The Fall of Berlusconi

Result!!  Berlusconi's attempt to  bring down the coalition headed by Enrico Letta has failed.  Some of his own party members even voted for Letta. Now, even his dog doesn't want to know him!

'Oh, Dudu!'.....  'Who are you?'
Note the tears, the botoxed, lipsticked lips (he's rumoured to wear make-up), the hair dye and the high heels (he's also rumoured to give himself an extra inch or so). Today, a committee decides on his 'decadence'. Having already incurred several prison sentences for tax fraud and having sex with an underage girl, his political career shouldn't even be under discussion.  But this is Italy.  I asked Stefano, an educated, liberal man who has spent time in England whether Berlusconi's fall was a good thing for Italy.  He answered 'Yes and No.'  Which sums up Italian politics!   Is this the final curtain for Il Cavaliere?  Who knows - he has already had more resuscitations than a vampire.

Recent art installation featuring a life-like figure.
Meanwhile, the Italian press is full of the tragedy that happened last night when a boat carrying illegal migrants caught fire and sank off the island of Lampedusa with more than a hundred deaths.  Italy simply doesn't know how to cope with the hordes of poor and hungry who risk their lives to cross the Mediterranean for the chance of a better life. Forty per cent of young people in Italy don't have a job. There are beggars and illegal street traders in every town, many of them from Albania, Romania and Africa.  Things really are a mess here, but a stable government able to deal with them seems to be a dream too far.