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Empire of the clowns returns by Thanos Kalamidas 2008-01-26 10:00:39 |
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Frankly I find it difficult following Italian politics most of the time, there is somehow always something that confuses me and the consociations between parties and politicians seem so fragile and changing all the time that totally confuses me. At the same time I do understand how passionate my Italian friends can be in this labyrinth that has a bit of everything, conspiracy, crime, ideas, sex, corruption, Cosa Nostra and even the Vatican.
For the last decade all these things looked like an iceberg with Berlusconi on the top and somehow Romano Prodi looked like the only hope to get away from all that, after the dark times of the billionaire TV mogul Berlusconi looked like the only way to transparency and finally the last chance to get some credibility and perhaps some of the old glory inside the European community.
Romano Prodi was the President of the EU commission and he was there when the EU expanded, a historical moment for Europe. He didn’t do miracles and in a lot of cases he compromised without good reason but he managed to keep a good balance between a union with a lot of differences that tried to come so close that in the end to have a common foreign policy and common finance; not an easy job. Perhaps what helps us to see better Prodi's achievements, while president of the EU Commission, is the controversial policy of Jose Manuel Barosso.
The least the Italians were expecting from Romano Prodi on his return to Italian politics was the experience he earned in balancing between sensitive alliances and led the country out of the deadlock Berlusconi was leading the country with his acts. I haven’t said that Prodi did a fantastic job in Brussels, on the contrary he did w few mistakes and I think his worst was the increasing bureaucracy and his fear to discontent any of the main forces inside EU led him often to compromises beyond understanding. But I have to admit that the difficult work to transmit the Europe of the 200 million to Europe of nearly half a billion is mainly his work apart of the increasing good relations and open market with major African and Asian countries. However on his return it was proved to be easier standing and negotiating between Blair and Chirac than between the parties that constituted his government.
I find difficult to believe that Prodi’s government had to resign and Berlusconi is getting ready for the big return, the man who has been charged with a series of criminal acts and the only thing that saved him was that as Prime Minister he changed one law after the other to help him get out of all these prosecutions. An Italian friend with good knowledge into Italian politics said that if it is Berlusconi to return then it is much better if Prodi stays exactly where he is.
The odd thing is that the Italian President Giorgio Napolitano seems to have the same opinion and is trying to avoid a new election that might lead the country into a new economic crisis asked Mr. Prodi to favour an interim government that will push the needed electoral reforms. The present electoral law that was voted the last period of Berlusconi’s governing gives power to smaller parties that hold only few seats in the parliament and that were because of the position most of the members inside Berlusconi’s coalition had. Naturally Berlusconi disagrees with that demanding elections straight away and planning his return to the Prime Minister’s office and his pushing to this direction even leading his supporters in the streets of Rome.
Somehow these are scary news not only for Italy but for all Europe since Nicolas Sarkozy was not enough for Europe’s clown now we have the great return of his mentor; it is like a part of the Star Wars trilogy, the empire of the clowns return!
Berlusconi Italy Politics |
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