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?

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 and the odd kidnapping

Tuesday, November 20, 2012. It turns out the Giuseppe Spinelli, the so-called Berlusconi's cashier, was rapidly kidnapped and release on the 15 October, on an attempt to obtain a ransom.

71-year-old Giuseppe Spinelli, Berlusconi's accountant

Giuseppe Spinelli is on of the most trustworthy member of Silvio Berlusconi's team, he was in charge of paying out allowances and rent for the so-called Olgettine, a bunch of young women (currently Elisa Toti, Aris Espinoza, Ioana Visan, Marysthelle Polanco and Eleonora De Vivo) recruited by former councillor Nicole Minetti. The former Italian prime minister of Italy is taking care of the beauties, habitué on bunga-bunga parties (details in our post “Silvio Berlusconi and the bunga bunga army”).

On the night of the 15^th of October Mr Spinelly and his wife apparently were kidnapped and detained in they very home, for 11 hours, by a gang of criminals, lead by a native of Bari wearing a black and red (AC Milan colours) shoes, according to the Italian news agency ANSA.

Berlusconi and the bunga bunga army

Friday, November 9, 2012. During the so-called Ruby-trial, it turns out that Silvio Berlusconi is still maintaining girls involved in (and witnesses of) the sex scandal.

Aris Espinosa

According to prosecutors, the 42 girls – among them the famous Ruby the Heartstealer (stage name of Karima El Mahroug), Elisa Toti, Aris Espinoza, Ioana Visan, Marysthell Polanco and Eleonora De Vivo – were recruited by Nicole Minetti and all live in a condominium in Milano 2 residential zone (address in 65 Via Olgettina, that's way the young females are also known as "le olgettine"), they obviously are habitués of the bunga-bunga parties (apart from being witnesses in a proceeding against Silvio Berlusconi in a sex-related trial), and they are all receiving around 2,500 euros monthly (that is £2,000 or $3,200), a pretty nice income in today's Italy.

Elisa Toti admitted also receiving a Mini car as a gift and help in the purchase of a house (in terms of cash and guarantee).

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?

Silvio Berlusconi and Iliana, the South American showgirl

Sunday, November 4, 2012. Silvio Berlusconi ponders to colour the Senate of Italy by choosing an Argentinian showgirl – known for faking an orgasm on TV – as a candidate for the imminent elections. 

Most possibly Mr Berlusconi must have thought that Italians do not care about the skills of a politician, provided she can boast of large boobs, as he evaluates the candidacy of 46-year-old showgirl Iliana Calabrò for the People of Liberty (PdL) party in the Senate of Italy. 

Her tentative Italian does not prevent her from understanding the concerns and issues of Argentina's Italian community (she declared on a telephone interview with the Italian Corriere della Sera), since she take part in all their parties, events, occasions, were – of course – she would also dance and sing.

Other turns of her repertoire are: fake orgasms, ice-cream cone licking, sexy sketches.