Berlusconi’s Battles

The scandal centred around call-girls, and one call-girl in particular, Patrizia D’Addario, is continuing to dog Italy’s prime minister.

Attempts to scare the Italian press into not covering events and accusations have had some effect, in that one leading journalist, Dino Boffo, the editor of Vatican publication Avvenire, decided to resign after what many suspect was a Berlusconi instigated counter-attack.  Well, the offensive against a journalist who had spoken ill of Italy’s premier was launched via a Berlusconi family newspaper, Il Giornale, so it is not a huge surprise that people think Berlusconi pulled a few strings.

One victory does not mean that the war is won though.  Indeed, Berlusconi needs to win on several fronts.  While the resignation of the editor represents one victory, there are some indications that other aspects that the war of Italy’s number one politician is waging against his opponents  is floundering.

Here are some of the fronts which Berlusconi is trying to defend himself against.

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Is Life in Italy So bad?

At the end of the day, despite bickering politicians and dodgy organisation, life in Italy is not that bad.

Certainly up here in Milan things work.  The ride is a bit bumpy at times and things could be better organised, but if you get ill, you get treated – for free.  Children do get an education, almost for free, and the streets of Italy, with one or two exceptions, are not exactly violent – just ask one or two Americans for some examples of really rough streets.

Years of creative accounting have left many Italians with decent stashes in the bank, and even today Italians seem to be able to buy houses with quite short term mortgages, if they bother with a mortgage at all.  Said houses will be filled with spanking new furniture, but only after many thousands of Euros have been spent on giving the new pad a ground-up make-over.  Quite the opposite from the UK, for example -where 100% mortgages have been on the scene for many years.  And many people do their houses up bits at a time – not in one go, as in Italy.

There is more to demonstrate that life in Italy is not a huge torture.

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Berlusconi Lashes Out

Observers in Italy commented on how Silvio Berlusconi went rather quiet over the August summer break this year.  Berlusconi was not relaxing though, he was, by the sounds of things, a plotting and a scheming.

In a clear sign that the holiday ‘ceasefire’ is now over, Mr Berlusconi has launched a series of attacks on those who have dared criticise him.

In the line of Berluconi’s fire are an Italian newspaper, the Vatican, and Italian television.

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