October 14, 2008
by Nosemonkey
6 Comments
After the worrying moves against Italy’s Roma population back in the summer, it seems that racial tensions are on the rise Italy-wide. After all, if the state’s going to sanction the persecution of one ethnic minority, why not start having … Continue reading
September 5, 2008
by Nosemonkey
1 Comment
Good news for fascists today – according to the EU, it’s no longer racist to target a particular ethnic group based on folklore that suggests they’re all criminals. Up next from Italy and the EU, fresh policies to deal with … Continue reading
July 18, 2008
by Nosemonkey
2 Comments
Yesterday I went to my uncle’s funeral. 88 years old and alert and amusing until the day he died. I never knew that he was in the RAF during the war – back-end technical support, I believe. One of the … Continue reading
July 17, 2008
by Nosemonkey
12 Comments
“On May 13, assailants burned the Ponticelli Jewish ghetto in Naples to the ground, causing the approximately 800 residents to flee while Italians stood by and cheered. On the day of the arson attacks on the Ponticelli ghetto, RAI television … Continue reading
April 15, 2008
by Nosemonkey
10 Comments
Aaaaah! Silvio… How I’ve missed you. Italian politics had simply got a bit too dull under Prodi, what with him not holding a near monopoly in the Italian media, not trying to blatantly advance his own commercial interests through his … Continue reading
June 11, 2007
by Nosemonkey
2 Comments
Since the initial expansion to 25 member states back in 2004, the future of the EU has been wildly uncertain. The constitution was supposed to sort everything out but, as we all know, that little project has failed dismally. For … Continue reading
March 1, 2007
by Nosemonkey
2 Comments
After his little upset Italian PM Romano Prodi’s managed to get through the vote of no confidence (winning by five votes – which considering how close in numbers the two main coalitions are is actually not quite as tight as … Continue reading
February 21, 2007
by Nosemonkey
6 Comments
So, after nine months as Prime Minister of Italy, former President of the European Commission Romano Prodi (a bit of a political hero of mine if only thanks to his refusal to ever join a political party, despite holding two … Continue reading
February 13, 2007
by Nosemonkey
1 Comment
OK, so what have I missed while I’ve been busy? The Centre For European Reform blog has been discussing the failure of the EU constitution and the need for a new kind of “pro-Europeanism”, in relation to that “Europe’s Story” … Continue reading
December 7, 2006
by Nosemonkey
2 Comments
Phil Edwards has yet another of his handy round-ups of what the hell’s going on in Italian politics. Because, as he points out, there’s always something going on in Italian politics – and generally speaking, it’s a bit mad, from … Continue reading
November 24, 2006
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on Italy overview
There’s a top-notch overview of the historical difficulties facing the new Prodi administration in Italy courtesy of the supremely readable Phil Edwards, up now at The Sharpener. More knowledgable and insightful analysis than anything else you’re likely to have read … Continue reading
July 7, 2006
by Nosemonkey
4 Comments
Good news for the end of the week: Berlusconi to be tried for fraud. And, please note, “Lawyer David Mills, the estranged husband of British Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, has also been ordered to stand trial.”
May 11, 2006
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on Italy
Still don’t understand Italy? You’re not the only one. Thankfully, Phil Edwards does, and explains it really rather well.
May 8, 2006
by Nosemonkey
1 Comment
Same here. Luckily, The New York Review of Books has a handy overview: “A close outcome was not only predictable but actually planned by Berlusconi during his government’s twilight as a way of lessening the impact of possible defeat. A … Continue reading