Again, let us point out that this site is not about left or right but about right or wrong (!) and why Berlusconi is wrong.

The question about why some vote for Berlusconi is very closely linked to the issue of conflict of interests and obviously there will be different theories. Being a media mogul and prime minister (or president of the council of ministers as it is called in Italy) makes it possible to a very large extent to manipulate public opinion.

The manipulation is not merely in the form of flooding programs with Berlusconi-supporters but to the extent of dismissing critics from TV. In fact in 2004, 2005  and again in 2009, Italy was the only country in the EU who was not ‘free’ – but only ‘partly free’ in terms of press freedom according to the Organisation Freedom house (http://www.freedomhouse.org/)

But that is of course not the whole story.

Firstly, it has been possible to be head of state by using his position as a media mogule who gives a favourable picture of him.

Secondly, the rist and permanence of power in Italian politics was also largely due to a fragmented centre-left wing – with many centre or left-wing politicians being basically incompetent.

The splitting of media and politics should have been a key priority for ANY government in Italy be it left, right or centre. However, the left had a more imminent interest in addressing and nevertheless failed to do so during the years of centre-left ruling that is 1994-1996, 1998-2001, and 2006-2008.

We attribute this lack of will to address and issue which constituies the very fundamental functioning of a modern democracy as a lack of competence (again, independently of political belief).

However, having mentioned all of the above, there are of course other reasons. Firstly, even if Berlusconi is the buffoon of Europe, you can actually agree with him and many of the reforms he have suggested are sensible. However, there is one hell of a distance between what he promises and what he implements and even if he did implement the fact remains that he has systematically sought to protect himself by passing self-serving legislation and used the media as a power tool.

It could also be an attack of stubbornness where many want to dismiss the many stories and scandals about the buffone as simple political opportunism of the political enemies.

This is a very human reaction but just like the defenders of communism in Eastern Europe during the cold war, they will eventually have to face the reality and the truth. The so-called support for Berlusconi is a bubble that will burst – the only open questions are when, and whether it will explode or fade out.

What has happened, has happened, and it is time to look forward – hense the buffone.eu site.