Silvio Berlusconi and his friend Bruno Vespa

Tuesday, December 18, 2012. Invited to Italian state TV talk show “Porta a Porta” (“Door to Door”) by anchorman and friend Bruno Vespa, Silvio Berlusconi holds electoral an electoral speech and admits that if the election will be held in February, his chances to win are pretty dim.

"After Monti it's my turn"

“You need... me” begins Silvio Berlusconi on the television screen, participating to Porta a Porta (Door to Door) one of the most viewed TV shows on state owned Rai1, after host Bruno Vespa showed a footage of the previous night television programme (still  on Rai1), where Oscar-winner Italian actor Roberto Benigni joked about the fact that it's the sixth time that the tycoon runs for office (“the seventh time he shall rest” mocked Benigni).

The President and the Comedian

RobertoBenigni (mis)used a cultural television programme to attack the former Italian prime minister, who – in return – reckons legitimate to (mis)use a talk show to talk – alone, with no cross-examination, the host of the programme is a friend - about what he is going to do (or – more exactly – about what Italians want him to do).

"After Monti, it's my turn again" says Berlusconi's manifesto, projected by Bruno Vespa's staff. This is how things go in Italy, nowadays.

“You need me and [...] I don't refrain [...] to render the assistance to those in need” the former Italian prime minister continued, as the conversation between the politician and business man and the journalist went on following the usual politician-stooge pattern.

"Don't vote for small parties" warns the People of Liberty's president, founder and main financial backer, look for someone who "has got plenty of common sense", and than enunciates "I have been a winning entrepreneur, in every sector, I have built model cities, worked in the building, publishing and broadcasting industry".

A well organised electoral speech.

Video from our YouTube Channel: Berluschannel

In reality the only electoral promise coming from Berlusconi is the abolition of a municipal tax that his government introduced back in 2011 (Decree nr. 23, 14 March 2011), the infamous IMU (“Imposta municipale propria”, a kind of Council Tax) in order to cover the expenses left without funds by the repeal of the previous tax on real proprieties “Imposta comunale sugli immobili” (ICI, “Municipal Propriety Tax”).

Berlusconi said that he can aim to get the 40 per cent of the votes, if he gets enough time on TV to explain his reasons (pardon: his reason) his to the Italians.

Gotcha!

What is the alternative to Berlusconi? According to Berlusconi it's a social civil war, just like it (almost) happened in Greece.

But in the meantime another clock is ticking: a court set February 4, 2013 as the day for final hearing and judgement of the Rubygate proceedings. In the trial Silvio Berlusconi is indicted of having paid for sex an under-age prostitute known as “Ruby the Heart-Stealer” (the real name is Karima El Mahroug) at his “bunga bunga” parties, to which Moroccan belly-dancer Karima and droves of other women were invited. If he gets a conviction, it might influence his run for office.

Run Silvio, run! I mean: slow down, Silvio, slow down... 

Silvio Berlusconi, his friend Roberto Benigni, and the terrible news

Monday, December 17, 2012. Roberto Benigni, Academy Award winner actor, comedian director and screenwriter, appears in state-owned TV Rai1 to host a programme about the Italian Constitution, grabs the occasion and mocks his favourite target, Silvio Berlusconi.

Roberto Benigni, wary about Silvio Berlusconi's comeback

Over 12.6 million viewers – a share of 43.9 per cent – watched Roberto Benigni's “La più bella del mondo” (“The most beautiful in the world”), a public television programme about the Italian Constitution, but – as usual – Italian Academy Award winning comedian had something to say about Silvio Berlusconi's comeback into Italian politics (the video very beginning of the show is on our YouTube channel).

The director of the Oscar-winning tragicomedy "Life is Beautiful" on the Holocaust is not new to such cultural happenings, he recited Dante's Divine Comedy on TV on the past and sang (and explained) Italy's anthem to viewers last year, on a programme celebrating 150 years of Italian Nation, last year.

But he can't help being a comedian, and Silvio Berlusconi has always been his favourite target.

"I wanted to talk about beautiful things, but this December there were two awful, catastrophic, news" quips Benigni. "One you know it all, December 21 there is the end of the world, but that's not the ugliest. You know, the end of the world, you can just get over it.”

Silvio Berlusconi at Canale5's Domenica Live

“Another, really terrible, news has really smashed everyone, in a period when so many Italians wish to retire and cannot do it. The only Italian who could really go and retire whenever he wanted if he just wanted it, is not doing it.” continued Roberto Benigni “Silvio is standing again, Lord pity us all”.

"He's got nothing to lose” added Benigni gesticulating wildly as he was painting a well known picture of a scandalous Silvio Berlusconi, “he's done it all now: orgies, lawyers, minors. He already had a crazy time!".

During the show Benigni also invited Mario Monti, the current Italian prime minister (though he said we will soon resign, since Berlusconi's Peopleof Liberty party withdraw its support to Monti's government) to join the TV programme and make a fake announcement that he will run in elections just to stop Berlusconi.

Berlusconi was also in TV recently, most possibly in an attempt to please housewives and romantic women watching TV shows on Sunday afternoon, Silvio Berlusconi declared he was engaged to 49 years younger Francesca Pascale on Canale5's Domeni Live show, but most probably Benigni's show was recorded previously, so he did not mentioned nor commented the good news (we are sure he would have liked to), so he focused on bad news. [Added on Dec. 19: Benigni show was live, and he did comment the good news! See Chiara's comment for further details. Sorry for that, folks.]

We knew already that almost everybody is against Silvio's comeback, and it was just obvious that Robert Benigni would be the staunchest opponent to it.