Berlusconi: even the loyal spokesman Paolo Bonaiuti leaves your sinking Forza Italia for the New Centre-Right?

Sunday, 14 April 2014. As Forza Italia (Go Italy) appears to be losing more and more voters, Paolo Bonaiuti decides to leave the party to follow Berlusconi's former dauphin Angelino Alfano into the Nuovo Centrodestra (New Centre-Right).

“It was a difficult and painful decision,” said the 74-year-old Paolo Bonaiuti, announcing his divorce from Berlusconi's Forza Italia (Go Italy) 2.0, the party re-founded by Berlusconi, when he decided to ditch the PDL (People of Freedom Party), in a virtual night of the long knives to get rid of some of his opponents.

Sometimes it was painful for Mr Bonaiuti (centre) to be on Berlusconi's side.

It's “a decision I have delayed for a long time, but fully motivated by political differences and personal incomprehension that have deepened in the past year.” said Bonaiuti, who has been Berlusconi's public face for a long long time. 

Berlusconi will fight against the coup d'etat that plans to (politically) kill him, but a presidential pardon would do either

Sunday, 24 November 2013. Talking to the younger generation of Forza Italia militants, Berlusconi says he is a victim of a coup d'etat (and Giorgio Napolitano should help him getting out of the pickle).

Talking to a Forza Italia's gathering of young followers, Silvio Berlusconi reiterated his j'accuse, saying that he is a victim of a leftist coup d'etat aiming to his “political murder”.

Silvio Berlusconi with Annagrazia Calabria,
National Coordinator of Forza Italia's youth movement Giovane Italia (Young Italy)

And Italy's Head of State Giorgio Napolitano – went on Berlusconi - should “grant him a presidential pardon without any hesitation” even though his dignity does not allow him to ask for it (and Mr Napolitano previously tried to convince him that you can “grant” something only if somebody “have asked for it”).

In the meantime Berlusconi's former heir apparent Angelino Alfano said he won't join Forza Italia, founded a breakaway party (the New Centre-Right, NCR), declared he won't take part in the protest to be staged on November 27 (on that day the Senate will vote on Berlusconi's expulsion from the Italian parliament), even though he still loves Berlusconi and they should remain friends and allies and all that stuff.

Berlusconi's bunga bunga parties' details disclosed by Milan's court

Ruby the Heartstealer received from Silvio Berlusconi
"money and jewellery" in exchange for sex, according to Milan's judges

Thursday, 21 November 2013. Milan's court publishes details of Berlusconi conviction, is bunga bunga parties and his exchange of money and jewellery for sex with under-age dancer Karima el Mahroug (aka Ruby the Heart Stealer).

The proceedings about the sex scandal that involved Silvio Berlusconi ended up with a seven-year sentence, appeal pending. It's no more on the news, as it happened last June, but now new details have been disclosed about the sex scandal, as the Milan's court published a 350-page document about testimonies, bunga bunga parties and – of course – lots of women. 

The former prime minister of Italy will also be banned from public office for life (if he fails to win the appeal to the sentence), a problem that adds up to Berlusconi's woes: on Wednesday the Senate will decide whether to expel him from the Italian parliament, in the wake of his conviction for tax fraud (no appeal pending, this one is definitive).

Berlusconi's last attempt... or everybody go home!

Wednesday, 25 September 2013. In order to fight a “coup against the leader of the centre-right” - as Silvio Berlusconi put it, all the PDL (People of Freedom) party members involved in the government ready to resign.

“Let's go home, Angelino,” says Silvio Berlusconi, “all of us”.

After meeting up to define the next steps of a strenuous opposition against the ousting of Silvio Berlusconi, the allies of the former prime minister seem ready to resign from their posts, starting from the PDL's MPs (by the way: everything started a week after the rebirth of Forza Italia – the original Berlusconi's party – was announced, so this might sign the definitive end of PDL).

“I haven't been sleeping for 55 days” said Silvio Berlusconi (trying to make it clear that wasn't due to infamous bunga-bunga parties or any other activities involving women) “I have lost 11 kilos” (which, by the way, might have been greeted as good news from his girlfriend Francesca Pascale).

Berlusconi turns to the European Court of Human Rights, this time

Wednesday, 28 August 2013. Running short of ideas Silvio Berlusconi turns to the European Court of Human Rights in order to try and avoid ousting from politics after final sentence for tax fraud.

Aha, I've got a new idea!

After he was sentenced to a 4-year term in jail for tax fraud, Silvio Berlusconi has truly tried everything, from weeping in front of thousands of fans (after his party delivered the crowd by bus to Rome), to staging an “air Blitz” on Italian beaches, he also tried to blackmail his PdL's ally Democratic Party in the coalition government («either you vote against my ousting from the Senate» he allegedly told them «or I will tear the government down», and die with the Philistines...), and just putting his feed down («my removal from politics is “unthinkable”» he sent word via his loyal squire Angelino Alfano).

Neither the recruiting of Freedom Fighters  to fight a jihad to defend its leader brought the desired results...

Berlusconi exit form politics “unthinkable”?

Saturday, 24 August 2013. After a long lasting meeting at Silvio Berlusconi's home in Arcore, People of Liberty party's secretary stated that removing the former prime minister from parliament over a tax fraud conviction is ”unthinkable”.

Me, out of politics? Unthinkable!

Has Silvio Berlusconi been convicted as a fraudster? Was the sentence confirmed by three different courts (including the Supreme Court)? Never mind, removing him from the Italian Parliament is "unthinkable", said Angelino Alfano, after a PdL's meeting in Arcore where the party hardliners – apparently led by Daniela Santanchè - seemed to have prevailed.

At the plenary assembly in Villa San Martino in Arcore nobody was missing (otherwise it wouldn't have been such “plenary”...): Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Angelino Alfano, Renato Schifani, lawyer Niccolò Ghedini, former Minister for Public Administration and Innovation Renato Brunetta, Sandro Bondi (yes, the guy who hinted at a civil war, as Berlusconi sentence was disclosed), Maurizio Gasparri, top Twitterer Maurizio Lupi and – of course – Daniela “Nice piece of ass” Santanchè. Berlusconi's girlfriend Francesca Pascale wasn't mentioned, but she lives there...

Berlusconi, the Letta cabinet and the Kazakh people

Saturday, 6 July 2013. According to local newspaper L'Unione Sarda, Silvio Berlusconi secretly met up with with Kazakh dictator Nursultan Nazarbayev in Pultaldìa (Sardinia), on the very day when the Italian government come under fire for the deportation of wife and daughter of a Kazakh dissident. Later Mr Berlusconi will officially deny it.

Silvio Berlusconi with Nursultan Nazarbayev: did they secretly meet in Sardinia?

A storm hit the Letta government, as it came to light that the wife and the six-year-old daughter of a Kazakh dissident, Mukhtar Ablyazov, had been deported illegally to Kazakhstan, because it was believed that their documents were fake, in the end of May.

Later findings that the charges weren't justified (the procedure was annulled consequentially) and that Enrico Letta's office have tried for weeks to keep the case under wraps didn't help at all.

The two Kazakh females were seized by Italian special forces (the General Investigations and Special Operations Division, in Italian: Divisione Investigazioni Generali e Operazioni Speciali, commonly known by its acronym DIGOS).

Silvio Berlusconi's supporters «silent protesting»

Monday, 11 March, 2013 (Saint Leander of Seville). As the Vatican's cardinals join the papal conclave a crowd of centre-right lawmakers protest against Silvio Berlusconi going on trial on charges of paying for sex with an ander-age girl and abusing of his power as PM.

The plan A was to avoid the trial by sending a fax (a few faxes) stating that Silvio Berlusconi conjunctivitis-caused sensitivity to light (or uveitis, to be more precise, see our blog's post on the sunbject by clicking here) doesn't allow the former prime minister of Italy to attend to the so called Rubygate sex scandal trial Monday's session.

But it didn't work out, because of «a Stalinist court that sent Nazi doctors to examine Berlusconi,», said the Berlusconi's PdL (People of Liberty) Party exponent's Fabrizio Cicchitto (who - by the way - is a former Marxist-winger of the Italian Socialist Party; he might even know something about Stalinism and Nazism, innit?). A "Stalinist court", which is "more dangerous than the Sicilian Mafia", we might say, combining Cicchitto version with Silvio's opinion.

Souvenir photo of a "silent protest" in favour of Silvio Berlusconi. Can you spot anyone?

Anyhow. The plan did not work out, so the staunch supporters of Silvio had to do something, and they decided to go for a “silent protest” (even though Silvio himself told them refrain from doing so... but did he really meant it?).

Silvio Berlusconi and the reconciliation with the Northern League

Monday, January 7, 2013. Silvio Berlusconi and Northern League's Roberto Maroni sign an agreement. With not many clear points on it, but an blurry alliance is better then no ally at all, isn't it.

Silvio's smiling?

Actually Silvio Berlusconi and Northern League's (Lega Nord) Roberto Maroni agreed to disagree, yesterday, since the only sure thing about the pact is that the NL does not want the Italian former prime minister and media tycoon to stand for head of government, and he (I mean the tycoon) had to agree, otherwise he would find himself without an ally, and hordes of enemies. 

So, who will be the candidate for this centre-right coalition? "I already proposed he's candidacy, and I think it will be he again, Angelino Alfano" said the former prime minister, when interviewed by Italian radio broadcaster RTL.

Silvio Berlusconi and the Sicilian clans

Monday, December 10, 2012. As the secretary of the People of Liberty party (PdL) Angelino Alfano states that Silvio Berlusconi's good friend Marcello Dell'Utri is a “miserable man”, the centre-right party's crisis becomes quite evident.

RAI TV programme Porta a Porta (Door to Door) or Italian journalist Bruno Vespa's  lounge – as the late night talk show is frequently called – is a hot spot for discussions, quarrels, rows, and – sometimes – fights, especially when general elections are in sight.

... if Alfano strikes...

And this is the case, because general election will take place in Italy as soon as February 2012. But normally all the squabbling and skirmishing happens between members of different parties and movements. This time the discussion is within Berlusconi's PdL (People of Liberty), to be more precise, within the Sicilian tribes of the party.

Silvio Berlusconi and the spirit of '94

Saturday, November 24, 2012. Silvio Berlusconi might change his mint and run for prime minister, relaunching Forza Italia party and spirit, and (politically) killing his (former) heir apparent Angelino Alfano. Or he might not.

The Spirit of '94

I won't run, I might run, I won't run, I might run... after a few turnabout, a couple of somersault, and at least one volte-face, Silvio Berlusconi declared that – after all - he may seek to run in 2013 election further deteriorating the chaotic situation in centre-right PdL party (People of Freedom).

"I am thinking about it.", replied the former Italian Prime Minister, when asked by reporters whether he was contemplating his return “to the playing field" next spring when parliamentary elections will take place (presumably on the 10^th of March 2013), in order to pick a new Italian Prime Minister and government to take over from technocrat Mario Monti. Silvio Berlusconi has been talking to revive Forza Italia's spirit for a while, as the only way to redeem his party.

Silvio Berlusconi: is the former PM a dinosaur or a rabbit?

Thursday, November 8, 2012. Frictions between Silvio Berlusconi and Angelino Alfano become clear on a press conference following a long-drawn-out meeting on the candidates for the PdL primary election. And the future of the People of Liberty party becomes cloudier.

Silvio Berlusconi does not really like primary elections and does not trust that much in Angelino Alfano (Berlusconi's former heir apparent and PdL's secretary) capabilities. That's quite clear now. Even though Alfano – former Italian Minister of Justice (and Keeper of the Seals) – was directly chose my the Italian media tycoon.

The former Italian PM already (more or less) agreed on holding primary elections on the 16^th of December (in order to decide the premier candidate and a new name for the fell-from-grace People of Freedom Party), but – disclosing the results of an opinion poll he had commissioned earlier that bore quite bad news – he is now convinced that only a “shock” therapy could revive the party; there's a need for a “Berlusconi of '94”, he said during the last meeting at Palazzo Grazioli held with their allies to discuss the details of the elections.

And when the Italian Silvio talks about “shock”, he means that he will pull a rabbit out of his hat, he is quoted to had said during the meeting, the only difference is that this time – instead of a rabbit – it “will be a dinosaur”. It sounded like a promise (or a threat, depending on the point of view), but it's honestly difficult to see how Berlusconi - who was recently convicted of tax fraud and is currently on trial for allegedly having had sex with an under-age prostitute – could represent (again!) a credible candidate to lead Italy.

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“The primary elections does not represent the redemption of the party” said Berlusconi, but he become a minority when he tried to substitute votes with a call centre lead polling or the hand-picked choice of a new candidate by himself. Alfano dismissed this by saying they don't need ice-cream vendors (alluding to the Italian ice-cream company GROM's founder, Guido Martinetti, allegedly considered as a potential leader of the party), stand-up comedians (possibly Berlusconi himself?) and showgirls (the list is quite long, actually... Iliana Calabrò is just the newest of Silvio's favourites), and the meeting seemed to result in an internal row.

During the following press conference Mr Berlusconi decided to pick up Monti government on its policies that “lead to recession and hurt the country”. Berlusconi also stressed that “all the fundamental figures [about unemployment, industrial production, and so on] of the country have worsened over the past year”.

But then he added: "We will not lead our election against Monti” because it could be counterproductive for the PdL. So – as Alfano put it – the PdL is not in favour of Monti's government, but they are not against it either.

Looks like the umpteenth PdL gathering brought more questions, than answers: will the PdL survive, yes or no? Will Angelino Alfano be the successor of SB, yes or no? Will Berlusconi get something out of his hat? Will it be a rabbit or a dinosaur?