Italiafile – for italophiles.

its a miracle…. Mr Toad has reached agreement with his croies forthe latest of his emergency budgets.  This one is to raise 45 billion, and he has managed to do it without actually raising any money.   No increase on IVA, no supertax (which will make the footballers happy), more money for the comunes, no…

Mr B has filled up his apointment book for Tuesday so now will be off to Brussels at short notice instead of talking to the magistrates about a suppposed blackmail plot.  He doesnt want to talk about this case to anyone.  The lead magistrate is an Englishman – Woodcock, who is a thorn in the…

The emergency budget changes again – as it has done on a daily basis for the last week.  On Friday it was decided that the comunes could publish the tax returns of ‘contributors’ and you had to include bank details on your tax return – all to stamp out evasion.  Today, no bank details and…

Its all gone hideously quiet.    BErlusconi has not spoken barely at all for ages now.  it may be because he’s senile and can’t quite remember, or more likely because things arent going very well and he doesnt like it.  A new emergency budget, and more taxes adn Mr B disappears, as though he wont…

Try saying his name with a leer of Gollum, and the otiose nature of the man becomes clear.  Vittorio Sgarbi, art critic and politician, is also the rentagob of most tv stations.  He has perfected the art of shouting.  One word, usually something derogatory such as ‘Goat’ over and over and over again.  The pathetic…

So Berlusconis got trouble at t’mill – all his voters are going elsewhere and he doesnt understand it.  There are elections on Saturday and SUnday and by chance Berlo found himself at a meeting yesterday with popular people like Barack Obama.  The G8 was there to discuss footling nothings like Japan post earthquake and the…

Sly, liars etc – politicians are universally condemned.  But the Italian ones take the biscuit.   In what is laughingly called the Italian democracy, there is scope (every now and again) for a referendum for big decisions and those that affect the constitution.    We have 3 referendums this June (not in May when it…

Or the ‘processo breve’ which is a law the Berlusconiani are trying to shove through parliament.  It has taken thus far 8 months – taking up nearly all parliamentary time and now we are in the final stretch.  For the right the processo breve is a logical step to unblock the judicial system which is…

The Popes written a book you know… It’s a history of a little known world where facts become different facts when talked about by a man in silly hat.   The Fall of the Roman Empire and collapse of civilisation was not caused by Barbarian invasions, threats and continued wars and weakening of a fragile…