Berlusconi going, going, gone?

kabayiri

worldtraveller wrote: »

Italy’s Senate will vote on debt-reduction measures today in an attempt to shore up investor confidence and pave the way for a new government that may be led by former European Union Competition Commissioner Mario Monti.

Bloomberg

Anyone see a pattern to this?

If you had described this in a book or film even just a decade ago people would make you put it in the fiction category, along with all the other conspiracy theories.

How things change.

Graham_Devon

worldtraveller wrote: »

Italy’s Senate will vote on debt-reduction measures today in an attempt to shore up investor confidence and pave the way for a new government that may be led by former European Union Competition Commissioner Mario Monti.

Bloomberg

Anyone see a pattern to this?

I see an error in the text above.

Says "may be led".

worldtraveller

I heard that Neil Kinnock was second choice, with Mandelson running a close third.

worldtraveller

Silvio Berlusconi has resigned as Italy's longest-serving post-war prime minister, bringing to an end a tumultuous, 17-year political career which was marred by sex scandals, corruption allegations and gaffes on the international stage.

His departure came hours after the country's lower house of parliament approved, by a margin of 380 votes to 26, an urgently-needed package of economic reforms designed to tackle the country's €1.9 trillion debt, revive its sluggish economy and prevent it from going the way of Greece.

Earlier a crowd of about 5,000 people erupted into jeers and boos when Mr Berlusconi arrived at the palace in a cavalcade of cars with a police motorcycle escort shortly before 8pm GMT.

They shouted "mafioso" and "buffoon" as the prime minister swept into the main entrance of the building.

Some protesters shouted, "You should die" and "Silvio, **** off."

At one point a small crowd of choral singers sang "Hallelujah" in the cobbled piazza outside the palace.

Telegraph

"I am the Jesus Christ of politics. I am a patient victim, I put up with everyone, I sacrifice myself for everyone." Silvio Berlusconi, February, 2006

Yorkie1

I guess the question mark can be removed from the original title thread now.

So, ultimately it was money and not vice or crime which got him in the end.

michaels

And his carefully cultivated Libyan bolt hole is no longer available - how long until he is in jail?

pqrdef

"How do you feel now he's finally gone?" asks the BBC. The reaction is strangely reminiscent of the reaction to the downfall of Gaddafi.

"Gangster" and "buffoon" were among the more polite insults hurled at the outgoing Prime Minister, we're told. Perhaps we in Britain could adopt the practice of making outgoing PMs run the gauntlet?

Bizarrely though, Berlusconi stays on as leader of his party, so he hasn't left the scene.

worldtraveller

pqrdef wrote: »

Bizarrely though, Berlusconi stays on as leader of his party, so he hasn't left the scene.

Absolutely. According to the Italian press Berlusconi told his party colleagues that they would control the future of a new administration and said that "We can pull the plug whenever we want," to his allies.

Looking at Italian politics of past I'm guessing that Monti would do little more than tread water anyway.

ChiefGrasscutter

Can someone who knows please tell us all what are the "cuts" that the Italian parliament has just approved actually are?
Are they real genuine cuts starting tomorrow or are they more of the "pension age to be increased to 70 but not until 2050" type of cuts - which aren't.

Jennifer_Jane

ChiefGrasscutter wrote: »

Can someone who knows please tell us all what are the "cuts" that the Italian parliament has just approved actually are?
Are they real genuine cuts starting tomorrow or are they more of the "pension age to be increased to 70 but not until 2050" type of cuts - which aren't.

Well, VAT up from 20% to 21% is one. Yes, women retiring at 65 to be equal with men. Public Sector wages frozen.

I hope there is a bit more than that! And, as you say, a bit more that is instant (I know that the VAT thing is instant, but we know that it restricts spending, so wonder how much impact it will have).

The goal seems to me to be reducing the cost of the debt rather than reducing deficits. That's what all the chat is about at the moment.

I still can't understand why people cannot understand the difference between deficit and debt, and was astonished to see in the Lords (via Parliament Live - I wasn't there in person, you understand) - a question by a Noble Lord on this very thing. As he sat down, he got them muddled up!