The Bizarro World of Silvio Berlusconi

[marmar]

from the Guardian UK:




Silvio Berlusconi's longest standing ally presented him with an ultimatum that could herald the beginning of the end of the TV magnate's government.

Addressing supporters after a tumultuous week that saw Italy's prime minister on the receiving end of sex and drug allegations, Gianfranco Fini warned that he would withdraw his followers from the government unless Berlusconi resigned to form a new administration with new policies. Initial signs were that Berlusconi would refuse to do so, but would instead challenge Fini to bring down the government in parliament.

The man who for 15 years stood at Berlusconi's side delivered his ultimatum in the course of a wide-ranging speech in which he criticised, and even ridiculed, the administration's performance. Using language that appeared to leave an unbridgeable chasm between the two men, Fini, a former neo-fascist, accused Berlusconi of heading "the government of pretending everything is going well".

He made no direct reference to the latest controversies over the prime minister's private life. But in an unmistakable allusion Fini spoke of "moral decay" caused by a "loss of decorum and rigour in the behaviour of those who, as public figures, are required to set an example". .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/07/silvio-berlusconi-gianfranco-fini-ultimatum