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Mr Toad announces formally his intention to return to front line politics – already he has lost touch with the sliver of reality that intruded after his ignominious exit from the scene last year. Yesterday he tells us that all is not lost – Putin sees him as his big brother and they’ll have a…

19 November 2011 – At the primaries next spring, I will not be a candidate 4 February 2012  In an interview with the FT Berlusconi says he has no intention to run for office – he has put himself to one side. 18 February 2012 – Berlusconi in an interview with the Spanish press excludes…

So, as all Italy vibrates under a constant series of earthquakes, Monti has decided to sell of the public buildings.  Who the heckety is going to buy a town hall which will collapse next week? They pass the law on corruption which finally will stop a guilty criminal standing for parliament, but from 2018.  Another…

So Berlusconi has a busy week.  His pal is trying (again) to get the law changed to get Berlo out of the Ruby trial.  This time its presenting an amendment whereby the law on ‘concussion’ will be only valid if it is for monetary gain.  Money is about the only thing Berlo doesn’t need, so…

In the election run offs this weekend, the PDL (Berlusconi’s centre right party) lost everything, along with the Lega Nord.  Grillo’s 5 star movement won Parma, and became an official party of government.  Other ‘civic lists’ and minority parties did well – the monolithic PD (Labour) held its own.  All of which goes to show…

Local elections yesterday and the PDL – Berlusconis party took less than 10% of the vote in many communes.  He announced (from Russia – he’s gone to see his mate Putin sworn in), that ‘I thought it would be worse’.   How phlegmatic.  Behind the scenes however, all is not rosy.  The lizard Alfano is…

Let us not forget dear democratic brethren, that in 1993 Italy voted overwhelmingly in a referendum, to stop public financing of political parties.  THis was nearly 20 years ago, and governments of all shade and colors have ignored the binding result.  So much so, that Mr Lusi (a large bearded fleshy Michael WInner type) has…

Today is the day of reckoning for Mr B in the Mills case – the one where Mills has already been found guilty in the UK, and which is still creaking on here in Italy.  Berlusconi has been bleating his innocence over the last few days, claiming that the case should be by now in…

So we’ve had Monti for 100 days, or not had Berlo for 101.  Monti has written a report on what he’s done in his first 100 days – and it seems he has reduced spending by Palazzo Chigi (the PM’s office) by 43 million euros.  The main reason for this is that flights on the…

The big attraction this year is the presence of Celentano – an exactor/singer now ‘personality/genius’ whom the Italians adore.  He has a record to promote, (a record which were it not by Celentano wouldnt even make the playlist on a local radio station), and so he has agreed to show up at San Remo for…