Silvio Berlusconi and the mother of all defeats

Wednesday, June 1 2011. Unpredictable happens: Letizia Morattti hands over mayor post to Giuliano Pisapia as Silvio Berlusconi loses Milan and his crusade against gypsies and Italian left-wingers.

Letizia Moratti (BEFORE the elections)

Actually nobody could have predicted such an ending, Silvio Berlusconi said a defeat in his stronghold was “unthinkable”.

Berlusconi casting his vote

The far left-wingers thinks Giuliano Pisapia – the new mayor of Milan – is just another representative of the bourgeoisie of Lombardy capital, whilst the right-wingers thinks he's an extremist, friend of extremists. And everybody (especially the prime minister) tried to depict him as the wrong candidate.

Silvio Berlusconi and his coalition did everything they could do in order to hold the financial capital of Italy (and the prime minister birthplace) in their hands, turning the local election into a referendum, where the voter could only choose between handing the city over to gypsies and islamists, or vote for the PdL (The People of Freedom party) candidate, Letizia Moratti, a powerful woman, sister-in-law of the president of Inter Milan Football Club, Massimo Moratti, arch-enemy of Berlusconi's AC Milan.

Giuliano Pisapia,

the new mayor

And Silvio used all his power to communicate this simple message, appearing on TV in almost any news service (which – by the way – have been fined because of the lack of fairness, see our blog).

"If Pisapia wins," Berlusconi said, "Milan will become a Muslim town, a Gypsyville of Roma camps, a city besieged by foreigners." He did not manage to persuade the majority of the voters, since Pisapia won with 315,862 votes (55,01 per cent).

After losing Milan (not to mention Turin and Naples) to the leftists, June will be a difficult month for the prime minister, full of unpleasant appointments (apart from dealing with the anger of his ally, the Northern League). Among the others: the referendum on nuclear energy, which he tried to avoid with a legerdemain that did not work and has became quite a risky game (his enemies will try hard to beat him on that occasion too) and the resume of the Rubygate trial.

Is the fortune of the man who – for good or ill – has dominated Italian politics and society turning?

Video from our YouTube Channel: Berluschannel 

Silvio Berlusconi seeking International Community's support in his struggle against “dictatorship of left-wing prosecutors”

Monday, May 26 2011. In Deauville, during a pause of the G8 meeting, Silvio Berlusconi reports to Barack Obama about the “dictatorship of left-wing prosecutors” in Italy, hoping to get some kind of relief.

In three day Italy will face the local elections final run-off, where Mr Berlusconi and his allies could risk a major defeat, specially in key cities like the prime minister stronghold Milan and troubled Naples.

Approaching a surprised Obama

The Italian tycoon is fighting a personal war against Italy's left-wing, and he would resort to any means, even asking for foreign powers' help, in order to avoid such a blow.

Furthermore Mr Berlusconi is facing four trials at the same time, three of them related to fraud and corruption charges, and the infamous "Rubygate" case where he is charged with paying for sex with an under-age Moroccan belly dancer and then using his position to cover it up. Another good reason to warn the international community about the lack of freedom in Italy, due to the dictatorship of the left-winged judicial system.

The occasion to seek assistance was the meeting of G8 governments in Normandy's Deauville, where – with the aide of an interpreter – the Italian prime minister approached the president of the USA, Barack Obama.

Silvio was possibly inspired by Barack Obama's words when – in his recent visit to the UK – he has stated that the United States would be there for any people struggling for freedom.

Anyhow, though the whole 2-minute conversation was not disclosed, it is clear the Berlusconi said "We have presented a justice reform that is fundamental to us, in Italy we have almost a dictatorship of leftist judges," to a surprised-looking Obama, before world leaders began discussion of nuclear issues.

The news awestruck a large part of Italians, not knowing what to expect: NATO bombing or just a pizza and mozzarella embargo?

Video from our YouTube Channel: Berluschannel 

Silvio Berlusconi and the biased journalists

Monday, May 23 2011. Looks like too many Italian journalists have a soft spot for Silvio Berlusconi, as the Italian Authority for Communications Guarantees fines 5 news service on different TV broadcasters for sympathising a bit too much with the prime minister.

RAI TG1's head: Minzolini

As everyone knows, Silvio Berlusconi is the ultimate defender of democracy and democratic rights, so you would think he would not approve a biased TV service.

On the other hand, after a Berlusconi's People of Freedom (PdL) party and its Northern League (Lega Nord) ally suffered setbacks in the first turn of local election in several Italian cities (including the financial capital Milan, Berlusconi's home town), he needs all the possible support in order to fight back the communist hordes flooding his beloved country (before final run-off of local voting will take place on May 29-30).

To start his counter-offensive against the reddish enemy, Silvio Berlusconi delivered a string of interviews on several TV channels, last Friday, in order to warn Italian citizens about the extremists' threat and trying to gather in votes from the right-wingers.

But the visibility Silvio Berlusconi is receiving is not fair, according to Autorità per le Garanzie nelle Comunicazioni (Authority for Communications Guarantees, commonly known with the acronym AGCM). That's why Agcom has fined the involved broadcaster, totalling 800,000 euro (approx £700,000).

The involved TV broadcasters are – more or less – under Berlusconi's control, belonging to state-owned RAI or Berlusconi's Mediaset: RAI TG1 (is lead by Augusto Minzolini, one of the most loyal journalist around), RAI TG2, Canale5 TG5, Rete4 TG4 (lead by most loyal and greatest Berlusconi-worshipper ever, Emilio Fede) and Studio Aperto (Italia1 news service, who's head is Mario Giordano, another long-time partisan).

Mediaset has already stated that they will appeal against Agcom's decision, and it's hard to think that Berlusconi would keep silent: the battle will linger on, until the end of the month.

Berlusconi's interview on Studio Aperto

Video from our YouTube Channel: Berluschannel