Italy 2013: The official thread

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I need to read it in its entirety, but this is way better than my France 2012 megathread. Excellent work, my friend

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Italy is a beautiful country, but their elections never fail to be depressing. It's mind boggling how Berlusconi can still be taken seriously (let alone a serious contender for PM again) by nearly a third of voters and turned this election, which was supposed to mark the end of the post-94 era, into another close election in which he's a strong contender.

But Hash's Rules of Elections #1: Voters are idiots.

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So calling for a terrorist attack on a democratic institution/parliament in Italy is a vote-winner? You never cease to amaze, Italy.

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Coming from Berlusconi, I would have though 'giustizia' and 'trasparenza' would be playing for the other team.

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I know most of the names there, but who are Casini, Giannino and Montezemolo (that last one sounds like a wine)?

Casini: useless boring hack who is the leader of the Monti-loving 'Union of the Centre' (failed DC wannabies)

Montezemolo: former boss of Ferrari and the employers' federation, leader of a small party which is part of Monti's Scelta Civica. Centre-right and anti-Berlusconi

Giannino: useless moron/fraud leading some even more useless neoliberal party, frauded his resume by saying he had a law degree and masters from Chicago School of Economics. Will win the austerity-loving creeps and nobody else.

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A new results thread would be a fine idea, given how long this one has gotten already.

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The PD come really close to the US Democrats, probably the closest any other party can come (maybe the ALP as well).

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We'll have phased our federal one out by 2015, no real backlash. It forces the parties to go grassroots or out of business. If done over a few years to give everyone time for adjustment... but I suspect we'll agree to disagree here.

No real backlash perhaps, but it was also a horrible idea.

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No, there have been a bunch of other polls:

SWG, March 8: Left 28.1%, M5S 27%, Right 26.2%, Centre 10.4%

Ispo, March 7: Left 29.8%, M5S 28.7%, Right 27.4%, Centre 9.8%

Piepoli, March 6: Left 29.5%, Right 29.5%, M5S 26.5%, Centre 9%

Ipsos, March 5: Left 29.6%, M5S 29.4%, Right 29.2%, Centre 10%

Lorien, March 3: Left 31.9%, Right 31%, M5S 28.5%, Centre 5.6%

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Is it me, or do these results look pretty decent for the left?

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Why does the Vatican keep telling people to vote for Berlusconi even after he's been repeatedly charged and convicted of raping child prostitutes?

The Vatican endorsed Monti.

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Senate should vote in favor of Berlusconi’s expulsion from Parliament, 63% say; 30% against

Thank God, I was beginning to think everybody in Italy was insane!

They say stuff like this then vote for his coalition. It's nothing new.

By the way, Forza Italia has officially returned.

Or maybe not: the 30% seems to be only a tad below the Berlusconian right's current standing in public opinion, and it's quite reasonable to assume that those voting for other parties (aka the vast majority of people, put together) want him expelled.

There were a crapload of those 'Ancora in campo per l'Italia' posters everywhere in Rome (and a lot of weird neo-fascist propaganda), and a few in Verona, but absolutely nothing of the type in Florence

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For a guy from the PD, Letta seems to actually have a spine.

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Apparently even Alfano wants the government to survive; it appears that there is a split along moderate vs hard-right lines within the PdL, with Daniela Santanche (ex-AN, ex-La Destra) being the leader of the anti-Letta forces. I think Letta will survive. I think Alfano and other more moderate people are smart enough to realize that a snap election with the current electoral law would be a recipe for disaster for all involved.

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A group of 25 PdL senators led by Roberto Formigoni (the mafia tool) defected to join 10 other senators from a small right-wing group to form a dissident/pro-Letta group. Berlusconi likely wanted to do without a humiliating loss.

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At least Berlusconi knows that he's silly I really think Berlusconi fully gave up on serious politics after 2001 and just became a comedian/clown.