The Lega Nord, in the person of headline-hungry Roberto Calderoli, have reacted to Thursday’s bombing in London with a proposal to introduce a motion in Parliament effectively declaring a state of war. As with most of the Lega‘s recent initiatives (castration of rapists, re-introduction of the Lira to name but two), it’s one that appeals […]
There’s one* fundamental problem with Live 8. It’s not, as some seasoned (and ever so slightly embittered) activists would have you believe, the use of celebrity to spotlight the issues of world poverty. Sure it’s galling that Bono has a bigger audience than Noam Chomsky. Galling, but true. That Bono attempts to use his celebrity […]
Bologna may have been relegated, but it’s not all doom and gloom in the world of football. Inter Milan President Moratti responded positively it would seem to the Zapatista challenge to a game. Moratti’s reply to Subcommandante Marcos, and the balaclaved Zapatistas response seem to have had little coverage in the Italian press, having been […]
Gufo – an Owl. Gufare – to hoot. On Saturday evening Italy’s Serie A drew to a close. The final match of the season, a playoff to decide relegation, took place in Bologna. Being but fair-weather fans, we opted to watch Bologna vs Parma from the comfort of a nearby bar (the beautiful evening and […]
25.9% of Italians voted in Sunday and Monday’s referendum on the law 40/2004 on assisted procreation. That’s less than one in four Italians entitled to vote. And yet, in the last number of days, the papers and television have spoken about little else. We’ve been treated to the birth of dozens of new terms [at […]
While there are those who comfort themselves in the depths of the night with the idea that il Cavaliere, Silvio Berlusconi, Italy’s prime minister and one of the world’s richest men, is, simply put, a buffoon, not so seasoned media watchers like Umberto Eco.
Last year, speaking to a packed audience in Bologna (on the occasion of the launch of the book L’Opposizione al Governo Berlusconi), Eco pondered whether anyone had noticed the strange patterns of Berlusconi’s media ‘moments’, those wonderful episodes ranging from the concentration camp guard jibe, through to the suggestion that judges are genetically crazy. The theory of the intelligent cavaliere, as we’ll call it, suggests that when Berlusconi is in the news for all the wrong reasons, you can bet your bottom dollar that there’s something else important happening elsewhere.
Ever the PR maestro, Silvio Berlusconi stage managed the signing of the the European Constitution, in Rome last October, perfectly. It simultaneously managed to cover up the various glitches of the Italian EU Presidency (including the failure to get agreement on the Constitution), and gave the signal that Italy under Berlusconi is a firm part of the European project.
According to a poll taken by the Eurisko Institute, 63% of Italians would vote in favour of the adoption of the European constitution, if a referendum was required for ratification (which it isn’t).
Live 8 Concert organisers hope to mobilise over 5.5 billion people on the 2nd of July, in order to call G8 leaders to implement a package that will, according to Live 8 organisers, double aid to countries in need, drop the debt and make the trade laws fair. The concerts, which have the support of […]
The Istanbul Syndrome, as it’s being called in the newpapers here, refers to Wednesday night’s defeat of A.C.Milan by Liverpool in the UEFA Champions’ league final. Leading in the first half by 3 goals to nil, a certain complacency set in, and the team of superstars ended up losing on penalty kicks. While his football […]
It’s with not inconsiderable excitement that this Monkey looks forward to the latest film from Oscar winning Italian director Gabriele Salvatores. His adaptation of Grazia Verasani’s crime novel Quo Vadis Baby?, set and filmed in Bologna will get its Italian release this Friday. Coinciding, there’s a nice interview in last week’s Il Venerdi di Repubblica. […]
