China getting a rise out of reckless Italy?
Italy's populist government may become the first in Europe to endorse China's Belt and Road Initiative. The Western establishment from Washington to Brussels is apoplectic, and on this one, they are right to be
- 22 March 2019
Adventures in Europe: Italy rails, as France wails
Italy's populists are enraged at the double standards from the powers that be in Europe. France appears to get a free pass, while Italy gets a telling off over its budget deficits. Brexiting from all this may not be quite so bad, non?
- 18 December 2018
Italy's migration dilemma
It must be realised that Italy is not the UK or Germany which have had migration since the 1960s. In Italy’s case the problem has been emigration, and mass immigration is quite new to them. Between political correctness and plummeting birth rates, quite a debate is raging
- 17 October 2018
Italy's telling bridge
The Italian bridge collapse is a tragedy and a political hot potato. How will the populist government handle it?
- 20 August 2018
Italy's populists win popularity by shaking things up
No-one in the European mainstream gave Italy's populists a great deal of credit, but they are winning popularity by shaking things up. Popular populists; how about that!
- 8 August 2018
Italy's rule bending government a headache for Brussels
Italy was never just going to quit the euro, not right now at least. But the new government is going to be a big headache for Brussels whose failing deep integrationist project will continue to lurch from crisis to crisis
- 4 June 2018
Oh no. Another election in Italy?
Amazing as it may sound, Berlusconi, for all his venality and amorality, is the only person since the war to have led a party through its full five year term. As for Salvini, he is makng much of standing on principle, which may well mean that Italy goes back to the polls in June, and Salvini strenghens his hand
- 2 May 2018
No resolution yet to Italy's political impasse
Italy continues to fumble its way to a new government, though much is still up in the air. Still, the EU could always muscle in and make things worse. Don't bet against it
- 24 April 2018
Italian Politics: Of Putin, porn, and, of course, Berlusconi
Since Mussolini the Italians have been terrified of anyone acquiring absolute power, so they devise it that no one has any power at all. Forming a government is throwing up all sorts of problems from Putin, through Berlusconi, oh, and that porn star who offered to sleep with Saddam Hussein to stop the Gulf War. Welcome to Italian politics
- 16 April 2018
Italy's far-Right repositions itself in bid to govern
Italy's pro-European old guard has been swept away. Now the far-Right La Lega party led by Matteo Salvini is repositioning itself in what is emerging as a serious bid to take power. Brussels, meanwhile, looks on in horror as any real world outcome to the horse trading is certain to yield a Eurosceptic government
- 8 March 2018
Anti-immigrant violence sets stage for Italian election
Wanton acts of violence against immigrants are still rare in Italy, but the latest attack has shocked the country. That said, resentment about immigration is starting to kick in, and it may well be exploited at the forthcoming elections
- 6 February 2018
Italy ahead of the elections
Italy is in that state where you read in the papers that everything is going better but you don’t feel it. All over Europe, and indeed the west, there has been a backlash against yesterday’s men. The forthcoming elections will only bring clarity in the sense it is clear that the chaos will continue
- 26 January 2018
Italy languishes in crisis after footballing failure
Former UK Prime Minister Harold Wilson said that more than anything else, what caused him to lose the 1970 general election was England having been knocked out out of the World Cup a few days before the vote (by the usual Germans). Italy's failure to reach the finals at all is causing a national crisis
- 21 November 2017
Politics in Italy: The Sicilian connection
In what may foreshadow Italy's Spring general election, Sicily's recent elections were fought out between Berlusconi's centre-right and the Five Star populists of Beppe Grillo. And guess what? Berlusconi is back
- 12 November 2017
Italy's thinking on immigration
Italy is actually a great place to live, and the Italians know it. From an economic point of view they'd probably benefit from Merkel-style mass immigration. But most Italians would rather keep their own version of the dolce vita
- 23 October 2017
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