying ‘his people loved him’, etc.

However, he is still the Italian Prime minister and not yet on proper trial.

So, the pressure on him and his followers should increase not decrease in 2010. For the time being the constant reminding of who he is, what he stands for, his conflict of interest, his continuous efforts to demolish the Italian democracy – should not only continue but be enhanced.

And, he will fall. But he might not fall the way I would have expected a year ago where I thought he’d be losing to the opposition in various elections. However, now I think it is more likely that he will be dethroned by his own. As his popularity shrinks and even some his former allies reluctantly admit his failings, I find it more likely that the dissatisfaction within his own ranks decreases only to eventually dethrone him.

This is would also be the best way. As his governance, style, interest of conflict, etc has nothing to do with left or right he should implode from within not loose by being beaten by the left. A victory by the left would only polarize further Italian politics – what is more important is bring a bit of trustworthiness and honesty into Italian politics (and that would happen by an implosion). Yes, you can call me a dreamer!

I think more and more a realising that by supporting the Buffone now they risk being ridiculed at best, and made scape goats at best in the future. Should you be a Buffone supporter then the time is getting ripe for taking a new stand!

So, pressure up, buffone down, and happy new year!

You can read more about the buffone’s 2009 here:

http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15105747

http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15014270

http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15017197

http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14921375

http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14885947

http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14807038

http://www.economist.com/daily/chartgallery/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14713716

http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14587700

People around the world with gather today to express their discontent with the Buffone as the Prime Minister of Italy. The immediate goal is simple and easy – to call for the Buffone’s resignation – the ultimate goal of actually making it happening is equally simple but unequally harder!

The event was first intended for Rome, Italy but as the discontent is such the event has moved not just across the European continent but across the globe.

Show up and show your discontent and outrage with the Europe’s biggest disgrace – the Buffone.

The list of cities where ‘No Berlusconi’ demonstrations will now take place include:

San Francisco and Sacramento, USA

Ottawa and Montreal, Canada

Buenos Aires, Argentina

London, England

Madrid, Spain

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Vienna, Austria

Lisbon, Portugal

Copenhagen, Denmark

Istanbul, Turkey

May the force be with us!

2 out of 3 aint bad

3 buffone news – two good, one bad

To take the bad news first
EPP section surprisingly lets Europe down

Independently of political orientation, the proposal tabled in the European Parliament against excessive media control was sensible but failed to pass by a few votes. Of course this proposal should have had massive support in the European Parliament including from the EPP (Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) – centre-right).

The buffone and his accomplices in the so-called “People of liberty” party are of course part of the EPP and it is obvious that others from the EPP did not want to rock the boat by voting in favor of the motion on media control. However, what they failed to realise is that voting against it they undermine their own credibility and the likelyhood of being future laughing stock – or even scape goats.

The motion would not necessarily have lead to any concrete measures as the Commission and the commissioner in question Luxemburgish Viviane Reading, unfortunately, so far has been dismissive of the idea to put forward a directive proposal on media control.

The first good news

Way to go (!) – praise to Italian constitutional court

It was a day of rejoice when the Italian constitutional court proved itself to have integrity and clout and give in to the political pressure exercised by the buffone and accomplices.

Despite the buffones tireless attempts to undermine democracy in Italy, power there is still, as in any democracy, split in three – legislative, judicial and executive. The buffone would have liked to join the former two but it did not work out.

Although the buffone probably deep down inside knew that the constitutional court was right and was merely doing its job he could obviously not say that and resorted to the repetitive accusations of judge being communists! Come on! That is so tedious!

But let us not be negative and rather celebrate this rare strike against the buffone and his contemptuous efforts to take complete control of Italy.

The news is not only good in itself it will possibly bring more good news as new trials against the buffone are meant to be kicked off again.

Second good news

Milan appeal court upholds conviction that the british lawyer David Mills took 600.000 Euros in bribe from the buffone

The bribe was to make David Mills make false testimony in two trials relating to of the buffone’s offshore companies.

David Mills had already been convicted at a lower city court of Milan but him, and the buffone, appealed, but fortunately in vain.

David Mills has said that he will appeal to Italy’s highest court and his plan is very simple. If he can keep the trial going beyond 2010 the case becomes obsolete and he will be off the hook – expect him and the buffone doing all the stalling they possibly, and impossibly (!) can! Time will tell if the Italian legal system will let them get away with this scam, but so far we have reason to think not, and to be optimistic.

Buffone defending Marcello Dell’Utri and Mangano (convicted for being Mafioso and for double homicide)

A telephone conversation about Mangano (of the Sicilian mafia)

Marcello Dell’Utri with a slip admitting he is mafioso