Will this Berlusconi government finally collapse?

[Keystone Phil]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-scene-is-now-set-for-the-fall-of-silvio-berlusconi-2151583.html

It looks like it will finally happen. Fini's group will be with the Left on this one. 317 members have indicated that they will vote for the no confidence motion.

Berlusconi needs to find ten members to change their mind and abstain or he's done. His last ditch effort is trying to solve the trash crisis in Naples again. If he can accomplish that within nine days, he can certainly survive. I'll never totally write him off but it's not looking good for him.

[Psychic Octopus]

Italy without Berlusconi makes me sad! I can't picture the country without its cocky, corrupt, womanizing leader!

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Looks like Italy is back to revolving door governments.

[Keystone Phil]

Looks like Italy is back to revolving door governments.

"Back?"

[Хahar 🤔]

Italy without Berlusconi makes me sad! I can't picture the country without its cocky, corrupt, womanizing leader!

He's been out of power before. He'll be back.

[Psychic Octopus]

Italy without Berlusconi makes me sad! I can't picture the country without its cocky, corrupt, womanizing leader!

He's been out of power before. He'll be back.

For a fourth stint? At his age? Somehow I doubt that...

[Keystone Phil]

Italy without Berlusconi makes me sad! I can't picture the country without its cocky, corrupt, womanizing leader!

He's been out of power before. He'll be back.

For a fourth stint? At his age? Somehow I doubt that...

You never know with Berlusconi/Italy...

But, yeah, I think it would be the end this time.

[Beet]

Wow, you never thought you'd see the day when Keystone Phil has given up on Silvio Berlusconi but Beet supports him. Yes. Now, is a very delicate time for Europe. It is critical that as many PIIGS governments survive as possible, particularly if the alternative is not decisive. Any time in the past 10 years I would have gladly twisted a knife into Berlusconi politically, but it is best that he makes it through this confidence vote.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I've been waiting for this for years, but I really startthinking this guy is just invulnerable.

[Beet]

I've been waiting for this for years, but I really startthinking this guy is just invulnerable.

After this guy is gone, Italy will come under speculative attack by the bond markets. The Left will then take the blame. We've seen it happen before... we need to keep Berlusconi in there because he has been doing a good job protecting Italy from the bond markets. They seem to be friendlier towards right wing governments.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I've been waiting for this for years, but I really startthinking this guy is just invulnerable.

After this guy is gone, Italy will come under speculative attack by the bond markets. The Left will then take the blame. We've seen it happen before... we need to keep Berlusconi in there because he has been doing a good job protecting Italy from the bond markets. They seem to be friendlier towards right wing governments.

That's utterly silly.

[Robespierre's Jaw]

Silvio limp? No, this can't be true.

[Hash]

I've been waiting for this for years, but I really startthinking this guy is just invulnerable.

After this guy is gone, Italy will come under speculative attack by the bond markets. The Left will then take the blame. We've seen it happen before... we need to keep Berlusconi in there because he has been doing a good job protecting Italy from the bond markets. They seem to be friendlier towards right wing governments.

That's utterly silly.

It's part of his doom-and-gloom fascist-takeover scenario.

[You kip if you want to...]

It'd be hilarious if he lost confidence, then won an ensuing election.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Why not just support military coups in every country in southern Europe, Beet? It's really only two or three moves away from your current position anyway.

You should also remember what happened the last time Italy had serious trouble with international speculators; did things get markedly worse when the Pentapartito regime collapsed under the weight of its monstrous corruption?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I've been waiting for this for years, but I really startthinking this guy is just invulnerable.

After this guy is gone, Italy will come under speculative attack by the bond markets. The Left will then take the blame. We've seen it happen before... we need to keep Berlusconi in there because he has been doing a good job protecting Italy from the bond markets. They seem to be friendlier towards right wing governments.

That's utterly silly.

Well this is the guy who didn't want Christine O'Donnell to win the primary because he believed she would win the general.

[Хahar 🤔]

An example of a country that did let its government be held hostage by speculators in such a way was France in 1932, and that didn't turn out so well.

[Beet]

I've been waiting for this for years, but I really startthinking this guy is just invulnerable.

After this guy is gone, Italy will come under speculative attack by the bond markets. The Left will then take the blame. We've seen it happen before... we need to keep Berlusconi in there because he has been doing a good job protecting Italy from the bond markets. They seem to be friendlier towards right wing governments.

That's utterly silly.

Well this is the guy who didn't want Christine O'Donnell to win the primary because he believed she would win the general.

I didn't believe she would win until she started racking up massive fundraising. She had a chance. She blew it by not running a serious campaign, while Coons ran a serious one. Had Coons assumed that he would win and coasted, while O'Donnell actually tried to win, she would have had a chance.

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Lol, no. I think we're on the same side in the sense that if what happens in Italy is as benign as the Pentapartito unraveling, it's certainly see no problem with it. What I'm more afraid of is what happened in the aftermath of the New Democracy defeat in Greece in 2009-- only multiply by a factor of 5 or 10.

[Keystone Phil]

Wow, you never thought you'd see the day when Keystone Phil has given up on Silvio Berlusconi

Sometimes you have to burn a village in order to save it.

[bgwah]

He's a disgrace and a generally disgusting person, but I wouldn't mind him sticking around if only for the comedic value.

[Keystone Phil]

The Independent just can't contain its joy - http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/peter-popham/peter-popham-the-last-days-of-silvio-berlusconi-2152076.html

Second article within a day.

[minionofmidas]

What Antonio said.

[Hash]

So Beet thinks the Greek economic crisis was caused/triggered by ND losing in 2009?

[Iannis]

Well, firstable, it's not sure if they will have the gut to remove him because the only alternative would be a government with Fini's postfascists and the left, and for Fini it would be a terrible image he would give to the country, and in any case what makes me happy is that with this situation the left alone and all its ideology will never be back in power, at least alone. Just consider that even the third center coalition is made of conservative parties too.

[Keystone Phil]

the left alone and all its ideology will never be back in power, at least alone. Just consider that even the third center coalition is made of conservative parties too.

Yeah, the Italian Left is great. Not sure if it's possible to be any more incompetent than that team. In the midst of this crisis, they either continue to trail or barely lead in the polls. Beautiful!