The View from Bologna

How do you translate 'ah now Ted'?

'Sweet Sufferin Jayzus!' as this Monkey is prone to utter at moments of wide-eyed disbelief.

A tense Quiz show studio holds its breath. The question is asked - "What rite would one use to expel demons?". Furrowed brows from the two contestants, chemicals firing blindly across brain synapses, until Fr. Giorgio* surges for the buzzer (to the consternation of Fr. Mario). Smiling exultantly over his dog-collar, Fr. Giorgio pronounces 'exorcism' to studio applause.

All serious, and not a craggy island in sight. Spotted last night on Italian prime time t.v. Another classic question for our competing clerics - "Constantine is remembered for halting the persecution of what group?". I waited patiently to see if they'd slip in a "Who is the son of God?" question, but presumably the risk was too high that the contestants might fluff the answer.

Mother of God...

*Names have been changed - after all, it's a serious offence to ridicule a priest in Italy

Well Said

The Court of Appeals has over-ruled a judgement that meted out a fine of 500 euros to Piero Ricca for allegedly insulting Silvio Berlusconi back in May of 2003.

The occasion was one of Berlusconi's rare appearances in court - rare not because Italy's ex-Prime Minister has rarely fallen foul of the law, but because he rarely graces the law courts with his presence. Berlusconi was appearing in connection with charges over the SME-Ariosto scandal.

After Berlusconi had finished speaking, Ricca shouted out "Buffoon! Let yourself be judged like everybody else. Respect the law, the magistrates, the constitution, democracy, and the dignity of the Italians, or else you'll end up like Ceaucescu or Don Rodrigo". Berlusconi, at the time, was using his parliamentary majority to pass through a controversial law granting him immunity from prosecution while Prime Minister - a law that was later declared unconstitutional and thrown out.

The Court of Appeals has now ruled that Ricco's defence, that he was making a strong criticism of a public figure is valid. To the injured party they may well have added 'well, if you will act like one...'.

Offensive Rhetoric

"Another attack in Nassiriya has refocussed the attention of the media, of politicians, and thus of public opinion on our military missions abroad. In these sad and difficult occasions there are set patterns of communication and reaction that have become rituals: bombastic, emotional and participatory, but in the end self-serving. Arid and sterile, from which is born no real awareness and above all no professional or moral scruples [...]"
[Fabio Mini - Ex Commander of the KFOR military mission, in Kosovo]

Mini wrote the above in response to attacks in Nassirya in late April of this year that killed four soldiers (three in the immediate attack, with the fourth soldier dying days later from his injuries). On Monday yet another Italian soldier, Alessandro Pibiri (24 years of age) was killed in Iraq. Sadly, as has become commonplace, the talking heads of Italian public life have gone into overdrive.

The perfect example? Pier Ferdinando Casini, leader of the centre-right UDC party, currently in opposition, but at the time of Italy's engagement in Iraq one of Berlusconi's coalition partners.

Casini took the opportunity of Pibiri's death to pronounce the following on Porta a Porta (the inner sanctum of senseless rhetoric): "We have to tell the families of our soldiers that their boys haven't died in vain".

Well and good. It's about time then that Casini, Berlusconi, and Fini who arranged for this particular 'peace' mission, explained to those very same families what their sons have died for. With facts, and not broad rhetoric about 'democracy'.

A good starting point would be explaining the choice behind the Italian troops deployment to Nassiriya specifically. As Rai News 24 documented over a year ago, a dossier drawn up by the Ministry of Production - currently the Ministry for Economic Development - a full six months before the invasion of Iraq recommended Italian deployment of troops to the Nassiriya region to protect the position of Italian oil giant ENI which had negotiated huge contracts in the area with Saddam Hussein's government. ENI was subsequently one of the first foreign oil companies to win contracts to buy Iraqi oil.

While Casini and his ilk spew sanctimonious rhetoric (a particular forte of Christian Democrats it seems), precious little information makes its way back to the Italian public as to what Italian 'peace keapers' are doing in Iraq.

How many, for example know that, according to research undertaken by L'Espresso, for every million euros spent on humanitarian aid, a hundred million is spent on the military and secret services?[1]

How many know that when Italian troops distribute humanitarian aid it has to be like a hit and run operation, for fear of attack?

How many know that the local authority in Nassiriya, with police trained presumably by the Italian contingent stand accused of gunning down trade unionists protesting against corruption in the local power station?

If the 'peace-keeping' mission in Iraq is worth dying for, let's have some facts as to why. And if Mr Casini and the like aren't prepared to offer up hard facts, let them keep their oily rhetoric to themselves.

[1]L'Espresso 11 May