Despite the rumors, Berlusconi is still here

We Italians woke up today expecting a revolution like the one in Iran. It did not happen. In a way, the assumptions of some newspaper articles are intelligent and, indeed, a certain concern about Berlusconi’s boat in these troubled waters exists. Luckily enough, though, the situation is not so desperate.

Newspaper articles such as Guy Dinmore’s in the Financial Times have appeared about the supposed free fall of the Italian government, depicting a sad Berlusconi on the brink of a precipice.  From this perspective -supported by “well-placed government sources speaking on condition of anonymity” – our Premier is overwhelmed by scandals of all types, ravaged in the solitude of the party he created, running on empty.

According to the Italian premier, Silvio Berlusconi’s dream of becoming President of the Republic is vanishing; all of his old time friends and allies are abandoning the ship, except for those who can only survive in his shadow. These few loyalists, nevertheless, are afraid to speak out in his defense.

After the death of his beloved mother and sister and the breakup with his wife Veronica Lario, Berlusconi released an interview with his own magazine “Chi” and he – in at least Dinmore’s vision – would be just waiting for the prosecutors in Bari to start an official investigation, as the G8 meeting scheduled for next month came closer. The European elections, states the Financial Times’s correspondent in Rome, “showed that voters are shifting away.”  The PDL party is just an empty container in which there is no successor. Last but not least, this government would resemble a “Middle Eastern potentate” in which leaving the scene is not an option.

As a start, we could argue that even though, for example, Dinmore’s sources are theoretically “well-placed”, they are still anonymous: meaning that whoever the “spy” is, he doesn’t like the sunlight. In other words, these are just suppositions.

We could also go on to say that the European elections were not a defeat for Berlusconi’s party. On the contrary, they were a big defeat for the left. So let’s do some math: in 30 provinces and 62 capital municipalities, 32 administrations over 32 passed from the left to the right. It’s an incredibly good result. The only thing we could say is that the people at the PDL were just expecting to win more votes than they did.

The third major argument with which we could counter these negative assumptions is even more direct: all the suspects and the “scandals” involving our Prime Minister did not transform into anything real. As of today, not one of the accusations is official and not one single court has ruled anything against Berlusconi.

Regarding the supposed “emptiness” of the PDL: this newborn party has proven to be the only one in our country that can benefit from stable leadership. Saying that there is no successor to Berlusconi inside the People Of Freedom is like saying that, right after Cesar, there was no other man of his height. It is not a negative statement against this party, it is a compliment. Look at the Franceschini’s PD, for example: the present leadership of that party is not so charismatic and the future is unknown and unforeseeable. And we are talking about the main opposition’s party here!  The PDL is full of very well prepared and professional political figures: a good leader will certainly emerge from there when needed.

Despite these recent supposed scandals with the “18 year old would-be-model,” according to the polls Berlusconi’s personal degree of favor among the Italians is still strong.

One last thing: the idea of bringing the G8 summit into L’Aquila and the consequential displacement of funds toward the devastated medieval city was Berlusconi’s idea. The G8 was in fact originally scheduled to take place at the “Maddalena Island,” but in order to set up that place the government costs would have been exorbitant. The funds are now being invested in the reconstruction of Abruzzo, and the idea of having a summit in there seems quite reasonable to us: instead of throwing “lavish parties” and “spoiling his friends with gifts,” Berlusconi will show what the consequences of a strong earthquake are.  This is no Middle Eastern potentate, this is Italy.

Andrea Loquenzi Holzer – The Hudsonny

The European Elections: a big defeat for politics and politicians

History is repeating itself: during the year of the global economic crisis, the left is sinking almost everywhere in Europe. The Labors parties in Great Britain have suffered the biggest defeat since 1918. Even in Germany the SPD lost badly scoring 20.8%, a new negative record. In France, Sarkozy’s coalition overwhelmed the socialists (28% against 16.48%), even though the great winner here is the Green Party (16.28%). In Italy (the biggest turnout here) Silvio Berlusconi’s Freedom Party got 34.9 % with the Democratic Party being stuck at 25%. It is a victory, yes, but the expectations were higher.

Generally speaking, these elections clearly indicate that Europe as a whole must change its policy and somehow increase the level of involvement among Europeans. They also tell us that Europeans have a certain need for security and boundaries. Look at the results in the Netherlands, where Geert Wilders’ anti-Islamic Freedom Party scored 17%. Wilders is firmly against the entrance of Turkey into the European Union. The low turnout can also be explained in terms of a popular mistrust feeling toward politics and politicians: as the Europeans struggle to stand up against the economic downturn, they do not feel as if they are being represented or supported by their leaders.

Italy’s hard line on illegal immigration

During a press conference in Matera on May the 18th, the President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Gianfranco Fini, spoke about the difficult situation with immigrants in Italy and reiterated a well known concept according to which every immigrant should respect our constitution and laws.

Immigration is a hot topic on Italy’s political agenda: the biggest communities of immigrants come from Romania, Philippine, Albany and northern African countries. All these people encounter a wide variety a problems, once in this country, but the main risk they take is usually the travel itself. On Sunday, May 10th,  the repatriation of almost 230 illegal Libyan immigrants who were travelling toward our country on three shabby boats was hailed as a “success” by our Home Secretary, Roberto Maroni.

The G8 in L’Aquila, will save 220 millions and keep the no-globals away

The next G8 summit is likely to be hosted in L’Aquila - the Italian medieval town hit by the earthquake less than a month ago – as Ignazio La Russa (Defense Minister) announced today, at the end of a Ministry Council meeting .

The G8 summit was previously scheduled to take place in the “La Maddalena” island, the biggest one of an archipelago situated north-east of the Sardinian’s sea. The sudden decision of re-scheduling the venue of the G8 is a Berlusconi’s idea, motivated by two main reasons: First, as il Cavaliere stated, the entire world will be forced to pay attention to the situation in L’Aquila, forcing as well local politician and others to work hard on the reconstruction of the town. Second, but not less important, the No-Globals – the violent anti-capitalist movement that caused so much troubles in Genova – will . probably be less threatening given the messy situation with L’Aquila nowadays. “The G8 in L’Aquila represents a message of hope for the entire region struck by the earthquake”, said Berlusconi at the end of the Ministry Council meeting, today.

Afghanistan: Taliban “Justice”

Parwez Kambakhsh, the young Afghani blogger accused of blasphemy and sentenced to death by the authorities in Kabul two years ago, has been recently charged with twenty years in jail. After a pig-circus trial, they arrested him for preventing his brother Yaqub – a well known investigative journalist – from writing about the misdeeds of the Taliban and the war lords. Kambakhsh is spending his time in jail together with actual criminals and his psychological and physical conditions are deteriorating every day. His brother Yaqub speaks about the situation in Afghanistan and hopes a better future for the Afghani people and for his brother.

Yaqub, your brother was arrested in October 2007 because as they said he was mocking Islam , the Prophet Mohammed and the Holy book, but isn’t there a different story behind the official accusation?

Yes exactly. As you know, they wanted to prevent me from writing about their war crimes, in this respect, my brother was the right target to hit. They also wanted to stop other Afghan investigative journalists in a indirect way so they made it very big and public. They wanted to show every journalist and writer in this country that if you do something “odd” or out of the boundaries, then you will face the consequences. They used my brother as a scapegoat by sentencing him to death – a sentence that was recently reversed to twenty years in jai]. They are showing every journalist what freedom of speech means here in Afghanistan: you can be free to express your opinion, sure, but then you must also be prepared for the worst.

You spent many words about the lack of freedom of speech in your country, did the situation change at all after your brother’s arrest?

As I mentioned, they made his case a symbol of the situation. After my brother’s arrest, all the journalists and writers in this country realized that Afghanistan is under the control of fundamentalist factions in the guise of a democracy. As they understood that in this country there is no guarantee and that no one is free to express his ideas, they started to censor themselves. That is why I am saying that Kambakhsh became a symbol: every time a journalist wants to speak out loud against the government or the factions here, the image of my brother in jail comes to his mind and he gives up. Many of my colleagues would really like to talk about what is happening in this country – as they did 3 or 4 years ago – but they cannot. This means that time is going backwards in Afghanistan.

Kambahsh was at first sentenced to death for blasphemy; now they charged him with 20 years in jail. How is your brother doing, how is his psychological situation at the moment?

He is being held in Kabul central prison, sharing the cell with seven actual criminals, and he is under severe psychological pressure. Every time he thinks about the cruel sentences they charged him with, it is a shock. We are really concerned about his health. About his safety in jail and also about his psychological and physical conditions.

Do you think he can stand all this time in jail?

With all the problems he is going through right now, he still thinks about human rights and he wishes a better condition for all the Afghani people, especially for the women here. Last time I met him he told me: “I can’t stand this at all…when I think about all the accusations with which they charged me and all the cruelty that my country is suffering from, It shocks me”.

Hundreds of Afghan journalists like you have demonstrated for your brother, people have created blogs, made interviews, tried to do something for Kambakhsh, although things have not changed much since he got arrested; do you think he will be released soon, do you still have hope?

Even though hope is the only thing that stands, I have to admit that, unfortunately, the Afghani officials are very good “poker players” and they are cheating the entire international community. After my brother’s arrest nothing has changed, but I still hope that the Afghani people, the champions of democracy and the journalists will not give up. I just hope that we will eventually get something in return for our struggle.

Is the Afghan judiciary system totally corrupted, “Islamized”?

Not only is the Afghan judiciary system corrupted, it is also under control of the Taliban or people that share their same mindset. These people are extremely radical when it comes to religion and they are against modern, western-like thinking and that way of life. The only modern things, during Kambakhsh’s trial were the microphones and the chairs, but the people who were using these instruments were old-fashioned Taliban anyway. This could be a good example of how the judiciary system has changed here: new things, old mindset. They are getting modern equipment from developed countries like Italy, but these people are dark minded and they are using these things against western values.

You have come in Italy to meet with journalists and to speak about the situation in Afghanistan, and to receive the “International Reporter of the Year” award. Speaking about achievements, did the Italian government push for the release of your brother?

I really don’t know what they are doing right now. All I know is that I haven’t seen any results. I don’t know which kind of justice are they are fighting for here. Are they fighting for Taliban-style justice or for the justice human beings really need?

How come Hamid Karzai is not really doing something? Are his hands tied?

I really don’t know, but every time he promises a lot, and, after two years, he is still doing what the Taliban want him to do. Keeping Kambahsh in jail – - despite all the requests and pressure coming from the international community and from the Afghan people.

Andrea Loquenzi Holzer for The Hudsonny

The eartquake in L’Aquila killed at least 92 people, 1500 were wounded

At least 100 people were killed and scores of others wounded tonight in Abruzzo (a region situated east of Rome) when a powerful heartquake shook at 3.32 a.m.

The tremor was reported to be between 5.8 and 6.3 degrees on the Richter scale (with 10 degress being the top) with the centre being in the medieval town of L’Aquila, 75 miles from the Italian capital.

Even though the latest death toll reports more than 100 victims, the official number of dead people is still bound to raise, as stated by the Interior Minister, Roberto Maroni, who added that “the death toll in the central province of L’Aquila was likely to rise further”.

Will Fiat Drive Chrysler out of the crisis?

The Fiat-Chrysler forthcoming agreement will function as bridge between two worlds: by signing the deal, in fact, the Americans will have access to a series of new technologies (such as fuel efficient engines) while the Italians will gain a base for start selling in the Us.

Who would have thought, just a few years ago, that one day one of the big American names of the car industry would have ended up being rescued by the Fabrica Italiana Automobili Torino (but many called it Fix It Again Tony, remember?).

Although, five years have gone since GM decided to quit from its joint venture with the old Italian auto maker, loosing 2 billions in the withdrawal. As a matter of fact, though, the Obama administration has now suggested suggested Chrysler to sign an agreement with Fiat, in oder to get the big chek they need (6 billion dollars) for their survival (at least till the end of the month).

In fact, by joining forces with Fiat, Chrysler will not buy its way out of the abyss.

The PdL: a party wanted by the Italians

The next three days will be very important for the Italian politics: our country will in fact witness the creation of a new political party – the PdL – in which Forza Italia and Alleanza Nazionale will join together in order to form a governing coalition.

Usually,when it’s about forming a new party, first comes the symbol, then a political theory to go with it and at the end one must deal with the voters. With the PDL it was the opposite: two years ago Forza Italia, Alleanza Nazionale and the Lega Nord won the election by a large majority and – during the following year  – Berlusconi decided to create a brand new political party: the Party of Freedom, il Partito della Libertà.

The process wasn’t exaclty, the slickest thing you could possibly imagine. Although, we could argue that the creation of the PdL came naturally. In a desertic political panorama, with the left in the guise of a forgotten realm, Il Cavaliere didn’t really have to think so much about it. His idea, indeed, just reflected the will of the Italian electorate.

The Housing Plan will make Italians richer?

In a effort to revive Italian’s economy, President Berlusconi’s “Piano casa” (Housing plan) is a decree that, if approved, will establish a new set of rules regarding construction and urban planning.

Italians will be able to enlarge their existing homes by 20 percent and, in case their homes were built before 1989, by 30 percent. There is an additional 5 percent bonus that will be available only if the renewed apartment will be made with environmental friendly materials. For example: Say Mario Rossi (Average Joe) is the owner of a 100 square meters apartment and he wants to enlarge his property. As it is now, his chances to get a permission by the authorities are not many. In fact, the notorious Italian bureaucracy does not allow changes outside the “piano regolatore” (urban planning). Let alone the fact that many people would act regardless of the rules contained in the official city plan and build their stuff anyway, a switch in this matter, will - according to Berlusconi himself – “bring 60 millions in the pockets of Italians”.

Why Italy is Staying Away from Durban II

The March 12th conference, organized by the Italian-Israeli friendship association at the Senate, represented the Italian way to say no to the “anti-Semite conference against democracy” that is Durban II. The Italian foreign minister, Franco Frattini, was among the speakers and explained why our country is staying away from the preliminary works of the conference, while all the other European countries are participating.

Our foreign Minister has made clear that “Italy cannot negotiate what is not negotiable” and explained why. The first reason being anti-Semitism: “We believe in the dignity of the UN and we cannot contemplate a document headed ‘United Nations’ including a paragraph defining Israel as a threat to international peace.” The second main reason for the Italian forfàit is freedom of expression: we cannot support a document that states “the right to free expression cannot be extended to criticisms of any religious creed whatsoever” and therefore we are not going to collaborate at the preparation of this conference unless the a major shift in policy will take place, we are doing this “in the name of the credibility of the United Nations,” said Frattini.