Berlusconi's very public divorce
Monday, May 4th, 2009Silvio Berlusconi has always vaunted two major talents – an ability to control the media (both his own – a substantial slice of tv and print – as well as those supposedly independent), and a masterful ability to keep together seemingly shakey partnerships. It’s against this backdrop that his second wife, Veronica Lario, dropped a [...]
The first person to pay for the Abruzzo disaster
Friday, April 17th, 2009Responding to some ill-defined public outrage (in part manafactured by newspapers owned or close to the Berlusconi family), both Prime Minister Berlusconi and the speaker of the house of deputies, Gianfranco Fini, called for swift and decisive action – not against builders responsible, in Abruzzo, for using shoddy materials and cutting costs, nor against civil [...]
Aid for the Abruzzo Earthquake
Wednesday, April 8th, 2009Economists at LaVoce have issued a proposal for the Government to easily raise 172 million euro that can be set aside for reconstruction work. In belt-tightening times you’d imagine the government would be all ears, but I’ve the suspicion that this is a proposal that will be deftly ignored. In June the country is set [...]
Will the right questions be asked about the earthquake in l'Aquila?
Tuesday, April 7th, 2009A state of emergency has been declared, funds are being allocated, and politics has been set aside momentarily in order to respond to the devestating earthquake which hit Abruzzo yesterday. It’s not a time for reflection, as Silvio Berlusconi pointed out in his press conference yesterday brushing aside the suggestions that this earthquake had already [...]
Italy's Brain Drain – 5 proposals to address the problem
Monday, March 23rd, 2009The chart-topping political debates in Italy at the moment are the economic crisis, crime and security, federalism, and illegal immigration – ranked in importance according to the particular peccadiloes of each political party. One interesting phenomena, which is tied to each of these issues in one way or another, is the issue of Italian emmigration. [...]
Why buy Kakà when, for the same price, you could get a whole Serie A team?
Monday, January 26th, 2009This monkey has only a passing interest in football, and so found little of interest in the rumours that Brazilian star Kakà was to leave Berlusconi’s AC Milan. Little of interest until browsing the latest from La Voce, the online magazine from some of Italy’s leading economists. The site posted an intriguing article by Tito Boeri [...]
On the burning and defacing of the Israeli flag during pro-Palestinian protests in Rome
Monday, January 19th, 2009As happened in various European cities over the last fortnight, in Italy a number of high-profile protests took place against the Israeli bombardment and invasion of Gaza which to-date has resulted in the death of up to 1,3001 Palestinians. In cities like Rome, Bologna, Milan, and Florence, amongst others, parades took place that included the [...]
Facebook in the firing line
Wednesday, December 10th, 2008Matteo Salvini, the outspoken Lega Nord MP and activist (is there any other sort of Lega Nord MP?), has thundered indignantly about censorship to the national press. The reason? His facebook account has been suspended, without explanation. Salvini has vowed to take up the case with the minister for telecommunications, claiming that he’s received notice [...]
Be afraid – Berlusconi's plans for the internet
Monday, December 8th, 2008In the same week that Berlusconi’s much contested minister for education, Mariastella Gelmini, took a leaf out of Obama’s book and created a youtube channel to address students directly*, Silvio Berlusconi announced to the world that he would be seeking to sort out the internet at next year’s G8 summit which will be held (disgracefully [...]
Critical Mass counter the Bologna Motor Show
Sunday, December 7th, 2008Every December one of the most important car shows in Italy – and perhaps Europe – takes place in Bologna. For two weeks the city’s transport system is put under ever-more pressure as car-crazy enthusiasts flock to the city to see the latest glitzy models (in the traditional and automobile sense) on display. Walking back [...]
