New series. For the benefit of posterity, a chronicle of events in this sick excuse for a country. With special attention to Berlusconi’s antics.
In one week since winning the elections, Mr B. has managed to make himself look like a complete dork and embarrass his own country the world over. Twice.
1) The Pink Cabinet
This hasn’t really been reported on Italian media (wonder why?), I’ve only seen it on blogs. And of course, on European media outlets:
When asked by an Italian radio to comment on the composition of the Spanish cabinet of Prime Minister Zapatero – with nine female and eight male ministers – Mr Berlusconi suggested it is “too pink.”
“Now he [Mr Zapatero] has asked for it, he will have problems leading them,” said the Italian leader. “In Italy there is a prevalence of men in politics and therefore it is not so easy to find women who are ready for the government,” he added.
The comment went almost unnoticed by Italian media, used to his frequent playboy-kind of jokes, but it sparked an angry reaction in Madrid, with Magdalena Alvarez, Spain’s infrastructure minister, describing it as an offensive.
“Many of us women would refuse to work for a government that had Mr Berlusconi as prime minister,” she noted.
Please don’t ask me to comment on this. I’d rather not to.
2) Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta
Mr Putin was speaking at a press conference in Italy, where he was meeting prime minister elect, Silvio Berlusconi. Pressed by a Russian journalist on reports in Moscow that he had divorced his wife Lyudimilla, he said: “There is not one word of truth”, adding that the private lives of political leaders should be “shown respect”.
While Putin struggled to answer, B. mimicked shooting the journalist with a burst of machine gun fire. (See video below) I would like to remind readers that in Putin’s Russia, 20 journalists have been murdered since 2000, Anna Politovskaja being just the most prominent of them. I don’t think there’s any need for me to comment any further on this.
More to come: I’ll try and make out a comprehensive list of silly/outrageous/criminal acts and statements made by this man. People everywhere need to be aware of the full extent of Italian masochism. Because – remember – we have voted him into power. Again. And again. Well, I for one certainly did not, but over 50% of my fellow Italians did. There must be something wrong with democracy.
Liquid Diamonds 