Prodi deemed winner in Italy election debate (Guardian)

[mogster]

John Hooper in Rome
Wednesday March 15, 2006
The Guardian

An unexpectedly animated Romano Prodi threw Silvio Berlusconi on to the defensive last night in the first televised debate of Italy's general election campaign.
Looking at ease in front of the cameras, Mr Prodi portrayed himself as a man with answers to the problems that he argued Italy faced after five years of government by the right.

Neither man landed a knockout punch but whereas the opposition leader concentrated on his plans for the future, Mr Berlusconi repeatedly listed his government's achievements, blaming failures on problems inherited from the left.
(...)
Mr Berlusconi may also have lost some female voters along the way. Pressed on the tiny number of women in Italian politics, Mr Berlusconi blamed it on their reluctance to "leave their children and their husbands" to come to Rome.

More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/italy/story/0,,1731011,00.html
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Will we see the end of Berlusconi? It would mean a major change in Italy's politics, as Mr. B. has been one of Bush' most ardent Chickenhawkus Europeanettes. Now, if only his media monopoly would be banned as well...

[Apollo11]

1. I hope it's true but ...

Didn't Kerry "win" the televised debates against Bush in 2004?

[bemildred]

2. "Neither man landed a knockout punch"

Boy that sounds just like the cretinous political drivel they feed to us here in the US.

[dusty64]

3. Isn't

Berlusconi a media mogul? If so that is your answer, sounds like Italy's media is about as "fair and balanced" as our own.

[bemildred]

4. Well, this is the Guardian (UK).

I know he owns a lot of Italian media, but I thought the Guardian was Murdoch, which fits with the drivel very well.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. No, The Guardian is independent, and left leaning

The Guardian group also owns the Manchester Evening News, and a few local radio stations, but its main business is The Guardian, and the Sunday newspaper The Observer. You may be thinking of The Times, which is Murdoch-owned.

[bemildred]

7. Thank you.

I get so confused sometimes ...
:-)

[mogster]

8. Guardian is a very good paper indeed, here's also from the BBC:

Italy leaders clash in TV debate

Italian leader Silvio Berlusconi and his opponent in April's general election, Romano Prodi, have squared off in a live television debate.
The US-style debate, the first of two, also gave both candidates the chance to answer reporters' questions.
(...)
Mr Prodi's Union coalition is ahead in opinion polls, but about 24% of Italian voters are still undecided, according to a poll in the newspaper Corriere della Sera.

The debate was seen as an opportunity for Mr Berlusconi to regain his composure after a ragged few days, says the BBC's Christian Fraser in Rome.

On Monday, Mr Berlusconi stormed off a TV show after the interviewer asked him about his business affairs and the Iraq conflict.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4806172.stm

[BeyondGeography]

5. Sounds like Berlusconi was terrible

If Napoleon Christ lays another egg in the final debate on April 3, he will be history.