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 the Ukrainian candidate

Saturday, November 28, 2012. Silvio Berlusconi gets unexpected support from the Mayor of Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, Hennadiy Keres, who put up a giant banner saying “Hands off Berlusconi”.

Berlusconi's banner in Kharkiv, Ukraine

They started it, not us, would reply Mr Hennadiy Keres, Mayor of the second largest city in Ukraine, Kharkiv, if asked why he decided to put up a giant banner with a bilingual writing, citing “Hands off Berlusconi. Because of him Italy has lost millions. Municipality of Rome, support not only Ukraine's Prime Minister but also yours!”

And – in a way – he is right, since Rome's Mayor, Gianni Alemanno (of Berlusconi's PdL), stuck up a (quite smaller) picture of former Ukrainian PM Yulia Tymoshenko outside his office on Rome's Capitol Hill a couple of days before, with the following writing on it: “Free Yulia Tymoshenko”

One of the small difference between the two causes, is that the 76-year-old former Italian Prime Minister is far from being jailed, actually he is threatening to start a new party, in sight of parliamentary elections in 2013. Berlusconi was given a four-year sentence for tax fraud, but he is still free pending appeals and he's not likely to ever get into jail, due to his age.

Yulia Tymoshenko's banner in Rome, Italy

The first woman to become Ukraine's prime minister, 52-year-old Tymoshenko (her birthday was on the 27^th of November) was actually prisoned back in December 2011 in the city of Kharkiv (she is now receiving treatment at a hospital) where she is expected to serve a seven-year term for abuse of office in relation to a natural-gas deal with Russia.

Berlusconi and his supporters say the charges are politically motivated, just like Tymoshenko and her supporters say. Both – according to the Mayor of Kharkiv – cost money to their countries.

The European Union and the United States have decried Tymoshenko imprisonment as selective justice, they do not seem much impressed by Berlusconi's claims that Italy is a magistocracy, rather than a democracy (and therefore he will go on fighting, instead of retiring).

Silvio like Yulia?