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Showing posts with label Berlusconi. Show all posts

Mar 23, 2011

Berlusconi and Gaddafi: no more 'bunga bunga'?

Muammar Gaddafi says he feels betrayed by Europe. He told the Italian newspaper Il Giornale that he feels especially dismayed by the defection of Silvio Berlusconi.

"I’m really shocked by the behavior of my European friends, in the first place by Silvio Berlusconi... I’m so shocked. I feel betrayed. I don’t know what to say to Berlusconi... "

They were back slapping buds back in the day with a few things in common. The colonel allegedly explained 'bunga bunga' style orgies to Berlusconi. More on the meaning of bunga bunga here.

Last time the two got together in Italy Gaddafi showed up looking like a military pimp with his uniformed 'virgin' bodyguards in tow. The colonel literally stepped off the airstairs and into Berlusconi's open arms. The visit was as weird as you might expect. Gaddafi asked to meet with 700 Italian women from from "politics, industry, and culture". He not only considers himself a great lover but 'an emancipator of women'. I'm not sure if that includes the female western journalists who allegedly bartered sex-for-news. Accuracy in Media has more - here.

There were other arrangements. Berlusconi has on a number of occasions cast scorn on the idea of a multi-ethnic Italy. The treatment of so-called "boat people" by the Italian government has been harsh to say the least. Gaddafi played a role in keeping the 'undesirables' out.

Mother Jones:

In 2009, Qaddafi and Berlusconi made an agreement that became part of an open and often vicious campaign against migrants: Libya would try to keep them from leaving in the first place; if they got out, Italy would send them back to Libya without providing them a chance to make asylum claims.

Italy has a lot of business interests in Libya, particular in the energy and construction sectors. Italy's Eni is the largest foreign operator and takes roughly a third of Libya's oil production. Business ties have also emerged that more directly connect Berlusconi and Gaddafi.

In a 2009 Guardian article John Hooper shed light on some of the connections:

But the two leaders are connected by something other than political expediency. Their families have a common (and highly debatable) business interest.

In June, the small Italian news agency Radiocor reported that a Libyan company, Lafitrade, had taken a 10% stake in Quinta Communications, a cinema production company founded by a Tunisian-born but French-based entrepreneur, Tarak Ben Ammar. Lafitrade is controlled by the Gaddafi's family's investment vehicle, Lafico.

So far, so uncontroversial. Except that a) one of the other firms invested in Quinta Communications, with a stake of around 22%, is a Luxembourg-registered investment company owned by the Berlusconi family investment vehicle, Fininvest; and b) Quinta Communications and Mediaset, the Berlusconi-founded TV empire, each own a one-quarter stake in a new satellite TV channel for the Maghreb, Nessma TV.

Hooper points out that the deal amounts to "a pretty staggering conflict of interest." He adds "...by letting the colonel's minions into Quinta, Berlusconi and Ben Ammar have handed a share in the ownership of the station to the Libyan regime."

Last contact between the bunga bunga enthusiasts was a call from Berlusconi denying Gaddafi's claim that Italy had supplied rockets to the rebels. Gaddafi for his part told Il Giornale that he would only be prepared to do future business with Italy once Berlusconi has been swept from power. That's assuming of course the colonel's around to do business with anyone.

Check out a video tribute to a great love... gone... but not forgotten:

*Refresh page if YouTube video is slow to load

Link also to Guardian, Mother Jones, Time, Z-Net

Jun 1, 2010

Berlusconi quotes Mussolini at news conference

Italian PM Berlusconi quoted Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini recently while complaining about what he perceives as his lack of real power as head of government.

At the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris, Berlusconi lamented: "As prime minister, I have never had the feeling that I was in power... Sometimes as a businessman, with 56,000 employees, sometimes I've had the feeling of being able to decide and be in control. But today in a democracy, I am in the service of everyone and anyone can criticize me and perhaps even insult me."

The PM prefaced his Il Duce quotation by saying "I will dare to quote a phrase from someone considered a dictator, a great, powerful dictator, Benito Mussolini."

Mussolini: "They say I have power. It isn't true. Maybe my party officials do. But I don't know. All I can do is say to my horse go right or left. And I have to be happy with that."

This is by no means the first time Berlusconi has invoked the late dictator. The PM's fascination with Mussolini seems almost a private fetish. On slow days when there are no topless models-turned-politicians to entertain him, Berlo probably leafs lovingly through his Mussolini photo collections and checks out pics of Il Duce doing his thing. Who knows, he might even have Mussolini uniforms for dress-up thrills.

In an interview that appeared in the Spectator Berlusconi tried to minimize the extent of Mussolini's crimes: "Mussonlini never killed anyone... [he] sent people on holiday to confine them."

The PM's benign take on Mussolini conveniently plays down the ex-dictator's brutal occupation of Ethiopia (1935-36) and the rounding up of Italian Jews to dispatch to concentration camps.

Berlusconi's complaint about never having the feeling that he is "in power" is difficult to take seriously. Italians though shouldn't be fooled. Berlusconi's leash is badly in need of shortening, not lengthening.

Opposition members haven't been slow to voice their views on the PM's Mussolini references. Alessandro Pignatiello of the Italian Communist Party said that the comparison of the premier with Mussolini is a valid one. Nicola Tranfaglia of the IDV [Italia dei Valori Party] said that Berlusconi’s remark proves that he wants to govern “with dictatorial powers”.

Link to Reuters - Italy Mag

May 9, 2010

Draquila: Sabina Guzzanti takes aim at Berlusconi

Before the earthquake hit the city of L'Aquila and surrounding towns in April of 2009, Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi had been struggling in the polls. He was also on the defensive over media accusations involving his private life. According to Italian satirist Sabina Guzzanti, the quake "was as if God had stretched out his hand" offering deliverance. Guzzanti believes Berlusconi exploited the quake and its victims in a cynical attempt to boost his popularity.

Guzzanti's new film, a documentary titled Draquila -- Italy Trembles takes aim at Berlusconi's response to the tragedy. The documentary explores themes of political corruption that although related to the quake have broader implications.

Sabina Guzzanti

The news reports of Berlusconi's visits to the earthquake zone included reference to a number of inappropriate comments. He was filmed posing with a group of firemen in front of a damaged church. There was only one woman present - an attractive local official. Berlusconi remarked for reasons only known to himself... "can I feel up the lady a bit."

Following the quake thousands were made homeless. In a reference to those living in tent camps, some of whom had lost loved ones, the PM suggested they imagine themselves being on a "camping weekend."

Since the L'Aquila earthquake, 52,000 people have yet to return home or move into new housing. The documentary is critical of the way politicians have handled reconstruction projects in the earthquake zone. Some of the problems can be tracked back to the abuse of executive power. In an interview with Articolo 21, Guzzanti said Draquila was "a reflection on Italy's drift into authoritarianism."

Draquila has angered the Italian government. It has refused to send representatives to this year's Cannes Film Festival to protest the screening of the documentary. Italy's culture minister, Sandro Bondi, described the film as "propaganda that offends the truth and the entire Italian population."

The government reaction is unlikely to phase Guzzanti who isn't shy of controversy. In a 2008 speech at a Rome rally she criticized the Catholic Church for its treatment of homosexuals and said : "In 20 years Ratzinger will be dead and will end up in hell, tormented by queer demons - not passive ones, but very active ones." There were calls for her to be prosecuted for her remarks.

She also drew heat when she said that a former TV showgirl named Mara Carfagna only got appointed minister of equal opportunities by Berlusconi as a reward for sexual favors. Carfagna threatened to sue.

Opposition MP Luigi De Magistris cast scorn on Bondi's boycott: "It's not art that offends the truth and the Italian people, but the decision of a minister who, instead of acting like one, prefers to play the role of the prime minister's faithful servant."

Link also to CBC - Guardian - Draquila trailer

Mar 16, 2010

Berlusconi-owned Mondadori book praises PM as 'Superman'

Soft pro-Berlusconi propaganda in the form of messages-from-fans has been released by the Italian PM's own publishing company, Mondadori. The ego-enhancing book is titled "Love always wins over envy and hate".

The book features messages of support received by the PM following the Milan assault by Massimo Tartaglia. The messages are at times wildly emotional and worshipful in tone. One adoring fan writes: "Even with kryptonite they couldn't knock you down!" Another exclaims: "We are all with you great Silvio. You are the engine of our country."

The perma-tanned Italian PM has managed to preserve a younger look courtesy of cosmetic surgery and sundry beauty products. In December during a Milan visit, his aesthetically enhanced visage was banged up a little when Massimo Tartaglia slammed him in the face with a souvenir miniature of Milan's gothic cathedral. The incident produced both controversy and a show of support.

There are a number of reasons why this self-serving book has made an appearance at this juncture. For one thing important regional elections are coming up in Italy at the end of the month and Berlusconi and his allies aren't in great shape. The Milan attack and its aftermath plays to the sympathy factor. Also various rumors surfaced after the Milan incident, including accusations that Berlusconi may have staged the attack or possibly exaggerated the extent of his injuries. The book answers Berlo's many detractors with a partisan show of support - a selection of the 50,000 or so messages he allegedly received after the attack.

A Times online article found it surprising that mere weeks after the attack Berlusconi was out-and-about with Gianfranco Fini. The PM looked his mannequin-like self with no obvious evidence of scratches, bruises or other collateral damage. Remarkable, given that the injuries as reported at the time of the assault were a fractured nose, gashes to his lip and cheek and two broken teeth... not exactly minor.

A YouTube video shows Berlusconi getting into his car directly following the assault. Footage also captures an aide slipping him something. Considering it was an emergency, it would have been appropriate for the PM to have sped away immediately, but remarkably he took the time to wave to the crowd, blood streaming down his face... a spectacle worthy of a Greek drama. Questions were also raised at the time about why Berlusconi's jacket and shirt were not drenched with blood since hospital officials stated he had lost half a litre of blood. Of course all of this is pure speculation, but it reflects the degree of skepticism surrounding the incident on the part of some observers.

In the wake of the Milan incident, Berlusconi was upset when a Facebook page appeared in support of his attacker, Massimo Tartaglia. In less than 24 hours 63,000 people had registered as fans. The accompanying photo of Tartaglia included a description of the assailant that had been added by the page owner: "42 years old, with no criminal record and such courage.”

The new book is a way for Berlusconi to get back at his critics in an effort to shoot down what the forward describes as "slander, offences, false accusations", while playing to those Italian readers whose vote he is courting.

The Italian newspaper La Repubblica is less-than-impressed with the PM's image boosting book, mocking it as "The little white book of Silvio Ceausescu". The paper says it is reminiscent of hagiographies produced by dictators in Eastern Europe and South America.

For more on the story link here and here.

Feb 17, 2010

Berlusconi: bunga bunga break

Related story - here

Sep 5, 2009

Videocracy: trailer blocked in Italy

An Erik Gandini documentary titled Videocracy takes aim at Silvio Berlusconi's media empire and the ways in which trash-TV has come to subvert and manipulate culture and politics in Italy. The film brilliantly exposes the media circus that is Italian commercial TV with its omnipresent ringmaster Berlusconi. It's a world in which the lines between fantasy and reality have become strangely blurred.

An opening scene that resurrects archive footage of a stripping housewife gameshow sets the tone for what follows.

In Italy life itself has become the show. For example, a starlet who once strutted her stuff on a TV show is now Italy's Equal Opportunity Minister. The ringmaster himself has a private life that is at times indistinguishable from a soap opera.

Videocracy captures the strange make-over that occurs when a society takes its value from the 'games' in an electronic coliseum. Welcome to life-as-entertainment. As director Erik Gandini aptly put it "In Italy, what does not exist on TV does not exist."

The film says a great deal about the power of image and the allure of fame and money.

Gandini: "You get a picture of a generation which is very very obsessed by brands, by their own appearance, not interested in politics so much, nor in the world... You have a country which is culturally caught in a bubble of values which are what I call a videocracy, where image is everything,"

The trailer for Videocracy shows scantily dressed women and provides statistics about restrictions on press freedom. Italian public broadcaster RAI and Berlusconi's Mediaset channels have refused to air it. Ironically the reason given for rejecting the trailer was that it was offensive to Berlusconi's reputation.

The rejection has helped to accelerate interest in the documentary in other quarters - the number of cinemas eager to obtain prints of the film has doubled.

Videocracy screened this week to a rave reception at the Venice film festival. It was included in the independent international Critics' Week strand.

Guardian article - here.

Review of Videocracy - here.

Jul 25, 2009

New D'Addario L'Espresso tape

The secret tapes made by former escort Patrizia D'Addario allegedly feature the voice of Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi - referred to in the transcripts as "SB." The voice sounds very much like the man himself.

The Italian PM doesn't deny that Ms D'Addario visited his official residence. However he claims he 'can't remember her' and denies paying for sex because in his words paying for it 'does not involve the thrill of conquest.'

The earlier tape that was posted on L'Espresso made mention of 'the big bed' where Ms D'Addario was instructed by Berlusconi to await his emergence from the shower.

The latest tape posted on L'Espresso was allegedly made while the two were having sex. It includes references to the PM's staying power and female masturbation.

Ms D'Addario (PD) appears to be impressed with SB's performance and tells him: “You know how long it has been since I had sex like I had with you tonight ... It’s several months, since I broke up with my boyfriend ... Is this normal?”

PD: A young man would have come in a second.. I mean he would have come... Young men usually have a lot of pressure.

SB: But if you will you allow me... (muffled) I believe it is a family thing.

PD: What?

SB: Having an orgasm.

How exactly is having an orgasm a "family thing"? Presumably SB is referring to inherited biological factors rather than family getaways at the cottage.

PD: You know how long it has been since I had sex like I had with you tonight. It’s several months, since I broke with my boyfriend. Is this normal?

SB: May I? You should have sex with yourself. You should touch yourself often.

It would seem SB has a particular fascination with female self-pleasuring and female-on-female encounters. The recommendation that PD "touch herself" more often, follows upon a comment in the earlier tape. We learned that SB was interested in watching while PD "licked" another woman.

Politicians who have unconventional sex lives take trouble to ensure that it doesn't spill over into the political sphere. By contrast Berlusconi has turned his sex life into a circus of the reality show variety by blurring the boundaries between his public life and his erotic adventures. As Dario Franceschini, leader of the Democratic Party, puts it - "He [Berlusconi] now remains a prisoner of the same reality show."

Also the nature of the sex is bound to influence public perceptions. We're not talking about a couple of discreet affairs. PD has referred to "harems" of young women at the parties. We have also heard about envelopes stuffed with cash and gifts of jewelry. Judging from the accounts, the PM has a seemingly insatiable need to be the focus-of-attention of young women as he croons, shows photos of himself, hands out envelopes and presents himself as the irresistible elder lothario.

Berlusconi is a narcissist with a pronounced exhibitionist streak. Part of the thrill he gets from playing around is having the world in on it - while of course denying all, or most of it.

He has a small man complex. His critics sometimes sarcastically describe him as 'a dwarf.' On one occasion he dismissed the dwarf dig by pointing out that he is taller than both Putin and Sarkozy. Such things matter to him.

Given his teflon-like ability to ward off attacks and maintain his popularity it seems unlikely that sex revelations are enough to deal a fatal blow. He would have to be apprehended wearing only a raincoat and flippers, flashing nuns on the Via del Corso ... and even then.

Curiously enough it isn't the sex talk on the tapes that has stoked outrage, but a statement made by SB when he was showing Patrizia D'Addario around his estate in Sardinia.

SB says that: "Underneath here, we found 30 Phoenician tombs from 300BC."

Local officials in Olbia know nothing about the tombs, nor does the Italian National Association of Archaeologists. Failure to report an archaeological find in Italy is a serious offence, punishable by up to 12 months in prison. Members of the opposition Democratic Party tabled questions in parliament demanding an explanation from Berlusconi and his heritage minister.

It would be kind of ironic if dead Phoenicians rather than live escorts prove to be the most damaging.

Guardian article on new tapes - here.

Berlusconi scandalizes Italians

Related story - here

Jul 21, 2009

Patrizia D'Addario: 'pillow talk' tapes posted on L'Espresso

The news magazine, L'Espresso, has posted "pillow talk" recordings made by the escort, Patrizia D'Addario, during an alleged encounter with Italian PM Berlusconi.

The recordings include one-on-one chat featuring a male voice designated SB in the transcripts. According to D'Addario the conversations took place in a bedroom of the PM's Rome residence, Palazzo Grazioli.

Patrizia D'Addario

The voice attributed to Berlusconi does indeed have the distinctive nasal tone of the Italian prime minister.

At one point SB says "I'm taking a shower" and directs D'Addario to wait for him in the big bed. The bed apparently has some association with Vladimir Putin, because when D'Addario asks which one, SB responds "Putin's."

The 'bed chat' section begins with a discussion about a book (presumably), that SB claims to have had a hand in designing.

SB: This [book?...], I've designed this.

PD: You've done a very good job.

SB: Did you have this last time?

PD: Yes.

SB: You were here already last time?

PD: Yes.

SB: Well isn't that incredible... and this one? Take.

PD: No, not this one.

SB: It's the most beautiful one.

PD: The most beautiful one is this one.

SB: Take this one with you, give it to someone as a gift.

PD: No.

SB: No, it would be a waste.

PD: Did you design this one also?

SB: The idea is mine but I haven't designed it. Just look at this ... how it's made. It's a friend of mine who's made it for me. He does everything for me ... I'm also going to have a shower ... and then, then are you going to wait for me in the big bed if you're done before me?

PD: What big bed ... Putin's?

SB: Yes, Putin's.

PD: Oh how nice ... that one with the curtains.

In another recording when D'Addario is speaking with Giampaolo Tarantini (GT in the transcript) - the go-between who allegedly recruited girls for Berlusconi's parties - she confides that SB is interested in a menage-a-trois.

GT: I wanted to say something to you, he said something about me, no?

PD: He only asked me how long we had known each other, I said for a long time – was that the right thing to say?

GT: Well done, yes.

PD: I said we had known each other a long time, and I said that Barbara is a friend of mine too, he said that he has a girlfriend and would like to have me licked by this girlfriend.

GT: Ahahahah.

PD: I promise you, this is what he said. Very affectionate, all night we didn't sleep.

GT: Good for him.

It's hard to know how damaging these tapes will be, even among those Italians who believe that the voice belongs to Berlusconi. Far from being dismayed, some may be impressed with the stud-like durability of the septuagenarian leader.

D'Addario tells Tarantini "we didn't sleep a wink." Presumably SB was doing more than singing Neapolitan love songs and showing pics of former G8 outings. Blues songs that include references to doing it "all night long" come to mind - not altogether far-fetched in the age of Viagra.

Italians appear to have a great deal of tolerance, indeed an insatiable appetite, for stories about Berlusconi's alleged bedroom exploits. But for the first time the affair has reached parliament with the opposition declaring that the Berlusconi sex scandal has damaged the image of government.

In a motion before the Senate the opposition called on politicians to show "decorum" in their private lives and be cautious in their acquaintances. The motion was blocked by the conservatives, who doubtless hope that with delaying tactics the scandal will fade over the summer break.

Meanwhile Berlusconi's poll numbers dipped below 50% for the first time... forty nine percent of those polled expressed confidence in Berlusconi as a leader. But overall, he has remained remarkably impervious to fall-out from the scandal.

Read the full transcript along with a link to John Hooper's analysis of the recordings - here.

Guardian article - here.

D'Addario says Papi interested in menage-a-trois

Related story - here

Jun 19, 2009

Patrizia D'Addario: escorts paid to attend Berlusconi's parties

On the heels of accusations that Italian PM Berlusconi used state aircraft to fly showgirls and musicians to his villa in Sardinia, a new scandal has broken out involving escorts.

Corrriere Della Sera has published an interview with a former model and escort named Patrizia D'Addario who alleges that she was paid to attend Berlusconi's parties. D'Addario also claims she made secret audio and video recordings in Berlusconi's bedroom. She says she made them so that "nobody can deny I had been there." The footage is currently being examined by Italian magistrates.

Berlusconi is drawing a blank when it comes to Patrizia D'Addario... he told aides he has no memory of her. Odd considering that she was put forward as a candidate for the European and municipal elections on behalf of the Peoples of Liberty - Berlusconi's coalition party.

D'Addario's political prospects were shelved when the PM's wife, Veronica Lario, blasted her husband's promotion of showgirls as "shameless rubbish." This was around the same time when she also complained that he "frequented minors."

Berlusconi in Bari

The PM's memory lapse is even odder if you go along with Ms D'Addario's version of events ... events that involve a Bari-based middleman named Giampaolo Tarantini. Ms D'Addario described Mr Tarantini's recruitment of girls for Berlusconi as an "induction into prostitution."

It is alleged that payments were made to at least four women by Tarantini. Recordings were obtained via wiretaps in the course of a separate investigation into business corruption. They include calls during which Tarantini allegedly negotiated payments and made travel arrangements with the women he had recruited for the Berlusconi events.

Patrizia D'Addario asked for €2,000 for her services. Prior to showing up at Berlusconi's Rome residence, Palazzo Grazioli, she was put up in a luxury hotel.

A Guardian article describes Ms D'Addario's recollection of events:

"He [Berlusconi] showed us videos of his meeting with [President George] Bush and photos of his [Sardinian] villa. He sang and told jokes," she said, adding she "realised she had made an impression" on him. However, she said she returned to her hotel for the night and was paid only €1,000 "because I didn't stay". She claimed she was invited back with two other women several weeks later on the night of the US presidential election, on which occasion she claimed Berlusconi asked her to stay.

D'Addario said on both evenings she made secret audio recordings in which the prime minister's voice could be heard...

Berlusconi's lawyer, Niccolò Ghedini, is dismissive of these claims. However his explanations risk fueling rather than diminishing speculations. He told Corriere della Sera: "It seems a bit over the top to think that Berlusconi needs to pay €2,000 for a girl to go with him. He could have them in large numbers for free."

Ghedini went further and said that even if the allegations were true, Berlusconi would be an "unwitting party" since he "couldn't have known" women had been paid to attend the parties. In other words Berlusconi would be a blameless "end user" in Ghedini's eyes.

Comments attributed to former French President, Jacques Chirac, would suggest there isn't anything new about the Italian PM's interest in models and escorts. While he was on an official state visit to Italy, Chirac paid a visit to Berlusconi's villa. He noticed some porn magazines and asked why they were lying around. Berlusconi reportedly leafed through a magazine... pointed to various models and said "I've had her... this one... and I've had that one too."

Ms D'Addario stopped showing up at Palazzo Grazioli when Berlusconi failed to follow through on a promise to help her with a building project. She also found herself locked out of a Bari council election rally - even though she was a candidate affiliated with Berlusconi's party.

Related Guardian article - here.

Bunga bunga recruit

Related story - here

Jun 16, 2009

Italy: fascist 'fun'

Related story - here

Jun 7, 2009

El Pais: Sardinia photos: Berlusconi sues

The Spanish daily El Pais has published a set of photos that include shots of nude and semi-nude guests at Berlusconi's Villa Certosa in Sardinia. The pics were taken by Antonio Zappauda from outside the Berlusconi villa during a party for a Czech delegation.

The photos provide a glimpse of the 72 year-old premier at play. There is also a pic of a naked man pool-side, sporting what looks like a semi-erection. The face has been pixelated, but it's reportedly former Czech Prime Minister, Mirek Topolanek.

Berlusconi's need at age 72 to surround himself with beautiful young women comes off as an effort to convince himself that he is just as virile and attractive as he was a few decades ago, and no doubt the women cater to his many vanities.

But what is most amazing is that even as he goes out of his way to hang with young women and in the case of one, Noemi Letizia, even further out of his way... we are meant to believe that nothing is going on. Hanging around with younger women isn't the main issue, it's the fact that Berlusconi has promoted the importance of religion and the family while pouring scorn on the left - it's about his hypocrisy.

Over and above Berlusconi's personal tastes and private preferences, there are also allegations of abuse of public funds. According to El Pais, the PM has been using Italian aircraft since the summer of 2007 to fly ferry guests to and from the Villa Certosa. This is alleged to have occurred "almost every weekend."

Berlusconi says that when he visits other countries the entertainment is laid on for him, so he is just returning the favor. Flying young women on Italian planes to a villa for the pleasure of 'Papi' and his visiting political pals seems kind of like high-end pimping. A complaint has been filed by the consumer organization, Codacons, forcing Italian prosecutors to open an investigation into use of public assets. But Berlusconi, true to form, is contemptuous of the effort and says "It means nothing. It will be shelved very soon."

Meanwhile he is furious about the appearance of the Sardinia photos in El Pais and is suing the daily. The premier's lawyer, Niccolo Ghedini, described the photos as having "originated in a crime." He added: "Who buys them anywhere in the world is committing a crime, something which should have been clear to El Pais' journalists,"

El Pais says that Berlusconi is the one who is getting things wrong:

"The publication of the photographs of his private parties aims to show how, as prime minister, he is trying to turn the realm of democratic politics into a simple continuation of his friendships and entertainment... It is not the job of official aircraft to transport guests to his private parties."

Link to El Pais ... here.

May 5, 2009

Noemi Letizia's party: pics of 'papi' Berlusconi doctored?

Italian premier Berlusconi with his wife, Veronica Lario

When Veronica Lario announced recently that she is going to divorce Silvio "papi" Berlusconi, she said she could no longer stay with a man who "frequents minors." A couple of recent developments likely helped to convince Ms Lario to go public with her intention to seek a divorce.

Berlusconi's People of Freedom coalition has considered putting up a group of women candidates for the European elections in June. A number of the women are best known for tabloid fame and good looks. They include a former Big Brother contestant and Miss Italy contender. This offended Ms Lario, who described the choice of candidates as "shamelessly trashy."

The other source of friction was the attendance of the 72-year old premier at the 18th birthday party of an aspiring actress and model, Noemi Letizia.

Ms Letizia recently revealed that she calls the premier"papi" (Daddy). Her father is a friend of Berlusconi, so it could be described as a term of endearment. It also came to light that the premier presented Ms Letizia with a gold necklace and pendant for her birthday.

Noemi Letizia with an autographed
photo of "papi"

Whisperings about what else, if anything, might have been going on appear to have prompted Berlusconi's office to try and get ahead of speculation by releasing a set of photos showing the premier at the birthday party in question.

The pics show a rather wooden looking "papi". Except for the first photo in the group, there are no trademark flashes of the pearly whites - just a rather insipid smile.

The pics have a doctored look. As a Guardian article points out, a good number of web commentators have their suspicions about the photos:

"... Italian-language blogs and forums were today alive with doubts as to their authenticity. La Repubblica's website said Berlusconi's image appeared to have been pasted into at least three of the photographs."

In one group shot an outsize hand resembling a large anaemic crab, is perched on or slightly above, Berlusconi's shoulder. The position looks unnatural and when the hand is magnified it looks even less convincing.

Close up of the odd looking hand:

In other pics a much younger looking, wrinkle-free premier looks as though he has been teleported into position with the same rather sickly smile frozen on his face. You half expect to see a speech bubble with "Beam me up Scottie."

In two of the pics it's like looking at clones - his facial expression and smile appear to be close to identical in both pictures.

The photos were released presumably to reassure the concerned that nothing untoward was going on at Ms Letizia's party The photos themselves are real enough. They were taken by the premier's own photographer. But the 'enhancements' certainly make them more shall we say... entertaining.

Repubblica here for the the full set of pics.

You can also link here to a Guardian article that discusses some of the doubts that have been raised about the photos.

Berlusconi: teen party pics doctored

Related story - here

Jan 26, 2009

What's left to prove?

Related story - here

Dec 4, 2008

Berlusconi to use G8 presidency to 'regulate the internet'

Italian president, Silvio Berlusconi, takes over the G8 presidency on January 1. In a recent speech to Italian postal workers Berlusconi announced that he intended to use his G8 powers to push for an international agreement to "regulate the internet."

The reaction has been swift. The Italian paper L'Unita said Berlusconi would be following the example of repressive regimes who filter the web as a matter of policy:

You can't say that it is not a disturbing proclamation, given that the only countries in the world where there are filters or restrictions against internet are countries ruled by dictatorial regimes: those between China, Iran, Cuba, Saudi Arabia.

Berlusconi has often been accused of using his influence to shut down dissent, He has launched numerous libel suits against critics. The Economist became a target after it said he 'wasn't fit to run Italy.' The PM lost that case earlier this year.

Berlusconi has all the instincts of a tyrant and if he had his way Italians would be living in Silvio World.

The times seem to favor this type of regulatory initiative. The UK has new laws aimed at policing the web, and Australia is implementing filters. Berlusconi will face domestic opposition if he attempts to use his G8 position to leverage regulation. La Stampa announced that Italian bloggers are planning a demonstration against any move by the government to to tighten controls over the internet.

Nov 6, 2008

Berlusconi refers to Obama as 'suntanned'

Barack Obama's US election victory has been greeted around the world with messages of support. There have also been a few mixed messages. One such came from the perma-tanned Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, who has a reputation for being a bit of a joker.

At a joint press conference in Moscow with Russian President, Dmitri Medvedev, Berlusconi sarcastically remarked that Obama's election to the White House had been "hailed by world public opinion as the arrival of a messiah."

He then went on to express a hope for better relations between Russia and the US. In doing so he referred to Obama as "...handsome, young and suntanned."

Berlusconi's humor isn't appreciated by a good many of his fellow citizens. La Republica announced "Right on time, here comes the first sensational gaffe." An opposition member of parliament, Dario Franceschini, demanded that the Primi Minister apologize, saying that referring to Obama as "suntanned" is "an insult loaded with dangerous ambiguity."

Berlusconi is known for his off-color humor. His joking caused a diplomatic row in 2005, when he indicated that he had used his "playboy tactics" on President Tarja Halonen of Finland to ensure her backing for Italy to host the European Food Safety Authority.

His statement ... "I had to use all my playboy tactics, even if they have not been used for some time" ... prompted Helsinki to summon the Italian ambassador to explain the remarks.

At an EU ministers' summit in 2002, Berlusconi made a hand sign behind the head of the Spanish foreign minister, Josep Piqué, during an official photoshoot. The sign, known as the "corna," was meant to indicate that Piqué was a cuckold.

When he took on the presidency of the EU Council of Ministers in 2003, one of Berlusconi's chief detractors was German SPD Member, Martin Schulz. At one point the Italian PM responded to criticism from Schulz with:

"Mr Schulz, I know a movie producer in Italy who is making a movie about Nazi concentration camps. I suggest you play the role of a Kapo. You are perfect for the part!"

Next to Obama, the perpetually tanned, cosmetically enhanced billionaire with his far right associates is the real joke - it's just that nobody's laughing.