After allegations that Berlusconi has been in league with the mafia for many years, come investigations into corruption involving of all people, the head of Italy’s civil defence organisation, Guido Bertolaso. All on the eve of the reignition of Italy’s nuclear power program.
At first it looked as though this man, of whom Silvio Berlusconi is a big fan, was only on the sidelines. Now though it is looking as though Guido Bertolaso, Italy’s head of civil defence, was actively involved in a sordid story of corruption involving sexual favours, a hint of nepotism and free BMWs, as well as copious backhanders right, left and centre.
To his credit, almost, and before it had been alleged that Guido Bertolaso was up to his neck in the smelly stuff, Italy’s head of civil defence had offered his resignation to Silvio Berlusconi. Dear Silvo rejected this attempt by Bertolaso to do the decent thing, and instead Berlusconi rattled on about Italy’s judiciary interfering in the day to day activities of Italy’s administrators.
Normal Business Practice in Italy
Obviously to Silvio, the involvement of a few girls, a little partying, and the odd bribe or two, constitute normal business practice in Italy.
Not everyone is in complete agreement with Berlusconi on this, though, and the only vaguely honest political party in Italy, the Italian Values party run by Antonio Di Pietro (against whom mud slinging attempts have been recently made), has requested a no-confidence vote in Italy’s government.
Moving back to the corruption involving Italy’s head of civil defence, press reports today stated that Bertolaso and his chums pushed the boat out on the night after the earthquake in Abruzzo as they realised just how many lucrative backhanders, sorry, legitimate commissions, would be coming their way once the rebuilding efforts began.
Reading this sort of left a bad taste in my mouth, and I know that others were left feeling somewhat bitter too.
Nuke Italy Countdown
The really fun thing is though, that Italy, with its rather rife levels of corruption, is about to recommence its nuclear power program!
I can see it now, Sicily becomes reduced to uninhabitable wasteland after a shoddily built reactor, built by someone who paid a huge bribe, explodes in the world’s biggest nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
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Ah, maybe that’s the big picture. Nuke Sicily and eliminate the mafia in one fell swoop, as well as all those pesky Sicilians!
Sicily in a few Years from Now?
If I were French, Swiss, Austrian, or even Spanish, I would start becoming a tiny bit concerned about Italy playing with radioactive materials. It’s a bit like giving a stick of dynamite to a five year old. Not the greatest of ideas.
What a country.
Further Reading:
Ansa.it, 11 February 2010, Bertolaso, io non c’entro Premier a pm, vergogna – Bertolaso: nothing to do with me. Berlusconi: shame on you judges – in Italian
Image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chernobyl_Disaster.jpg
About Alex Roe
Italy Chronicles Feed
yup, at the first hints of revisiting the Italian nuclear policy, a couple of years ago, I moved to Australia…
Australia should be just about far enough away. The idea of Italy getting involved is chilling – such a beautiful country too.
And Italy did not tidy up after itself the last time it went down the nuclear road…
http://italychronicles.com/worrying-report/
We all know which, er, non-governmental organisation ends up dealing with the disposal of toxic waste in Italy…
Best,
Alex
PS I quite like the idea of New Zealand, personally.
I am Italian and I am watching my country slowly fall to pieces. I see my government create special relationships with corrupt entrepreneurs, the mafia and other powerful groups (the vatican to name just one) in order to steal money, assure priviledges and amass influence at the expense of us, the people. We struggle to find work and if we do we are forced to accept wages we cannot afford to live on and live with the constant worry that our perrenial six month contracts wont be renewed. Factories are closing, funds to health care and justice are heavily cut and civil society is, day after day, falling apart. At the same time, those same politicians and entrepreneurs that constantly tell us not to worry, not to waste time paying to much attention to what is going on, build new villas, spend millions on never to be completed public projects and, in their own words, laugh in their beds at night during last year’s big earthquake because they know that it would mean reconstruction efforts to be directed, bribes to be paid and massive profits to be made.
Here in Italy, if we are lucky, we will experience a new tangentopoli and suffer the political tensions and public disaster that this will entail. If we are unlucky we will have to face much worse
Hi Federico,
I feel for you, I really do. But the biggest joke is the fact that Italy calls itself a republic! Well, no, actually, this is perfectly correct, Italy is, after all, very similar in lots of respects to the now defunct, almost, USSR!
Something needs to be done – and Italy is well worth saving.
Best,
Alex
Alex, thankyou
strangely Italy is also, every day, more similar to the US.
I was reading the suicide note left by the man who yesterday flew his plane in to some government building. Sure, his decision was wrong, expecially seeing as he could have killed quite a few people but the note is strangely moving and coherent