This pathetic show of parliamentary democracy really irks me sometimes. We have a government led by the PD with 9 leftie ministers and 6 righty ministers and a couple of old middle people and thats it. It will, we are promised, be a new broom – to do what though? A week after its unveiling, the broom has put all the old political stalwarts back under the carpet. The 30 or so under ministers are a fairly unpleasant bunch, and the parliamentary commissions are all led by the usual suspects – Casini, Finocchiaro, etc – the ONLY one to be applauded is the M5S heading fo the commission of the RAI (read BBC) and media.
The Dirty Old Man is thrilled – he is waxing lyrical about how Letta is a man he can do business with – which should be warning enough as his business ends up in court. What the press is willingly failing to see is that its all a pathetic charade whcih will last a few weeks. Here’s the nub.
Berlusconi doesnt want Renzi as leader of the PD, or anywhere near parliament
Berlusconi has some legal problems
Berlusocni wants to be a ‘statesman’
SO – Mr Toad gives Letta his full support, which prior to the inevitable implosion of the PD keeps Renzi out of the way. The young frresh government is applauded by all and sundry, while he can slide in the old stale henchmen on the quiet, the most henchlike of the lot gets the parliamentary commission on justice which will now work full time to get Silvio safe – useful that Andreotti died as now there is a lifetime senator ‘s place available – and of course a senator has legal immunity – I wonder whether the old goat will be pushing for that particular seat.
So on the surface of it all things are going swimmingly. Of course all of this is tied to Berlusconi’s support – and that we are led to believe hinges on the cancelling of IMU (council tax) on your prima casa. That would save 2 billion apparently – and obviously only really helps the rather well off couples in their 60’s – prima Berlusconi voters. If you are in rented accommodation you dont pay IMU, children and you get a discount, and of course it is tied to the value of your property, and everyone gets a 200 euro discount. its a symbolic thing, that berlusconi represents the free and liberal – except that now he wants the restitution of last years IMU as well to help stimulate the economy. So thats 4 billion that Italy hasnt got. Given that the preference of the new gov is to create jobs, 4 billion could probably be better spent, but Steptoe is demanding that his will pull the plug if he doesnt get his way. So we can guarantee that the government will fall, it will be the lefts fault for breaking their promise to Silvio, and he will succeed in fracturing the left and giving him a landslide at the next elections. Unless there is Renzi who will demolish both hard left and right and take Blairite centre – see 1997.
And none of this politics helps the itlian in the piazza. Corruption is at record levels – especially in the north, run by organised crime which is not confined to the south, unemployment rises, suicides rise, violence rises, business fail and the threat of civil unrest grows daily. And Andreotti dies – vile little man who had ties to the most unpleasant people in society but switched party and ideas to stay in power. Berlusconi announces he was a great man, demonised by the left. Like Berlusconi then presumably – both lying malicious bastards who wanted power to protect themselves, and dont care who gets in the way.
