Berlusconi: attacking the Germans to stand as the saviour of his country seems to be the only tactic to convince Italians to vote for Forza Italia

Saturday, 26 April 2014. While presenting his ailing centre-right Forza Italia party's candidates for the European Parliament elections, Mr Berlusconi seizes the opportunity to show off his abilities to attacks the Germans (in order to hide his weaknesses).

Following his usual MO, Italy's Berlusconi waited the right moment, when the media was listening, to put forward the couple of arguments he managed to pull together for the European elections campaign: accusing – right out of the blue – the Germans to deny the death camps, and recalling an old act of his, when he attacked German MEP Martin Schulz, now a candidate in the incoming elections. 

Everybody's enjoying Silvio Berlusconi's  wisecracks, at Forza Italia press conference
(from ANSA video)

Mentioning the 2003 incident, Mr Berlusconi said he didn't want to offend Schulz (which is evidently untrue), and then added that “according to the Germans, concentration camps never existed.” (which is evidently a lie), in an attempt to please the protest voters, which are expected to show up at European elections, but are unlikely to vote for the re-founded Forza Italia's party (and who are likely to cast they vote in favour of former comedian Beppe Grillo and his Five-Star Movement). 

Actually there's not much else Berlusconi can do, as he and his party Forza Italia are slowly slipping out of the mind of Italians.

Recent polls showed that his political side is heading towards a 15% of the vote for the incoming European Parliament elections, as long-time employee Bonaiuti's desertion for the New Centre-Right is just the umpteenth example of supporters fleeing the sinking boat. Riding anti-Europeanism is the only way Berlusconi thinks he can compete.

By the way, Forza Italia's logo has the Berlusconi's name on it, and Silvio can't run for public offices, whose name is it? Which of the Berlusconis will run as a candidate?

Germans already love Silvio, no need to insist in making himself (further) unpleasant

Anyhow, it's not the first time that the media tycoon turned into politician uses discrimination and/or controversy to let people talk about him and appease right's extremists: he said that Obamas were tanned, that loving beautiful young women and under-age girls was still better than being gay, that Italian dictator Benito Mussolini was a nice guy, after all.

Most probably in the incoming weeks we are going to see more of the friend-of-the-extremists Berlusconi, Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and Los Angeles Clippers' owner Donald Sterling are the new models of the former prime minister, just to try and state that he isn't just an old sod working as a social carer.