Silvio Must Be Fuming!

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June 27, 2008 · Filed Under Italian news

Mr B, Italy’s charismatic prime minister is probably not a very happy chappy. A recent article in Italian news magazine L’Espresso concerned, amongst other things, telephone conversations which took place between Italy’s current prime minister and a RAI TV executive last year.

Apparently, these conversations involve, it is alleged, Berlusconi, who wanted to help out some of his TV friends, and who, it is claimed, offered to support the business interests of one Agostino Saccà. Saccà, who is currently under suspension, is/was RAI’s head of fiction.

In another tapped conversation with one Giancarlo Innocenzi, a member of Italy’s Communications Regulatory Authority (Agcom), was overhead chatting with Berlusco about valuable contracts for certain Mediaset producers. As the Italian newspapers are pointing out, this would appear to indicate that Mr B has not, as he has himself claimed, taken a back seat with regard to the management of his very own Mediset TV empire.

Wait for fresh allegations of confilicts of linterest to be levelled at Italy’s current head of parliament.

Around 9,000 (yes, nine thousand) calls have been deposited with the authorities in Naples who are investigating further allegations of corruption against good old Silvio.

Despite Berlusco’s attempts to whizz through anti-telephone tapping legislation, he does not appear to have moved fast enough to have blocked the recent publication of transcripts. Berlusconi’s lawyer is also unhappy and making noises to the effect that this current episode clearly justifies the anti-telephone tapping legislation proposals.

One thing, OK, two things, are clear, either Berlusconi never bought one of these, or, he did, but they don’t work!

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Tags: Berlusconi, Italian, Italian news, Italian politicians, Italian politics, Italy, Mediaset, mobile phone, phone tapping, RAI, scandal, Silvio Berlusconi, TV

Comments

7 Responses to “Silvio Must Be Fuming!”

Miss Expatria on June 27th, 2008 12:07 pm

Much like with the Bush Administration, I am exhausted from getting all excited that La Berlusca is goin’ down, and then he rises from the ashes like a phoenix every time. UGH.
cbright on June 27th, 2008 3:27 pm

I’ve been meaning to leave a comment for a few weeks and this story prompted me to do it. You’ve been writing some great stuff helping us non-Italians decode the current headlines. This story is another example. I’ve been seeing “Sacca’” and “Agcom” in my RSS feed and now I know what’s going on. Thanks!!
AlexR on June 27th, 2008 4:20 pm

@Miss Expatria - “La Berlusca is goin’ down, and then he rises from the ashes like a phoenix every time.” You have to hand it to the tanned one - he does appear to have the regenerative capacities of a phoenix! Very true! As to whether he will ever be brought down well…

@Chris - thanks for commenting! And I’m very glad to hear that my mini Italian news reviews are proving useful. Encouraging - I shall continue - if I manage to keep on top of it all. There sure is plenty going on!

All the best to both of you, and have a great weekend.

Alex
Gege Bau on June 29th, 2008 12:23 pm

Hi Alex,

Long time no E!

Looks like Silvio’s famous line is coming back to bite him in the ass: If it’s not on TV, it doesn’t exist. As much as he’d have loved to have pushed that anti-tapping legislation through without a murmer, the press got wind of his “sex kitten” conversations a bit too soon.

Putting aside his lewd and vulgar machinations regarding the disposal of a couple of uncomfortable veline who seem to have made his life, errr, more complicated than even he prefers, this whole thing is just another shameful and pathetic demonstration of his cynical disregard for honesty - not to mention his disdain for the Italian people and for democracy.

I thought it was bad enough to have to live with the shame of the way the american (p)resident was sending my country down the toilet - now the world’s eyes are on my adopted country’s shame.

All we can do at this point is hope for the day that the unholy union of Silvio, Bossi, Fini and Co. implodes.
AlexR on June 30th, 2008 10:10 am

Hi Gege’,

Well, we now know why Berlusco was so keen on pushing that legislation through! He must have a closet bursting with skeletons!

“cynical disregard for honesty” - it not so much this, as the Italian concept of honesty - which is markedly different from our own. In this, Silvio is not much different from the rest.

As for the US, at least Bush, once ousted, can’t come bouncing painfully back, whereas in Italy the likes of Silvio, Bossi, Fini and Co keep on returning, and Italy keeps rolling downhill. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times - Italy needs new blood.

‘Democracy’? What’s democracy? Ah, a funny little utopian concept that has not existed for many years.

Yours cynically,

Alex
Gege Bau on June 30th, 2008 8:12 pm

Honesty shmonisty - the guy pisses on the Italian people, punto e basta.

And not so fast, buster! Would that we could put W down like a rabid dog. He won’t be back himself, but he’s groomed what some call his clone - I say he’s the Undead W: McCain.

Yours in HUNKERING DOWN,
G.B. (the GOOD one)
AlexR on June 30th, 2008 11:08 pm

“Honesty shmonisty - the guy pisses on the Italian people, punto e basta.”

Yes, GB, while this may be true, this fine chap still has plenty of supporters - who share the same concept of ‘honesty’ - which, as I mentioned, is not our idea of honesty.

As for McCain, well, the good old US of A is not without its problems, and if a Bush clone grabs the throne, the ‘Land of the Free’ won’t be so.

And the world goes wibbly wobbly…

At least you are in Italy (!)

Cheers,

Alex