Berlusconi is really Italy's greatest embarassment.

By AW | June 1, 2009 10:01 AM

Good on you Judith. Two wars were fought in Europe and a lot of lives lost to obtain democracry and freedom. Embracing Burlusconi the Italian people are heading back from where they have come and which was rejected by Allied forces. The Italian people need to be held accountable for putting European values at risk.

By John | June 1, 2009 11:58 AM

This is a good news for public awareness.

By tmp | June 1, 2009 2:05 PM

Judith Sargentini is absolutely right, but unfortunately, it looks like Mr. Berlusconi has a "carte blanche" in international politics (in Italian politics is obvious that he enjoys that a lot of time ago).

By dulaman | June 1, 2009 3:27 PM

Judith Sargentini needs to get used to Berlusconi. He is very important to three groups of people. One: to visiting foreign dignitaries, who always have somewhere nice (and free) to stay. Two: to millions of Italians who, without any sense of shame, build second and third homes along the country's coastline without planning permission; plus untold numbers who don't pay tax. Three: to the Mafia. As the mega-rich leader of Italy, 'a thoroughly modern democracy', he will enjoy the support of our elected but shameless leaders and the thoroughly cynical Italian electorate for the foreseeable future. The Mafia will keep quiet on the subject until it suits them.

By Michael Dawkes | June 1, 2009 4:41 PM

I totally agree but we should probably look a little mor eto the east aswell. Since Putin in Russia have the same power over media there if not bigger, but I guess any jurnalist that tries to say so will get killed with that poisiones metall, so guess they are afraid to say so.

By Martin | June 2, 2009 9:07 AM

I don't think that the goal of the Europena election is to give allow interference with national states politics. Even if I'm not a Berlusconi Supporter, it seems to me that this of the Groenlinks is just a propaganda move and nothing else. Too bad as they seems the only dutch party with a truly european spirit!!!

By LP | June 2, 2009 12:46 PM

As Italian, I can say not all italians support him, but he did changed the law to provide himself with a larger majority in the parlament. he bribes and forces whenever possible. he even called The Times 'comunist', hinting that international press is pushed against him by italian left wing... yeah, right!
please help keep attention high on him, support La Repubblica and the unanswered 10 questions!

By FG | June 2, 2009 1:42 PM

Why doesn't everyone mind their own politics? I imagine that the shambles left by the left wing Prodi government doesn't interest anyone because it wasn't Berlusconi. I don't like the man but he has done things for the country. Thank heavens we don't have Brown in Italy, he probably would have embezelled all the funds for the earthquake victims.

By LS | June 2, 2009 11:50 PM

I cannot imagine how you all as outsiders can judge in this way the situation of Italian politics. It's real that on international press and radios it's only spoken over how bad is Berlusconi. Never heard a word of the so many time when socialist or left wing italian politicians have been involved in scandals and law issues. The fact is that the majority of Italian voted for Berlusconi and his party not because he changes the laws to his own interests but because in decades he's been the only party able to change things in Italy, bringing inmprovements in an extremally inefficient burocracy and institutions. The left governments instead cannot stay on power longer than an year and they are only fighting and never conclude nothing.Old politician that never change and are very well attached to their own comfortable sit in parliament.
Furthermore did you ever really whatch the famous 3 television of Berlusconi? You will really notice that 2 of them are strongly criticizing him. For not speaking over the state television. Try to look at Rai3 and find a nice word on Berlusconi. And what about the press? La Repubblica (the biggest Italian news paper), Il Manifesto, L'espresso, L'unita' believe me this newspaper are not really having the mouth shout by Berlusconi.
Please stop making empty comments, without knowing how the situation really is.
Berlusconi has been voted by 52% of Italian electorate for a reason. We are not all mafia and interested-friend of Berlusconi or corrupted people. We live in a democracy and everybody is free to vote whoever wants.

By Paola | June 3, 2009 7:51 AM

"Why doesn't everyone mind their own politics?"

Because this are the elections for the European parliament.

" I imagine that the shambles left by the left wing Prodi government doesn't interest anyone because it wasn't Berlusconi."

Which shambles? Can you please point out data, key indicators, sources?

" I don't like the man but he has done things for the country."

Such as?

"Thank heavens we don't have Brown in Italy, he probably would have embezelled all the funds for the earthquake victims."

That's it. I am confident that you are aware that PDL (Berlusconi's party) is proposing for the European parliament Ciriaco de Mita, ex "padrone d'Italia", embarrassing figure of power in the southern Italian region of Campania, one with the greatest crime penetration of Italy, we are talking serious mafia, not GTA here. The same that got rich owning a fairly large amount of shares of the Banca Popolare dell'Irpinia, one of the financial institutions which was entrusted to distributed the funds after the 1983 earthquake which struck the region, damaged 36 municipalities.

More than 687 obtained funds at the end, thanks to vested interests lobbying for their share in the parliament and in the government; STILL really little was done for the people who were seriously hit by the tragedy.

Funds arrived also from abroad, among which:

USA: 70 Million USD plus men and means to help;

WEST GERMANY: 32 Million USD plus men and means;

SAUDI ARABIA: 10 Million USD;

IRAQ: 3 Million USD (YES, we're talking Saddam Hussein here!!!)

Algeria(!!!): 500,000 USD.

ALMOST nothing of these sums reached those in need, almost 30 years later there are STILL people living in trailers, containers, even CAVES (!!!) which are waiting for their shares of funds. Which, in the years, have reached the amount of 30 Billion EUROS (and I am sure that a fair amount it's Dutch money, as well as money from other countries members of the EU). And funds are still released by those in powers, as they buy votes. Houses will never be fixed, because gratitude is short-lived, and these people vote on average almost every year.

And YOU are mentioning Gordon Brown?

You should be ashamed of yourself.

By Mr. Mean | June 3, 2009 5:18 PM

Mr. Mean, please avoid to say things that are not true, if you are not informed or turning them around. Ciriaco Demita is actually really candidated to the European elections, but not by PDL party, but by the UDC party, so one of the opposition party to the current government of Berusconi.
Again, this is exactly how things are turned and partially informing on international press...

By Paola | June 4, 2009 8:16 AM

One more thing about Mr Brown: no matter how long he's Prime Minister, perhaps another week, he'll never make British trains run on time. It takes a dictator (Mussolini) to do that. Paola and LS obviously think that Berlusconi, in spite of being convicted three time for corruption (making illegal payments to Italy's socialist party in 1991), might achieve something similar. Wasn't he also convicted of tax fraud and for bribing tax inspectors? By the way, did you know that only 30% of people found guilty by the Italian judiciary ever end up in prison? I wonder if that fact prompted an honest man like Roman Prodi to say "Italy needs a social, economic and moral jolt". Now that's the sort of unpatriotic statement that would certainly disqualify him (and anyone who agreed with him) from taking any further part in the (miss)governance of Italy.

By Michael Dawkes | June 4, 2009 10:56 AM

Ah, UDC is part of the OPPOSITION TO BERLUSCONI???With his best friends Casini, Cuffaro, etc?? You also, together with the other one, should be ashamed of yourself!
Turning around my big fat hairy a**! This is for you, just in case you were not truly a lier but just someone who wants to believe in the existence of an alternate reality:
http://corrieredelmezzogiorno.corriere.it/notizie/politica/2009/notizie-zioni2009-2009/montemarano-de-mita-ha-tradito-suoi-stessi-insegnamenti--1501411032403.shtml

and especially this:
http://www.ilgiornale.it/a.pic1?ID=344836
house organ of the Berlusconi's family, owned by his brother, were they say:
"Walter Veltroni e Dario Franceschini se ne erano liberati relegandolo nelle soffitte del Pd, Mario Landolfi e Nicola Cosentino lo han riesumato innalzandone la bandiera nel Pdl. È morto Ciriaco a sinistra, viva Ciriaco a destra!"

translated roughly into:

"Veltroni and Franceschini (opposition leaders, n.d.t.) got rid of him (De Mita) stashing it into some closet in the basement of the PD (main opposition party), Landolfi and Cosentino (member of the Berlusconi's party) have "exhumed" him again, raising his flag into the PDL (Berlusconi's party) camp.
De Mita is dead in the left, long live De Mita in the right!"

THIS is how we tell the TRUTH in every space we can, fighting you with the horror for it, the horror for a truth you never liked or like.

I am NO voter of PD or PDL, YOU should be ashamed of yourself.

By Mr. Mean | June 4, 2009 4:14 PM