daily p a u l i t i c s

It was a monumental day in Italy today as Silvio Berlusconi was sworn in as Prime Minister, initiating the country’s 62nd different Government since the end of World War II. I don’t like to make excuses for the shortcomings of the United States, or draw uneven comparisons of our great country to its European allies — but if anyone thinks that our government is corrupt, and that our leader (and his party) has become a joke, look no further than Italy for a little perspective and see how great we have it.

This is the third time Berlusconi has become the Prime Minister of Italy. During his most recent administration (which ended in 2006), he was accused of ignoring Italy’s financial problems and only passing laws that would benefit himself and his closest supporters. Berlusconi lost the next election to Romano Prodi, who’s own government fell just weeks ago, forcing the re-election of the former PM.

But “King Silvio”, as he was often called, is no career politician. His true profession has always been media mogul, and throughout his career he has had major influence in many of Italy’s top media outlets. He currently has controllng interests in Mediaset, comprised of three national TV channels (and half of the viewing audience of the entire country), Arnoldo Mondadori, one of the largest publishing houses in Italy, and several other marketing and advertising agencies. It doesn’t hurt, either, that his brother owns Il Giornale, a right-leaning Italian newspaper that usually exhibits a heavily pro-Berlusconi bias.

As if Berlusconi’s face wasn’t plastered throughout Italian culture enough, for several years he was the controversial owner and President of one of Italy’s most famous and sucessful soccer clubs, AC Milan. So he is a media mogul/sports franchise owner turned Head of State — this would be like if Ted Turner was entering his third term as President in January.

As amusing as this circus may be, Italian citizens aren’t laughing. The country is facing a serious economic problem right now, and a massive waste management issue is threatening the health and welfare of the residents of Naples. Italians elected Berlusconi to come into office and immediately fix the worst ills of the country. Italian feminists also wanted to see more women holding high cabinet positions in their government. King Silvio intends to tackle all of these problems, first and foremost by filling his cabinet with some of the best looking politicians Italians have ever seen.

Accoring to the UK’s TIMESONLINE:

Mr Berlusconi lived up to his pledge to appoint four women ministers… Ms Carfagna [Mara Carfagna, Minister of Equal Opportunities], a former Miss Italy contestant and television presenter for RAI, Italian state television, and for Mr Berlusconi’s commercial networks, hit the headlines last year when Mr Berlusconi praised her beauty during a television awards dinner, saying that he would “marry her like a shot” if he were not already married.

He later had to apologise publicly to his wife, Veronica Lario, the former actress, for his extravagant public flirtations with Ms Carfagna and other showgirls, saying that he was merely being “gallant”. Ms Carfagna, who has a law degree, said that she would uphold “traditional family values” as a minister. La Stampa said this had not stopped many Italian men searching the internet for images of Ms Carfagna in naked or semi-naked poses.

Some commentators expressed surprise that Michela Vittoria Brambilla, a striking brunette who is a protege of Mr Berlusconi and runs his network of supporters clubs, was not also named a minister. She is likely however to become Deputy Minister of Welfare, a post which she said would “fully satisfy my expectations”.

That should appease even the most angry of the feminists, eh King Sil?

Now the country of Italy soldiers on under the watchful eye of its 62nd different leader since 1945, rife with economic failure and waste disposal problems so bad that it rivals a third world nation. Who is to blame for this kind of turmoil? Truthfully, not the government directly. Unfortunetly, the Sicilian mafia has controlled much of the nation’s finances and public works departments for decades, and still holds a powerful influence over national and regional elected officials. Combine that with every Italian’s fear of another fascist regime to rival the likes of Mussolini, and it’s no wonder that the nation cannot get its act together. It’s a shame to see one of the most historic, culturally-rich countries in the world, not to mention the birthplace of my ancestors, succumb to corruption and fall into such disrepair.