Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: Visti dagli altri: Il Guardian ci azzecca di nuovo

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1702938,00.html
A Berlusconi victory would be as damaging as was Bush's
The Italian leader is not fit to hold high office, and activists
worldwide should join to ensure his election defeat
Tristram Hunt
Monday February 6, 2006
The Guardian
In typically vulgar style, Silvio Berlusconi committed himself last
week to sexual abstinence until the Italian general election on April
9. Unfortunately, Mrs Berlusconi's well-earned break promises to come
at the expense of European politics. For a determined Berlusconi could
well win himself another term in office.
Some 15 months ago the global progressive community headed to America
in a forlorn attempt to unseat President Bush. From Europe, Canada and
Asia thousands of angry activists joined the Democrat campaign. Even
the Guardian got in on the act by targeting the voters of Clark County,
Ohio. Now, with greater effort, the same campaigning enthusiasm needs
to be directed towards Italy - as with the US elections, as much for
our sakes as for theirs.
In the run-up to the 2001 Italian poll, the Economist listed a litany
of charges Berlusconi was under investigation for. Famously, the
normally reserved magazine concluded he was "not fit to lead the
government of any country, least of all one of the world's richest
democracies". Although Berlusconi responded with a libel claim, which
is so far unresolved, his record in office has only served to confirm
their verdict.
Above all there has been the systematic abuse of the legislature for
his own ends. Deploying his substantial majority in parliament, in 2003
he altered the law to give high-ranking state officials (such as the
prime minister) legal exemptions. More recently, he has further
attempted to cow prosecuting authorities with an attack on judicial
independence. The usually pliant President Ciampi called the
legislation "blatantly unconstitutional".
Berlusconi's serial misuse of the political system ranges from the
parochial to the constitutional. He overhauled the planning system to
cover up the environmental damage his gargantuan villa had inflicted on
the Sardinian coastline. And six months before the April poll he
introduced a wide-ranging series of electoral reforms. These would have
the effect of denying the opposition an outright victory as well as
returning Italy to the worst years of PR instability.
Yet he has always been more than just prime minister. In addition to
holding executive power, he is a publisher, newspaper proprietor,
football magnate, property developer, advertiser and, above all,
television mogul.
Despite all the sweet talk before 2001 of divesting himself of
conflicting interests, Berlusconi has tightened his control over the
Italian media. Satirists have been driven off the airwaves, while his
90% control of television channels eliminates any pretence of political
balance. In one 15-day period last month, Berlusconi enjoyed three
hours and 16 minutes of airtime compared with his rival Romano Prodi's
eight minutes.
Yet by far the most distasteful element of Berlusconi's governance is
his sotto voce sympathy for neo-fascism. Among numerous gaffes during
the EU presidency, perhaps the most startling was his comparison of a
critical German MEP to a Nazi guard. It was all the stranger since,
back in Italy, Berlusconi enthusiastically embraces the far right.
The neo-fascist National Alliance is a core component of his electoral
coalition with its distasteful leader, Gianfranco Fini, serving as
foreign minister. As a result, the government has recently announced
plans to accord some of Italy's worst wartime fascist combatants the
same honour as resistance fighters. Then there are the knowing
political utterances that give a nod to the neo-fascist constituency -
such as Berlusconi's description of footballer Paolo di Canio as "un
bravo ragazzo" following his fascist salute to Lazio fans.
Should any of this concern us? Berlusconi's government might be
unattractive, yet it is hardly likely to dictate our own politics in
the same way as the American presidency. True. But this would be to
ignore the growing geo-political influence of Italy, which, with
Berlusconi at its helm, has rarely been deployed for the good. Leaving
aside his ardour for neoconservative military adventurism and belief
that western civilisation is "superior to Islam", Berlusconi's
administration has serially hampered the EU's diplomatic agenda - not
least in regard to human rights abuses in Chechnya and illegal Israeli
actions in East Jerusalem.
So the left should be bold about intervening in this election:
stretching back to the 19th century, liberal internationalism has long
been the purview of European progressives. Presidents and prime
ministers should not be surprised that with quickening economic and
cultural globalisation there follows a desire for global political
activism. More advantageously, in terms of British politics, unseating
Berlusconi would also mean removing from temptation one of the more
troubling characteristics of our own prime minister - his personal
predilection for rightwing plutocrats.
However, April 2006 is already looking like November 2004. While
Berlusconi might remain marginally behind in the polls, Prodi is
starting to resemble John Kerry. His electoral coalition is mired in a
banking fraud, and his capacity for indecision is assuming damaging
proportions. When this is combined with Berlusconi's media
manipulations and electoral gerrymandering, the results could be fatal.
British activists have a habit of obsessing over the minutiae of
American politics. But the prospect of another Berlusconi government
must focus attention on the vital importance of European politics.
Committed progressives need to get involved now, and allow Mr and Mrs
Berlusconi a return to full married life.
----------------------------------
E oggi, la lettera:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/letters/story/0,,1706481,00.html
Berlusconi puts the record straight
Friday February 10, 2006
The Guardian
I found some of Tristram Hunt's remarks on Prime Minister Silvio
Berlusconi (Comment, February 6) to be totally out of place. First, the
statement about the superiority of western civilisation attributed to
Prime Minister Berlusconi was denied several times and in actual fact
he takes pride in his friendship with many heads of state and
government in the Muslim world, from President Mubarak of Egypt to
Prime Minister Tayip Erdogan of Turkey.
The "neo-fascists" Mr Hunt talks about are a fully fledged democratic
party of the ruling coalition, which has always shown full respect for
the constitution. Gianfranco Fini's track record has been demonstrated
both in his capacity as leader of Alleanza Nazionale, and as foreign
affairs minister and deputy prime minister. Mr Fini is indeed
appreciated and esteemed in Europe and in the whole world.
The alleged systematic misuse of legislative power would, according to
Mr Hunt, place Italy on an equal footing to some of the unfortunate
South American countries during the years of military dictatorship.
This is a view that only your commentator seems to hold.
The electoral law passed in 2005 is more or less similar to the one the
left failed to have approved because of its inner divisions. And the
alleged "environmental damage" inflicted on the Sardinian coastline is
an allegation which can be made only by people who are not familiar
with the place. In fact all the fuss concerns a narrow cave invisible
from the sea and the coast.
All of which shows, once more, that the cliches spread by the
opposition do not always tally with the facts.
Paolo Bonaiuti
Spokesman for Silvio Berlusconi

 from the sea and the coast.
bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
Fate leggere tutto l'articolo con i divaricatori oculari a De Cesari...
Am.

 A Berlusconi victory would be as damaging as was Bush's
Ca**o come gli rode a quelli del Guardian di non aver imbroccato nemmeno
una elezione :)  Blair: RIELETTO  Bush: RIELETTO
Se anche Berlusconi viene rieletto gli tocchera' cominciare a raccontare
qualche ca***ta per nascondersi dalla vergogna :)
-Stefano

 legislation "blatantly unconstitutional".
#_Infatti, re Carlo Azeglio "Travicello", invece di aprir bocca soltanto,
avrebbe dovuto fare, almeno per una volta, il suo dovere.
Giano

 una elezione :)  Blair: RIELETTO  Bush: RIELETTO
Imbroccato al paese mio vuol dire previsto, non auspicato. Se hai 
notizie diverse, prego:
http://....................................................................................................................
Am.