According to his father, Beppino Englaro, Eluana was a very determined person. One of those strong girls that always have an answer for everything. She witnessed the coma legacy happened to one of her friends, long ago. A boy that was forced, by the doctors, to live a non-life. Apparently, she said “if something like that happens to me, I’d like to die”.

For some sort of poetic justice, something like that has – in fact - happened to her.

Fifteen years ago, in a town named Lecco – in Lombardy – she was hospitalized following a car accident, which had caused a cranial trauma. There was also a fracture at the level of her cervical vertebras, that would have bound her on a arm-chair forever. It doesn’t matter, though, because Eluana has been sleeping until nowadays. A coma, according to a medical definition, is “a state of deep unarousable unconsciousness”, practically speaking: a comatose person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to pain or light, does not have sleep-wake cycles, and does not take voluntary actions.

By the time she was hospitalized, the doctors decided to give her a chance. In order to save her from a certain death, they therefore administered medicines to Eluana and intubated her, because they said: “hope is always the last to die”. In spite of all these treatments, she couldn’t wake up, so they moved her to another ward. It was 1992, Eluana is now 37 year-old.

At the moment she is staying – like a plant would – at the hospital and the doctors there are living her life for her. She opens and closes her eyes like a real person, following the rhythm of day. However, she can’t see anything. Her lips tremble, her limbs are stretched. There is a straw passing from her nose that brings food into her stomach, an enema is her personal bathroom. Nurses wash her body with sponges everyday and help her sit on a chair, from time to time. They have to pay attention that she does not fall on the ground. They also move her body in bed so to avoid bedsores.

According to the Italian law, anyway, she can’t be considered dead because the accident only damaged her celebral cortex, instead of the entire brain. As remarked by Marco Malagutti, the British Medical Association and the American Academy of Neurology agree consider twelve months a period long enough to determine whether the patient can wake up from this kind of coma, or not. After that, there is no hope left.

Her father is legally responsible for the life of Eluana, however, despite all the advices coming from various medical sources that consider the state of this patient “incompatible with basic human dignity”, he can’t give a end on her “non-life” due to some sort of expectation of a miracle. More precisely he could, but he would have to follow a scary path in order to do so: it’s about letting her die by the lack of water and food, in this way it would take her twenty days to pass away. Try to imagine yourself witnessing the living-death of one of your relatives, could anyone cope with that?

Eluana’s one only represents the last case of what they call “therapeutic tenacity”. The lack of a law concerning Biological Testament in Italy has already caused endless pain. A recent verdict has finally ruled that Beppino Englaro – Eluana’s father – has the right to give her death, or perhaps we should call it peace. Although non venom can be injected. A violent polemic has erupted in Italy: someone wants Eluana to die, someone else is ready to feed her with water in case her father will decide to interrupt the medical treatments.

Who should decide whether to stay in a endless coma or leave this world? Who should decide about her own life if not Eluana herself? Italy is in a desperate need of a law on biological testament. Gaetano Quagliariello, a Pdl’s Senator and the President of The Magna Carta Foundation, said that “the power of the sovereign people should claim its own voice on such thorny matter”. We think he’s right.

Italy is facing once again a internal political power struggle between the judiciary system and the legislative one. No wonder that Silvio Berlusconi is at the centre of attention and, guess what? The governing body of the Italian magistrates is accusing him of trying to avoid a trial.

The CSM (Superior Council of Judiciary) has labeled as “irrational” and anti-constitutional a decree aimed at speeding-up the work of the Italian judiciary system by suspending for one year all trials for crimes committed before mid 2002, except those in which violence , Mafia, serious crimes and workplace accidents are involved.

The decree is clearly intended to make the very slow work of the Italian magistrates a bit faster by allowing the most serious trials to have priority.

Unfortunately, this decree, if approved, is going to have an effect on Berlusconi’s political life as a Prime Minister. The point being David Mills, a English lawyer. Berlusconi is in fact charged of having paid 600.000 dollars to Mr. Mills in 1997 to withhold information that could have been incriminating for Italy’s Prime Minister.

The “Mills affair” was supposed to expire this year, but a Milan based court has ruled out that the case went on at least until 2002. This fact could therefore extend the trial for another two years.

“A President of the Council spending more time in taking care of his trials that the problems of his country is something inadmissible” Said “Il Cavaliere” yesterday, during a meeting. “This decree is necessary. I am going ahead, I can count on citizen’s consensus, the people are with me, if they think they can stop me, they’re wrong”.

With a few simple words the Italian Prime Minister has explained what is going on:

He was elected by a large majority of the voters to be the President of the Council. The judiciary system has always been against him for one simple reason: the Italian constitution was written and approved by communists and the entire school system is left-wing oriented. This means that every single judge who got his degree from a public university is quite probably a leftist or, at least, anti-Berlusconi.

Besides this, consider the fact that the CSM cannot label a decree as anti-constitutional because that power belongs to the Constitutional Court – not only: since the decree is still under approval by the lower house of Parliament, the CSM (like all other judiciary institutions) cannot interfere in this process.

That is why our Head of State (and former communist) Giorgio Napolitano, wrote a letter to the chief of CSM, Nicola Mancino, in which he pointed out that: “ the CSM cannot express opinions about the unconstitutionality of a decree”.

Napolitano also called for a better “distinction of roles, reciprocal respect” and for a better “sense of measure and loyal cooperation”. A former communist defending Berlusconi is already something unusual. However, the Security Decree, once approved will have a positive effect for every citizen, since the worst crimes will have priority.

There is more at stake, though: this power struggle between the judiciary and the legislative branches of the Italian government could affect the future of the country and the one of its citizens.

If we allow the magistrates to decide what is right to do or not ,whenever they want to and regardless of the constitution, than what is the purpose of elections? We could ask the CSM to govern the country.

Ahmadinejad’s Italian adventure has begun with two missed opportunities: talking to Berlusconi and to the Pope. Fine. It means that our political and religious authorities don’t want to mix with a dictator. It’s a good starting point.

“Ahma”, though, started his speech delivered at the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome by stating that the Italians and Iranians share some common features. They’re both similar in the way they welcome foreigners. What does that mean: That when he wants to meet up with someone from its entourage they refuse to talk to him? Well informed people from the Iranian Diaspora know that the regime in Teheran is anything but united.

There were two sit-ins yesterday in the Italian capital protesting against Ahmadinejad and FAO, who had invited him at the conference. One took place in Piazza di Spagna around two p.m., and the other at the Campidoglio in the evening. All and all, I’d say that more or less 700 hundred people attended these events.

These numbers can be misinterpreted: there may only be 700 hundred people in all of Rome who know about what is currently going on in Teheran. Not many, right? You would expect at least numbers in the thousands. On the other hand, it is true that the conference was on Tuesday; people are very busy and Rome is not exactly a good place for meetings, given the traffic, the bad public transportation system, etc.

It also true as the Italian daily newspaper “Il Riformista” pointed out - the principal subject involved in the organization of the sit-ins is not that mainstream: it could be another good reason for the poor turnout of these protests against Ahmadinejad.

That said, all media sources - in a rare displace of conformity – report a victory against the dictator and the Islamic Republic of Iran. There is, of course, not one single article in favor of Teheran’s regime.

They all report that Ahmadinejad has been welcomed very badly by the Italian authorities and the Italian people. I heard that a dictator like him is not going to be popular here. I also heard that Italy has shown the world how to deal with a tyrant such as Ahma.

Unfortunately, the facts are far different than these words. The Iranian President has been, in fact, invited (along with Mugabe, to tell the truth) at an international conference organized by the Food and Agricultural Organization in order to speak about hunger in the world. That is outrageous.

Ahmadinejad has been interviewed by some journalists while sitting on a king like armchair of the seventeenth century. That scene was aired all over Italy. Someone asked him, “Don’t you think that speaking about the destruction of Israel might end up putting Iran against the international community?” The Tyrant said: “No, I don’t think so…because Zionism is one the worst things ever happened to Europe”. Then, the same person asked him about the nuclear proliferation. Once again Ahmadinejad had a prompt answer to give: He said that “the United States is the most violent of all the States in the world, and therefore, cannot judge what the others are doing.”

It seems to me that someone here in Italy, not only gave this man the opportunity to participate in an international conference, but also gave him a (very comfortable) place to sit – a place from which he addressed our nation about his perverted ideas.

I think this is not a victory. I think this is not a bad welcome. We should keep our eyes wide open and, instead of allowing such people to talk in front of an audience, send them back to where they belong.

You hang gay people, execute women because they commit adultery (can’t we just erase this word from the dictionary?), you kill eighteen year-old-guys, prevent your people from expressing their opinions, Mr. Ahmadinejad? Alright, then, you shouldn’t be allowed to set foot in Europe. This would be a “bad welcome”, as well as a good approach towards dealing with him.

Ok, we all know Voltaire and what he said about the freedom of speech. But my freedom ends when yours begins, right? Therefore, it seems to me that threatening to wipe off a country off the map constitutes a valid justification for threatening Ahmadinejad’s freedom of speech.

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?

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. 

Yesterday night Romans were partying. It was not about the beloved local team, As Roma. This time they were saluting their new mayor, the one they have elected with a vast majority and the person in which their hopes lie. Viale Cristoforo Colombo (like other major streets) was invaded by honking cars; people were hailing like old fashioned fascists would, chanting “Viva il Duce” and raising their right hand at the sky.

Don’t worry though. Romans did not turn fascists again, the problem being: they are stressed out, frustrated, they can’t cope with the way their city has been managed by Veltroni: the perfect scenario for a Cinema happening with George Clooney, a living inferno for everyone who is not a movie star.  

That’s why Giovanni “Gianni” Alemanno (you would say: “Johnny Al-ea-man-n-oh”,  “Al” as in Al Capone, “ea” as in earth) is the new mayor of the eternal city. This guy born in Bari (Puglia) on March 3, 1958, somehow managed to gather the votes of 53,66% of Romans. His counterpart “the scooter driven by no-one” (as Beppe Grillo once called him), alias Francesco Rutelli, only got 46,34%. He used to go around Rome with a Honda “Sh” scooter when he was the mayor (1993-2001).

At the elegant Pd’s headquarter (a glamorous loft at center of the city), the feeling was already bad a few days ago: “the sensation of déjà vu is too strong”, someone whispered. People were uncertain about Rutelli’s possibilities to become mayor for the third time. This fear was, in fact, on solid ground. Veltroni’s comment was, at least once, illuminated: “This defeat is very serious and heavy”. After the Berlusconi’s Pdl victory, the left was counting on Rome to preserve a glimpse of power, although that hope vanished in the air.

One thing is for certain: the “Modello Roma” (Veltroni used to refer to his way of dealing with the many problems of the city with the expression “Model Rome”, as if he started a new deal like the Roosevelt one), is defeated, it never existed and the Romans had  understood that a long time ago. As it is now, Rome reminds its citizens about a quagmire of holes in which having a accident with your motorbike it’s easy as drinking water, the buses are unreliable, the metro system is the worst in Europe, the center is totally invaded by peddlers and illegal immigrants are free to rape women in the suburbs.

Forget about the cliché of the “European capital” used by Veltroni to describe Rome, if you are a tourist, you might enjoy the incredible historical sites, but try to live in this city for a while, get yourself a normal apartment far from the center (very high priced anyway). Things appear way different than what it looks like in Via Veneto during a Sunday afternoon.

Alemanno understood all this.  Like the majority of the Romans that have voted what they still consider a former fascist, even though “Johnny” has already changed his mind about fascism. He said that, once a Mayor, he would have started the construction of a Synagogue in Ostia and incremented the school visits to Auschwitz. 

Alemanno understood that Rome was “burned out from exhaustion, buried in the hail, poisoned in the bushes an’ blow out on the trail, hunted like a crocodile, ravaged in the corn” as Bob Dylan would say - and really needed: “Shelter from the storm”.  Especially now that the city’s climate has turned into a London-style perennial rain (it has been raining almost every day during the last two months). The Pdl’s candidate (virtually) pronounced the magic words: “Come in” he said “I’ll give you, Shelter from the storm”, as in the famous song.  

A mountaineering lover, Alemanno now will have to climb the seven hills. Not an easy task, let’s admit it. The “right-wing  troskyist”, as someone called him not long ago, can anyway count on a spirit that seems to be suited for the job. When he was the Minister of Agricultural Reforms – in order to save some time - he used to shave himself in the car and became famous for his non-sleeping ability. He would stay up for two nights in a row, so to solve problems faster.  He could as well phone a colleague in the middle of the night asking: “you’re still sleeping?”.

This is just folklore tough. The truth is that Romans have decided already.  On the base of an articulated program that touches every single nerve of the infected Roman wound. The Program is called “The Pact with Rome” and will provide Roman citizens with the wave of reforms they long awaited for. First: the city will finally have (like all other great cities throughout the world) a District for itself; this will enhance decisional power for the Region, allowing Rome to benefit from the fiscal federalism wanted by the Lega Nord. Second: a Statute reform will start, aimed at balancing taxes with services offered by the city. Third: “Plan house”. The housing problem has been overwhelming citizens,  since the disappearing of the “Equo canone” (the fair rent policy) in the early nineties, Alemanno wants to build 25 thousand new houses to help solving the issue.

Going ahead with the program, you will discover a plan for the re-qualification of the suburbs and the appropriation of 1,5 millions for the development of the outskirt. It is undeniable that the city needs these measures. Another good point:  the public transportation system will be dramatically increased with the construction of a new Metro line and the expansion of the existing ones. Priceless.

According to many pundits here in Rome, Alemanno has won mainly because he pointed the finger at security issues.  We mentioned before that the curse of illegal immigrants is a sensitive spot for Romans. Well, the new mayor will close illegal nomad camps. On that point, even the toughest leftist would agree.

Also, the Omni-present peddlers in the center of Rome will have to either leave or transform their business into something legal, otherwise they will be out of business, it’s the 9^th point of Alemanno’s program.

Other issues regard the garbage problem (even in Rome), the case for citizen’s health and the elders. Alright, we know by now that a political program could be a pie in the sky.  Let us hope, though, after fifteen years of “Rome Decadence”.  

“Young people nowadays have to contrast new forms of authoritarianism and radicalism which represent the negation of the principles and values that inspired the struggle for liberation“.

Napolitano is a former comunist. But he seems to have understood what April 25, 1945 meant for this country. Other [former] communists should follow, cause the Hammer and Sickle have failed everywhere.

God Bless America. And Italy.

Syrian President Bashar al Assad on Thursday confirmed for the first time reports in the Arab media claiming that Israel had agreed to implement full withdrawal from the occupied Golan Heights in exchange for peace with Syria. In an interview with the Qatari daily Al Watan the Syrian president conveyed that the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had informed him that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had agreed to cede the Golan for peace. Source: AlBawaba

If Israel follows its leader’s decision to give up the Golan Heights in exchange for a peace agreement with Syria, that would be a big mistake. Bashar Al-Assad will, in fact, follow the path of his religion (Islam) which consider any agreement with the “infidels” (every single person who is not Muslim) only useful as long as it satisfies the short-run military necessities of a Muslim State.

That means that Damascus will end up braking the deal whenever it feels like. It will only depend by its needs.

Here’s what Robert Spencer wrote on Jihad Watch today:

“If Israel gives up the Golan Heights, this is what will happen: the promises of peace will immediately prove hollow. Syrian troops will again stand on the mountaintops and fire down on Israeli farmers below. It would be a political, military, and societal disaster for Israel, and for the larger resistance against the global jihad.”

I completely agree with him.  Good luck, Olmert.

Jean-Cyril Spinetta - Ceo of Air France/Klm - put the world “end” to a long and controversial negotiation with the flagship carrier Alitalia.

“…Contract it signed in March that could have led to a takeover bid for Alitalia SpA is no longer valid, as the conditions that had to be satisfied before launching a bid were not fulfilled” said a statement from Spinetta’s company - not to mention the soaring oil process and the changed political situation.

During the elections, Berlusconi has been proposing a “Italian solution” for the flagship and in a recent meeting, he spoke about the possibility of calling “Aeroflot” into the deal with the Russian strongman, Vladimir Putin.

That would be ironic: the hammer & sickle has just been erased from the political scene and it could appear again into the Italian skies, like some sort of a ghost.

So, Spinetta’s 220 million dollars offer does not exist anymore, it is gone, like the wind. “Alitalia did not meet the necessary conditions” -said spokeswoman of Air France/Klm, Veronique Branchet -adding no comments to the brief statement.

If the offer is “no longer valid” the immediate problem Alitalia will have to solve is a mere question of money. Not a easy one, considering that the company has been losing 1.5 million dollar a day during the last year.

Let’s try to imagine the scenario in the light of a potential Alitalia bankrupt:

1)Berlusconi’s new government will have to cope with a tragic fiasco during its first days - it would be a political disaster for the entire country - not just for new Prime Minister.

2)In times of (economic) troubles, with a country already facing the consequences of a very strong inflation and the loss of buying power of its citizens, a terrible blow hitting the stomach of the tourism industry would be quite dangerous.

3)Italy has been dealing with a not very efficient public transportation system from the very first days of existence as a Republic. The collapse of Alitalia would imply, therefore, a matter of public order - due to the lack of key routes - at least according to many pundits.

4)Alitalia’s employees are almost 18.000, between ground and air personnel. What would they end up doing in case of a collapse of their company?

We are talking about a dantesque scenario, no doubt.

A possible solution would be the bridging loan of $478 million dollars -that the outgoing center –left government approved in order to avoid bankruptcy after a cabinet meeting held yesterday. Romano Prodi, later on, observed that this short time period loan (which is supposed to be paid back by Alitalia at the end of the year) will provide the forthcoming Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi enough time to take a decision about the flagship company.        

According to the European Commission, though, “Alitalia has already received state aid until 2011…at this stage we have not been informed or notified about any decision to give any financial support to the company”. The EU Commission would not - most probably - allow the bridging loan. Apparently the commission was not updated about the financing measure that the Italian government just approved.

In the meantime, trading Alitalia shares has been suspended for the entire day (yesterday) pending the release of a statement, said the bourse. That is just a economic matter, after all. Instead, from a political point of view, the Italian left has already started to point the finger at Berlusconi: according to Francesco Rutelli (the next mayor of Rome, perhaps?), the Air France/Klm withdrawal is a “disastrous consequence” of Berlusconi’s behavior during the elections.

The situation seems to be catastrophic. There are, nevertheless, two main facts to consider:

First: Let’s put Spinetta’s step back in the right perspective: it is a standardized procedure. The Ceo of the most profitable air company (based on revenues) has been negotiating with the former Italian Prime Minister, Romano Prodi. Berlusconi is another planet. Therefore, the “conditions” mentioned in the Air France’s statement, will have to be negotiated again. The document might represents nothing but a formal gesture.

According to the head of Alitalia pilots union “Anpac” - Fabio Berti: ” there is no withdrawal of the offer…and Air France/Klm didn’t say it was no longer interested in Alitalia but only that, for now, there aren’t the conditions to launch a bid”.

Second: regarding the bridging loan that could momentarily save the company: the question of public order cannot be called in, even when it comes to key routes: Italy, in fact, still has a military aviation on which it can count, in the face of exceptional situations, to fulfill the necessities of commuters.

What will the European Commission do? The most probable thing would be imposing sanctions, of course. The real question is, anyway, who is going to save Alitalia in the long run?

It is true - as reported by Il Sole 24 Ore - that a bridging loan would avoid putting Alitalia into administration and would also allow the new government to search for a buyer. Keep in mind one name, though, and “google” for it: Bruno Ermolli, founder and Ceo of “Sin&rgetica” as well as longtime ally and advisor of Berlusconi, he might end up being one of the key pieces on the chessboard. Apart from Spinetta.

It was unexpected, someone said. Not that Veltroni had so many chances to win – let’s put it clear – but at the same time, the victory obtained by the Pdl (People of Freedom –Popolo della Libertà) was so crystal clear that it surprised many.

Berlusconi’s Pdl has, in fact, won 46.8 to 37.6 against Veltroni’s PD at the Parliament, not to mention the 43,7 Vs. 38 obtained at the Palazzo Madama’s Senate. That Means the Pdl can count on 340 seats against PD’s 239 at the Parliament and 168 Senators against 130. It is a undisputable victory and it leaves no room for speculation.  “ The right has achieved a historical victory” Berlusconi pointed out after reading the newspapers this morning.

During the exit polls yesterday, everyone have noticed that, compared to last elections in 2006, less people had voted.

According to Nando Pagnoncelli – a political analyst – “Italians have chosen political pragmatism, and by doing that they sent a strong message”. He thinks the lower attendance does not have to be considered as a negative fact but rather as a physiological trend.

Another political analyst –Marcello Veneziani –thinks that, anyway, 80% of Italians have voted and that is still a good average for a western country, he also thinks that the results shows that Italians prefer a two party solution, like during the sixties when the Pci (Partito Comunista Italiano) and the Dc (Democrazia Cristiana) where facing each other.

That said, this elections have unveiled something: there will be no more hammer and sickle around in the Italian politics, neither at the Parliament, nor at the Senate. That is surprising. Especially in a country in which the Pci has always been a very strong Party, perhaps one of the most influential communist parties in Europe. Don’t forget that there is a neighborhood in Moscow called “Togliattigrad” (Togliatti being the main Pci Leaders ever).  This is another historical achievement. For whom the bell tolls? It seems like finally that given bell has rang for the communists, while Nepal is turning red, Italy is shaking off the rests of the USSR influence. Can’t we call it a earthquake?

It seems like Fausto Bertinotti – leader of the Rifondazione Comunista Party – said while staring at the tv screen, showing the results yesterday: “No, please, not in this way…” . His comment was remarking the poor performance his party played even in those regions that were once considered “red strongholds” in Italy, such as Tuscany, Umbria and Emilia-Romagna.

As if all this news are not enough, here’s another hint: the new cabinet will be smaller than the previous one, according to Berlusconi: “ the new government will be formed by an agile team – it won’t be more than sixty elements – the half of the last government…everything is already clear in my mind”.

Who will be the players forming the “agile team”? Gianni Letta – Berlusconi’s longtime righthand – will be the vice-premier , “a essential person for the government  - said the Pdl leader – a most peculiar man, that everyone esteems”.

Giulio Tremonti would be the Minister of Economy for the second time –while Stefania Prestigiacomo will guide the Ministry of Equal Opportunities. Lucio Stanca will instead be the Minister of Innovation. Gianfranco Fini will most probably end up being the Speaker of the House and there are some rumors about the future Foreign Minister: Franco Frattini is one of the candidates for such post, a bird told me, though, that someone else is expected to seat on that chair.

Also, “in this cabinet  -Berlusconi anticipated – there will be at least four women”  even if man are still dominating the Italian political scene as he said commenting on Zapatero’s “too pink” government.

The key-role of Defense Minister is disputed between Antonio Martino (former Defense Minister during the last center-right government) and Ignazio La Russa (Fini’s  colleague).

What will be the new government’s  first moves? Easy: solve the main problems that have affected Italy during the last two years, that being the garbage in Naples, Alitalia and the inflation that is causing Italian families to lose their buying power.

“About the crisis with inflation –said Berlusconi during a radio address – we already have something in mind, it’s a defined project that we’ll immediately start , aimed at restraining prices”.  The first Council of ministers will be held in Naples to try to solve the garbage issue. “I will spend three days a week in Naples and will leave only when I’ll find a definitive solution to the problem [with garbage]”.

Also regarding the inflation problem which is eroding Italian salaries, Berlusconi wants to put an end on the infamous ( and expensive)“Ici” tax that every house owner has to pay once a year.  Another counter measure will be the so called “Bebè Bonus”, a one thousand euro price for each newborn. The new cabinet will also cut taxes for overtime pay.

The news with Alitalia are the same: Berlusconi does not want the company to “become French” but to stay Italian (you don’t want to change to colors of the logo…). He has often mentioned a network of Italian entrepreneurs willing to buy Alitalia, we will see.

Walter Veltroni has called his rival yesterday evening, he congratulated with Berlusconi for the victory and wished him good luck for the new government . He wanted to bring Obama’s motto “yes, we can” in Italy but, as it usually happens, something was “lost in translation”. “Yes, we can” does not mean “It’s doable” as the roman leftists translated it: “se po’ fa”. It means that “we can do it together” (possiamo farcela, in italian), the only problem being: Veltroni was running alone, perhaps it’s time for the former Mayor of Rome to find himself some good friends?