Berlusconi’s quest for dialogue

Berlusconi’s fourth government has won a trust vote by a clear majority at the Chamber of Deputies, yesterday. The count was 335 in favor and 275 against. Only one deputy abstained from voting. Today the same vote will take place at the Senate of Palazzo Madama, it should be another victory. The trust obtained by this new government, though, was not under question and it does not represent big news. The “search for dialogue” (with the rival Veltroni) invoked by Berlusconi is, instead, something new in the scattered panorama of the Italian politics.

Sure enough, Veltroni  - just  before voting against the new cabinet, yesterday -  has pointed out the fact that his minority coalition will “converge in every fair decision” with the majority. The former mayor of Rome has indeed shown some experience (he entered the world of politics in his twenties) by stating that, “you can only do opposition while keeping in mind the needs of a country, it is not like flexing muscles, but rather it is like proving your intelligence and showing a sense of responsibility”.

“I am thankful  to Veltroni –was the prompt answer of Il Cavaliere – and we will hold his availability in great consideration”. It sounds formal, sure, but everyone who has witnessed the last years of Italian political debate will agree that it is not.  The unusual circumstances have led the major Italian newspapers to talk about “the day of openness”.  It is certainly a good sign. The country is in desperate need of reforms and Berlusconi wants the minority led by Veltroni to approve what his coalition will put on the table.

It was Berlusconi who asked for help on the dangerous road of reforms during his intervention at the Chamber of Deputies, yesterday. His rival Veltroni answered firmly but yet positively: “the opposition will be strong and responsible… If he (Berlusconi) will show us that he can keep  promises we will immediately approve the reforms he is asking for”.

This is a philosophy that the Italians use to call: “give money, see camel”: the motto of an Egyptian merchant from ancient times, plain and simple, yeah, but also effective.  The motto shows that there is room for negotiation as long as the negotiator is ready to bargain.

What Veltroni said might also sound provocative, in a way. Although, since Berlusconi described his rival availability as a “historical passage”, we would say that it wasn’t.

The other day, Berlusconi had dinner with his collaborators and it appears that a very interesting conversation went on for a while. A the end of the meal, Il Cavaliere made some jokes, as usual: ” I placidly and serenely say, we can do it”. Now, there is a stand-up comedian that goes by the name of “Crozza” who always goes like: “placidly and serenely” for making fun of Veltroni. Same thing with “we can do it”: it is Obama’s motto transplanted into Roman slang by the former mayor of Rome.

The first serious obstacle for Berlusconi’s new cabinet is represented by the reform of  statal Tv, Rai. That will show whether the promises of this new and historical collaboration between Veltroni and Berlusconi will be fulfilled or not.

“Even on this turf – said the Pdl’s leader today – once a place for clashes and a source of misunderstandings, we could come out from a twenty-year-long war, and, even on this turf, there is no other way out than the one of dialogue”.

So, everyone seems to be optimistic and prone to collaboration. There are issues, though, for which a convergence of interests will be hard to achieve. For example: the construction of the so-called “Bridge on the Straits” (literally “over troubled waters”, we could say…) that will link Sicily to the rest of the country, could represent a potential obstacle to the collaboration of Italy’s two biggest parties.

Also, the security measures bill is expected to be a hard bone to chew for both parties, according to Il Corriere della Sera.

Another thorny issue: the de-taxation of the over-time work.

Someone argued that it’s easy to be so kind when you are in such a dominant position, like Berlusconi. However, didn’t he deserve to be in that dominant position, after all?

Andrea Loquenzi Holzer

Berlusconi’s IV: a brand new government, a brand new country.

Berlusconi’s IV: a brand new government, a brand new country.

Silvio Berlusconi’s fourth government will be put in charge today, at 17:00 o’clock. It was formed quickly, despite the many obstacles represented by Lega Nord’s list of wishes and the requests made by Alleanza Nazionale. Moreover, the Ministry Council will finally see many fresh faces, as there are seven Ministers aged from 31 (!) to 47. No to mention that, of all these promising youngsters, four are females.

According to our President of the Republic (the former communist) Giorgio Napolitano, “no time was wasted at all”. In fact, apart from the surprisingly young new faces, the pace at which the “Berlusconi IV” was created, has surprised many. A good beginning  is always welcomed. In this case being quick was a key-issue although when you speed, you might end up bumping on something. This is not the case because, as the impartial Napolitano (one cannot say that he holds Berlusconi in great consideration) explained how it was possible to form the new team of ministers in such a short amount of time.

First: this is the result of “such a clear win” and “such a broad majority”, said our President of Republic. Many compliments to those who organized Pdl’s electoral campaign, then. Or, perhaps we should also praise the clumsiness with which the PD orchestrated (?) its own campaign? Maybe both things are true at the same time.

Second: This is all about the ability of “Il Cavaliere”. There were, in fact, many concerns about Lega Nord’s requests. And, as said already, even about those of Gianfranco Fini’s An Party. It seems like Berlusconi solved these problems with a concise private speech in front of his allies. It must have sounded more or less like this: “look, you name your men, I decide where to put them, there is no way around it”. Well done, Charlie Brown! This is what they call diplomacy: you grant something, you get something in return. The trick is: offering what you can do, without and obtain what you can’t do without.

Third: there have been some private meetings between Berlusconi and Napolitano right after the elections, that made things way easier. It goes without saying: who decided to schedule those meetings? Berlusconi, who else?

One could argue: “all right, Berlusconi was fast enough, but was he also good at it?”. The answer to this question will  - surprisingly enough – come once again from a former leftist, namely Franco Debenedetti: “it is a very well balanced team, with some excellent names”, said the ex-Ds (Democratici di Sinistra) Senator. According to him “Maroni, Brunetta, Frattini, Scajola, are very good personalities, if I should point out someone that makes me really happy I would say: Sacconi at the Minister of Welfare”.

So, to summarize: it was quick, surprising and well done. It almost sounds impossible. And, there is more to it: given all these brand-new-and-fresh-ministers, someone predicted a “clashes of personalities”. In other terms, they will do their best to make Silvio happy, translation: they will do their best for our country.