Category: Politics
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MayDay
Who would have thought that a concert for May Day would become a real mayday alert for Italy? Centre stage is pop artist, rapper and X factor judge, as well as one half of the Ferragnez couple (think the Beckams), Fedez. Upstage there’s Rai 3, the state tv channel of the political left, and in…
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A father or a Dad
An Italian court has decided that a woman can use a fertilised egg to get pregnant. This, notwithstanding the objections of her ex husband who claimed that he should have a role in the decision. Except that this is Italy. The ruling of the court is that the ex-husband will be the biological father…
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Not even a leaf moves
Draghi has been sworn in and all is well with the world. Apparently. Now there’s talk of new orange zones to battle Covid and not even a whisper of dissent. The last time this happened, a couple of weeks ago, there were calls for all and sundry to resign. In Italy, it doesnt take much.…
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Berlo’s back
As the politicial Freddy Kruger, (every time you think he’s dead, he comes back in a sequel) Silvio Berlusconi made a triumphal entry into Parliament yesterday, complete with photo-op with his plane landing on the tarmac in Rome. Silvio has decided that its time for the country to unite behind Mario Draghi in a last…
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Bubbling Under
Here are three little takeaways to ‘celebrate’ the Day of Remembrance of the Holocaust. On the day itself, in the comune of Cogoleto (Genoa) 3 members of the opposition parties – one Leghista, one from Fratelli d’Italia and an independent, thought it apt to give the Roman salute – banned in Italy. Meanwhile a retiring…
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Style and substance
This week the tenders are out for the gazebos which will be placed in town centres to run the vaccination programme. Now, Im not one to rain on parades, but we are in February. The inital idea was for 1500 structures, we’re now down 150. The length of time to build one has gone up…
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The Ego has landed
Long ago Matteo Renzi was lauded as the great hope for Italian politics in the shadow of Tony Blair. Like Tozza his halo became somewhat tarnished, after his promises to resign came and went, and he gradually became inconsequential. After the last election, running on the PD ticket, he left to form his own party…
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Calabriamente
The saga of poor Calabria continues. The second appointee (see previous post) lasted a grand total of 3 days before leaving his post, after spouting more no maskery. He was replaced by a university rector, who lasted a mere 12 hours by my reckoning, announcing the morning after the night before that his wife had…
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Berlusconi’s Pad
The story of Arcore It’s a story that reads like a film. As a plot of a film it would be dismissed as barely credible. A story that involves the aristocracy, politicians and a Prime Minister, as well as sex, murder and the Mafia, and yet is unknown outside Italy. Arcore is Silvio Berlusconi’s home. …
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A very Italian poisoning
Imane Fadil was one of Berlusconi’s bunga bunga girls. She died at the beginning of March after over a month of agony in a Milan hospital. When she arrived in hospital she told the doctors and her lawyer that she had been poisoned. The police were called only after she died. It’s a very Italian…