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Almost all Italians I've met were major fans of Berlusconi
And he seems like a funny guy
Exactly.
The country was and has been in decline before, during and after Berlusconi, so in the mind of many at least an entertainer. To me he was vile, but I can understand his supporters: the alternatives were no better, probably even worse.
Around 20,000 or so families rule Italy like a fief, and the trickle down has become thinner for the average Italian in a globalized economy in which they can hardly compete.
All I can say is that most people in their 30's-40's now, those who have been old enough to vote when berlusconi arrived, these people are largely disgusted with politics in general.
I mean, the actual leader of the government was not even elected. How can you be interested in politics after that ?
From a foreigner point of view, italians politics look like a TV show more than anything. On November here there was a public meeting of Lega Nord (against which it was near impossible to demonstrate, meanwhile there were fascists parading in the city center), and the level of language used by the public figures of the party to describe opponents was abysmal.
All I can say is that most people in their 30's-40's now, those who have been old enough to vote when berlusconi arrived, these people are largely disgusted with politics in general.
I mean, the actual leader of the government was not even elected. How can you be interested in politics after that ?
From a foreigner point of view, italians politics look like a TV show more than anything. On November here there was a public meeting of Lega Nord (against which it was near impossible to demonstrate, meanwhile there were fascists parading in the city center), and the level of language used by the public figures of the party to describe opponents was abysmal.
The head of the government (which i'm not even a fan of, he's too much of a catch all politician for my liking) we didn't elect has done much more in a year or so to improve the economic system than its precedessors have done in 20 or so years. The average middle aged Italian men is disillusioned with politics and rightly but those who are in the 20s show as much interest as the old generations. Most of the rise of Five Star Movement has been led by these young generations
From a foreigner point of view, italians politics look like a TV show more than anything. On November here there was a public meeting of Lega Nord (against which it was near impossible to demonstrate, meanwhile there were fascists parading in the city center), and the level of language used by the public figures of the party to describe opponents was abysmal.
Personally I really can't stand Berlusconi, he is probably one of the few Italian public figures that I hate.
If you ask me "but why do you hate him?" I would have some problem to answer, it is an instinctive dislike. Objectively he wasn't worse than many other politicians we had, he is just the one who was at the government when I was old enough to notice the problems of our politic (in particular I'm thinking about his last governments, 2001-2006 and 2008-2011). Also some of his Ministers will remain forever in my mind, in particular Lunardi and Gelmini...
Personally I really can't stand Berlusconi, he is probably one of the few Italian public figures that I hate.
If you ask me "but why do you hate him?" I would have some problem to answer, it is an instinctive dislike. Objectively he wasn't worse than many other politicians we had, he is just the one who was at the government when I was old enough to notice the problems of our politic (in particular I'm thinking about his last governments, 2001-2006 and 2008-2011). Also some of his Ministers will remain forever in my mind, in particular Lunardi and Gelmini...
Honestly, the number of Forza Italia politicans who are Berlusconi's lapdogs is nauseating. I can't even understand how they got elected. Starting from Gelmini and ending up with the most recent lapdog who got to become Liguria's president.
Cicciolina's entry into the Italian parliament pre-dated Berlusconi's rise to power by some seven years, she served one term and never returned. At one point she even went back to Hungary and attempted to enter the Hungarian parliament, without success.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SuomiReader
Those were the days!
The late 1980s were indeed a promising time, but that burdgeoning success apparently papered over a lot of underlying rot.
Anyway, to again answer the OP's question, the consensus seems to be ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Urania93
Objectively he wasn't worse than many other politicians we had ...
So Italy's "lost years" pre-dated Berlusconi and they have outlasted Berlusconi, he really had no significant impact.
Last edited by bale002; 02-03-2016 at 02:55 AM..
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