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 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...

Silvio Berlusconi and the spread-scam used to try to bring down a majority government elected by the Italians

Monday, December 10, 2012. Taking part in Canale 5's “La Telefonata” (“The Phone Call”) TV programme, Silvio Berlusconi explains to the Italians that Italy's bond yield difference with Germany's Bunds is a scam they should not worry about.

Berlusconi with alleged girlfriend Francesca Pascale

Canale 5 ("Channel 5") is a television network controlled by Berlusconi's Mediaset broadcasting company, Maurizio Belpietro is a staunch defender of the Italian Prime Minister candidate arguably the best place to address to the Italians (at least to those who aren't at work, in that time in the morning) in order to lure them to vote, once again, for the billionaire.

Belpietro - former editor of Berlusconi's Il Giornale newspaper - is the host of the La Telefonata ("The Phone Call"), a 10-minute-long TV programme where he gets a phone call, as the show title hints. Today the Italian Silvio telephoned. La Telefonata is on air at 8:40 (GTM 7:40)

“Let's stop talking about this scam!” stated this morning Il Cavaliere's voice, “one year ago nobody heard about the word “spread” he continued “that was used to try to bring down a majority government elected by the Italians”.

“Behind the crisis there has been a German strategy” Berlusconi added, and Prime Minister Mario Monti is beholden to Germany. Monti replaced Berlusconi as Italy's Prime minister in November 2011, when the spread between Italy's bond yield and Germany's Bunds reached a euro-era record of 575.6 basis points.

He knows what is needed

The way for Italy's salvation is through the restoration Forza Italia (Go Italy!), the party that Silvio Berlusconi created in 1994 when he "entered the field" the first time, its alliance with the Lega Nord (Northern League) led by Robert Maroni (in the meanwhile Berlusconi friend Umberto Bossi was swept away by a corruption scandal) and – most probably – the separation from the National Alliance party.

After the PdL withdraw it's support for Monti's government and the former European Commissioner declared his willingness to resign as soon as, general elections are expected to be held either Feb. 17 or Feb. 24 (about a month before originally planned).

Is Italy back to square one, or it just sounds like that?

Silvio Berlusconi and the umpteenth comeback

Thursday, December 6, 2012. One day after suggesting that he is ready to "re-enter the field" (meaning that he will run for Italy's prime minister), Silvio Berlusconi decides to withdraw People of Liberty party's support for Mario Monti.

Silvio Berlusconi and Angelino Alfano at the press conference

Silvio Berlusconi has a new strategy, to kill at least two birds with just one stone: tackling the power struggle within his party (PdL, People of Liberty) and getting back to politics, since he's sure that without him (and the spirit of '94) the PdL is doomed to fail.

The campaign started with a fierce attack against Mario Monti's cabinet (yesterday) stating that the situation got much worse in the last year, the Italian “economy is in dire straits: the unemployed grew by one million, debt is rising, purchasing power is plummeting, the tax burden has reached unbearable levels”.

To make a long story short, Italy is “on the brink of the abyss”, to better say is already in the abyss.

Solution? Well, the solution is simple: get Berlusconi back in the saddle, and everything is going to be just fine. At least this is the message the media tycoon is getting across, explaining that loads of people ask him to “re-enter the field”.

Silvio, Italy trust in you

Is it already decided? “We will take the decision altogether, in the next days” said yesterday Silvio Berlusconi, hinting that the decision of “re-entering the field” was already taken, “they” just needed to make it public in a way that it sounds collective.

In the meanwhile today the PdL members sitting in the Senate of Italy did not grant the confidence vote on a decree on stimulating economic growth.

Some polls suggests that the PdL will gain about 15 percent of the support of the voters, ranking third if elections would be held now, but – as usual – Berlusconi is about to pull... himself out of the hat, and he is sure the future will vindicate his decision.

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Silvio Berlusconi and his resignation

Saturday, November 8, 2011. Many people are waiting for Silvio Berlusconi's resignation, in the streets, on the Internet, whilst still fearing a last minute trick from the Cavaliere.

Berlusconi's farewell

Silvio Berlusconi's end has been anticipated since, at least, the 14^th of December 2010. Many were convinced that on that day the Italian prime minister would lose the majority in the Parliament, after Gianfranco Fini's Future and Freedom split, and bring to an end his government.

But the Cavaliere's end did not come. He managed to find unexpected allies, and his government carried on, even though it was barely able to pass the deep reforms Italy needed – and needs – in order to get rid of his enormous debt of almost €1.9trn and start to grow again, after a decade of stagnation.

Scilipoti's protest

The game lasted almost 12 months, but now seems to be definitely over, as last Tuesday some “traitors” (as the Italian Silvio called them) left the sinking boat, paving the way for the “coup d'etat” (as Scilipoti, Berlusconi's ally, put it) of Gianfranco Fini, supported by the banks lobby.

Today the Italian Parliament has approved the financial stability law, and Silvio Berlusconi – a few days ago – stated that will be the final act of the current government, and he will resign.

So today it could be – and should be – the day, as the Italian population is preparing to celebrate. On Twitter and Facebook the tension increases.

Will he go for good, this time?

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Silvio Berlusconi pleasing the locusts?

Friday, July 15 2011. Silvio Berlusconi and his ministers manage to get an emergency budget approved, hope the “speculator locusts” will like it (certainly none of his allies will).

Silvio

Another nail in Berlusconi's (political) coffin? It surely is. Italy history's second largest emergency package (and the quickest one) won't make many people happy. If someone thought that Berlusconi was going to get rid of IRAP (a local tax on manufacturing activities), well they will be disappointed, because – so -far – the government decided to increased its rate, instead. Did North League's Umberto Bossi expect an improvement on fiscal federalism? Not this time, the Italian regions will get less money.

Did anybody expect a serious cut in MPs expenses? The topic was amended by Berlusconi's Freedom Party, so there won't be any reductions in their wages or in their multimillion euro perks.

But Berlusconi will say it'a all Giulio Tremonti's fault, the only minister who's lacking "team spirit" (as the prime minister declared in an interview a week ago).

Giulio

The rules in the package are the same old ones: getting money from the car owners (a surcharge on vehicle excise duty for cars with an engine of 225 kW or more), from the tourists (10 euro tax in Rome), from the sick men (surcharge on health services). Money from the increase of the fuel excise – another evergreen way to (at least try to) balance the books in Italy – was already collected in July to finance the costs of the emergency on immigrants and to fund the show business.

All this, made the Italian way: the package is worth 47 billion euros, but the bulk of 40 billions is going to be “collected” in 2013 and 2014, saying “who knows who will be in charge by then”.

Silvio Berlusconi DID NOT sing any song

Thursday, 24 March 2011. Silvio Berlusconi DID NOT sing any song. Signed: The Italian Government's Cabinet.

The Cabinet of the Italian Government issues a clarifying note – through it's official site www.governo.it – that should stop for good the terrible and slanderous rumours the communist press has been spreading around in the previous days.

The Italian Government official note

The rumours follow the dinner Mr Berlusconi organised at Palazzo Grazioli, his residence in Rome, with a group of members of the Italian Parliament, called the Responsible Ones (Movement of National Responsibility). The group - founded by Domenico Scilipoti - is called "The Responsible Ones" because the members switched sides (they were affiliated to Antonio Di Pietro's Italy of Values), in order to keep Silvio Berlusconi's coalition alive.