Tim Hedges had a career in corporate finance before moving to Rome where he works as a freelance writer, novelist, and farmer
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
Proportional representation flatters to deceive
Proportional representation is a seductive alternative to the pitfalls of first past the post. But PR's flaws probably outweigh its benefits, as the cases of Germany and Italy can illustrate
- 28 February 2019
EU heads deeper into crisis over Italy and France
In a certain sense Brexit was never the real issue for the European Union. The real issue is that it is a failing superstate, mired in hypocrisy and self-delusion
- 12 February 2019
Europe's house of cards shudders ahead of elections
Germany's economy is slowing sharply, Italy may already be in recession, populists are about to surge at the European elections. There's chaos in Britain to be sure, but the whole European house of cards is slowly but surely falling down
- 28 January 2019
The Euro's unhappy birthday
The Eurozone's unhappy birthday is a reminder that poilitical projects pursued by ideological fanatics cause misery for ordinary people. But don't expect Brussels to learn from its mistake. Just expect more misery to come
- 8 January 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 shows May how to stand up to Brussels
It seems hard to imagine, but the biggest headache for Brussels at the moment is not the independently minded, powerful British but the normally passive Italians. Theresa May's strategy was simply to avoid rocking the EU's boat, and the Brussels bureaucrats have obliged by taking her for a ride
- 21 November 2018
Italy's fight with EU bullies is part of Euro disaster story
The logic of EU federalist insanity continues to play its part in the downfall of European democracy. Italy's ugly fight with Brussels bullies over the budget is just the latest chapter. Thank goodness for Brexit!
- 31 October 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
Budgeting for populism amid EU hypocrisy
Brussels, you may recall, already vetoed Italy's first choice as finance minister -- a eurosceptic whose views were regarded as heretical. As the finance minister that Italy had to concede to Brussels calculates this year's budget, the Eurocrats are already up in arms. Does national democracy count for nothing?
- 5 October 2018
State of Disunion: Thank goodness for Brexit
EU State of the Union addresses are meant to mimic America's, but they are a sick joke for many "ordinary" Europeans. Commission President Juncker would not know the feelings of a European citizen if he ran over one in his chauffeur driven Mercedes. Thank goodness for Brexit
- 21 September 2018
Sex and the Vatican
Sex. It’s all about sex, the Roman Catholic Church. Who hasn’t thought that? Pope Francis’s church needs to return, as Christ did, to talking about the poor, lest this becomes an obsession
- 7 September 2018
Italy's populist government rides high in the polls
The people of Italy believe, not without some justification, that their country has been ruined by a caste of people which has feathered its own nest. What the oddball combination of Di Maio and Salvini has done is to understand this discontent and to channel it. Unless the mainstream in Europe engages in radical self-reflection and reform, the populists will continue to have the ear of the people
- 31 August 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
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