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.

Should the MKO Stay or Should it Go?

This is what Maryam Rajavi – head of the People’s Mujaheddin of Iran (PMOI, or MEK, or MKO) stated in Brussels on January 27, 2009 while standing in front of her many supporters, right after the decision of the ECJ (European Court of Justice) to put her movement off the list of terrorist groups:

“My fellow compatriots, Friends of the Resistance,

The obstacle of the terrorist allegation has crumbled. The spell has at last been broken. With perseverance and determination, you courageously rose above the flames of injustice and rendered law and justice victorious…This marks a decisive turning point on the course of democratic change in Iran.”

Although, the US State Department’s report on terrorist organizations states the following:

“The MEK advocates the violent overthrow of the Iranian regime and was responsible for the assassination of several U.S. military personnel and civilians in the 1970’s. MEK leadership and members across the world maintain the capacity and will to commit terrorist acts in Europe, the Middle East, the United States, Canada, and beyond.

The MEK emerged in the 1960s as one of the more violent political movements opposed to the Pahlavi dynasty and its close relationship with the United States. MEK ideology has gone through several iterations and blends elements of Marxism, Islam, and feminism”.

Funny, cause if you head your browser toward the official website of Maryam Rajavi, each time you’ll read a sentence like this one: “Our aim is not to attain power at all costs. Our aim is to guarantee freedom and democracy at all costs, even at the cost of sacrificing our own existence.” It all sounds much more like a Ghandi’s statement that the one of a terrorist inspired by Marxism, Islamism and Feminism.

Who’s right?

PERCEPTIONS OF THE MIDDLE EAST AND THE GAZA WAR: VIEWS FROM EUROPE

In Italy, the two main political factions have diametrically opposite views on the Israel-Palestinian conflict. In general, while Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s PdL (People of Freedom) is generally pro-Israeli, Veltroni’s PD (Democratic Party) is typically pro-Palestine. The war in Gaza sparked debates among politicians, pundits, and ordinary citizens. Yet to what extent did these events actually change people’s minds about the conflict?

Massimo D’Alema, a former foreign minister, well-known for supporting Hamas, during a sit-in held in Assisi, said that the Gaza war would tarnish the reputation of the Israeli government and could even cause people to become anti-Israel: “It was a bloody useless war. I am not trying to hide Hamas’s-–a fundamentalist group–enormous responsibilities, but they are the beneficiaries here…. This war was a terrific propaganda for the radicals.”

Staying with Berlusconi or staying with no one?

Casini and Berlusconi

“Silvio Berlusconi is the PdL. A real project of the Popolo della Libertà does not exist, that is only centered on his extraordinary leadership. In a way, the PdL is just an enlargement of the Forza Italia party.”

This is what Pierferdinando Casini (leader of the center coalition Udc and former ally to Il Cavaliere) said the other day on tv. He went on: “the Pdl – which is going to have its congress – has all my respect, but it’s a dead-end party, and that is Silvio Berlusconi”. By stating that the Pdl is just “an enlargement of Forza Italia party”, Casini was trying to underline the fact that, by creating the Pdl, Il Cavaliere has realized a broad coalition of political forces aimed at governing the country. This party, therefore, doesn’t have a precise political project, according to the leader of Udc (Unione dei Democratici Cristiani e Democratici di Centro).