Silvio Berlusconi - A Question

[Dick Knights Mumm]

Did anyone see the program on BBC4 last night on a satirical TV programme that was removed from the schedules. It made Italy look like a third-world country. It is incredible this puffed up megalomaniac could get almost half the vote, and incredible that the opposition appear unable to curb his power.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

Oh yes - the question was - why would half the population vote for him ?

 

[CHAPPERS]

Because half of the population of Italy are thick fascist pricks?

 

[n1 gull]

I think owning all the media also helps.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Forza Italia seem to be along the lines of the BNP/UKIP. Most of their vote comes from the Northern Parts of Italy. Plus, they bombard Italy on the airwaves, with their propoganda.

 

[bhafc99]

I think owning all the media also helps.

Exactly. The TV, radio and press are all passionate Berlusconi supporters because, err, he owns them.

Democrazia lungamente in tensione! (Which is a google translation of 'long live democracy', and therefore has probably come out as 'octupus eyes eat children!'.)

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Berlusconi has well and truly stuffed himself in the election.

He changed the rules to guarantee that the coalition that got the largest number of votes would be guaranteed a working majority in the Chamber of Deputies - not thinking that an unholy alliance of anti-Burlusconi parties would actually manage to bring themselves together to defeat him.

They've managed to do so, albeit with a margin of less than 25,000 votes in the whole electorate. And Prodi's coalition will now get to run parliament for the next five years.

Tough shit, "cavaliere". You'll still be able to run the rest of the country, since you and your chums still own it. But at least the people won't be humiliated by the thought that the world is under the impression that the people actually back your corrupt regime.

 

[Brovion]

I've never understood why he got so many votes anyway - unless Chappers throwaway line about them all being fascist pricks is accurate.

Can you imagine someone like Richard Branson forming a party here called something like "'ere we go Britain!" We'd all just laugh.

 

[n1 gull]

They've managed to do so, albeit with a margin of less than 25,000 votes in the whole electorate. And Prodi's coalition will now get to run parliament for the next five years.

I here you, but I bet you anything there's an election within the year.
Its going to be fun and games, like the old days in Italy, an election every other month.

More fun than here, where all the parties are the bloody same.

 

[London Irish]

Forza Italia seem to be along the lines of the BNP/UKIP. Most of their vote comes from the Northern Parts of Italy. Plus, they bombard Italy on the airwaves, with their propoganda.

Yeah, I agree with that in essence. I would say Forza Italia are more like our Tory Party. But the reprehensible thing about them is, to get power, they make cosy alliances with their version of the UKIP, which is the Northern Leagues. And of course they are soft on opposing the war criminal lovers of Italian facism, our BNP.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

Lord B - did you see last nights programme - I did not follow the bit when they were saying when the centre left were last in power they made it easier for Berlusconi.

What was surprising last night - was how supine the non-Berlusconi media was.

 

[Dandyman]

Because half of the population of Italy are thick fascist pricks?

Well, the "House of Freedoms" the coalition that Berlusconi leads includes the Alternativa Sociale( a confederation of fascist movements lead by Alessandra Mussolini), the Fiamma Tricolore(Fascist party led by Luca Romagnoli), the "former" fascists of the Alleanza Nazionale (which evolved from the fascist MSI), the nationalist seperatists of the Lega Nord-Movimento per L'Automamia and a motley collection of Roman Catholic reactionaries and mafiosa placemen, so all in in all a fair and succint comment.

 

[Dandyman]

Summary of the 9¨C10 April 2006 Chamber of Deputies of Italy election results (percentages exclude overseas ballots) Coalitions Votes % Seats Parties inside coalitions Votes % Seats

The Union
(L'Unione) 18,989,891 49.81 348[1] Olive Tree (L'Ulivo)
Democrats of the Left (Democratici di Sinistra)
Daisy-Democracy is Freedom (Margherita - Democrazia ¨¨ Libert¨¤)
European Republican Movement (Movimento Repubblicani Europei)
11,922,500 31.27 220
Communist Refoundation Party (Rifondazione Comunista) 2,228,335 5.84 41
Rose in the Fist (Rosa nel Pugno)
Italian Democratic Socialists (Socialisti Democratici Italiani)
Italian Radicals (Radicali Italiani)
990,188 2.60 18
Party of Italian Communists (Partito dei Comunisti Italiani) 884,350 2.32 16
Italy of Values (Italia dei Valori) 876,748 2.30 16
abroad: 1
Federation of the Greens (Federazione dei Verdi) 783,605 2.06 15
Popular-UDEUR (Popolari-UDEUR) 532,757 1.40 10
Pensioners' Party (Partito dei Pensionati) 333,859 0.88 0
South Tyrolese People's Party (S¨¹dtiroler Volkspartei) 182,703 0.48 4
The Socialists (I Socialisti) 114,852 0.30 0
Consumers' List (Lista Consumatori) 73,720 0.19 0
League for Autonomy-Lombard Alliance (Lega Alleanza Lombarda) 44,580 0.12 0
Autonomy Liberty Democracy (Autonomie Libert¨¦ D¨¦mocratie) 34,167 0.09 1
Veneto Front League (Liga Fronte Veneto) 22,010 0.06 0
The Union (L'Unione) abroad: 6

House of Freedoms
(Casa delle Libert¨¤) 18,962,408 49.74 281 Forza Italia 9,039,585 23.71 137
abroad: 3
National Alliance (Alleanza Nazionale) 4,703,256 12.34 71
Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (Unione dei Democratici Cristiani e dei Democratici di Centro) 2,576,087 6.76 39
Northern League-Movement for Autonomy
Northern League (Lega Nord)
Movement for Autonomy (Movimento per l'Autonomia)
1,748,030 4.58 26
Christian Democracy-New PSI (DC-Nuovo PSI)
Christian Democracy for the Autonomies (Democrazia Cristiana per le Autonomie)
Socialist Party New PSI (Partito Socialista - Nuovo PSI)
285,163 0.75 4
Social Alternative (Alternativa Sociale)
Social Action (Azione Sociale)
National Social Front (Fronte Sociale Nazionale)
New Force (Forza Nuova)
255,212 0.67 0
Tricolour Flame (Fiamma Tricolore) 231,148 0.61 0
No Euro Movement (No Euro) 58,757 0.15 0
United Pensioners (Pensionati Uniti) 28,317 0.07 0
Environmental List-Ecological Democrats (Ambienta-Lista-Ecologisti Democratici) 17,574 0.05 0
Italian Liberal Party (Partito Liberale Italiano) 12,326 0.03 0
S.O.S. Italy (S.O.S. Italia) 6,953 0.02 0
For Italy in the World with Tremaglia (Partito per Italia nel mondo con Tremaglia) abroad: 1
Other Parties 1 Italian Association in South America (Associazioni Italiane in Sud America) abroad: 1
Progetto Nordest 92,079 0.24 0

All other parties 81,182 0.21 0

Total 630 630

¡ü Includes bonus seats allocated to largest coalition, according to the new electoral system

Source: Interior Ministry of Italy, Votes, Seats {[Italian general election, 2006-Senate}}

 

[The Great Cornholio]

I thought the question ws going to be "Could do a job?"

 

[Dandyman]

I thought the question ws going to be "Could do a job?"

He'd probably try and bribe a few ref's but apart from that...