Silvio Berlusconi is rumored to be seeking re-election as Italy's Prime Minister. Here are examples of the dire state Italy is in after some 10 years of Berlusconi rule.
Yesterday, Silvio Berlusconi’s number two Angelino Alfano announced that his master may once again seek election as prime minister of Italy.
It seems the man with a nice smile is determined to make a comeback and Alfano claims that 30% of Italy’s voters would love to see the tanned bunga bunga-partying pensionable media supremo take the helm of Italy once again.
Well, whether this would be good for Italy is highly questionable and Silvio Berlusconi did not exactly leave Italy or its population in the greatest state of health after around 10 years running the Boot, it has to be said. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Here are some facts on the state of Italy today after having been ruled by Berlusconi and his merry band of pretty ladies and honorable gentlemen for the thick end of 10 years:
- Fewer Italians can afford to go on holiday.
- Fewer Italians can afford, or are putting off, buying new cars.
- Fewer Italians have jobs.
- Fewer young Italians have stable jobs – around 50% of Italy’s 15 to 24 year old workers do not have permanent work contracts.
- More young Italians than ever are without work – in the 15 to 24 age range, the figure is over 36%.
- Fewer Italians are being granted mortgages. Some 47% fewer mortgages were granted in the first quarter of 2012.
- Property prices have fallen. In some areas of Milan in Italy, one of Italy’s wealthiest cities, the value of residential real estate has fallen by more than 40% in the last five years. While not all areas of Milan have seen falls, the rises have not exactly been stratospheric at around 7% in some of Milan’s best areas.
- Italians are spending less. They are buying less meat and more pasta.
- NEW: Italy has 9,000 fewer restaurants. They closed down in Italy in 2011.
- NEW: Italy 23,000 fewer businesses run by under 35s.
- Tax levels are still crippling.
- Small and medium sized companies, 95% of all Italian businesses, have to manage as many as 300 taxes.
- A spate of small business owners have committed suicide.
- Murders of women have increased.
- Italy is to end up with around 18,000 fewer hospital beds.
- The retirement age in Italy has risen.
- Levels of corruption are still far too high – just ask the head of the Bank of Italy.
- Italy came very close to the humiliating loss at least part of its sovereignty as a result of Berlusconi’s inept handling of the debt crisis.
Bleak, isn’t it?
Silvio Berlusconi did not do Italy many favors, now did he? Would anybody in their right minds want to see him back at the helm again? Hopefully not!
Roll on those electoral reforms which Italy’s President Napolitano is pushing Italy’s parliament into implementing – once Italy’s eternally bickering politicians have agreed what to do, that is.
Care to add anything? And if you know of anything positive Berlusconi or his government did for Italy, please do let me know.
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About Alex Roe
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Let’s get a few things straight:
Fewer Italians can afford to go on holiday.
It’s not because Italians can’t afford to. Take a look here,
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Household_financial_assets_and_liabilities#Further_Eurostat_information
and here,
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-15/italians-among-richest-even-after-decline-in-wealth-correct-.html
as you can see under Berlusconi, Italy was doing quite well, so you can’t blame him for Italians being penny pinchers, by not spending their wealth on holidays.
Fewer Italians can afford, or are putting off, buying new cars.
If you look on Italian roads, Italians drive newer cars than almost all of the rest of Europe. The average age of cars in Italy are less than Germany…take a look…
http://www.acea.be/images/uploads/files/20090529_average_car_age.pdf
so are you going to give credit to Berlusconi for that?
Fewer Italians have jobs.
Its not for a lack of trying to do better that Berlusconi couldn’t improve the job market. Not even Monti, with his pathetic attempt to modify Article 18, has done as much as Berlusconi. You forget how Berlusconi brought in Law 30, or the Biagi Law, to help the young get jobs. Here read about it…
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/oecd/16815378/2009/00002009/00000007/1109011ec012
read more that was done by Berlusconi…
http://www.ihs.com/products/global-insight/industry-economic-report.aspx?id=106596514
Monti hasn’t even come close to what Berlusconi has done…Mr. Rose your prejudice is really starting to look very obvious. You really should do more homework, than spreading your version of socio-political nonsense. Try being objective, JUST FOR ONCE.
Fewer young Italians have stable jobs – around 50% of Italy’s 15 to 24 year old workers do not have permanent work contracts.
my previous reply answers this too.
More young Italians than ever are without work – in the 15 to 24 age range, the figure is over 36%.
ditto again.
Fewer Italians are being granted mortgages. Some 47% fewer mortgages were granted in the first quarter of 2012.
This is absolutely a stupid comment…Italy has one of the highest home ownerships in the world. It stands to reason at some point first time home mortgage rates will decrease, when there are so few need to get a home. Don’t forget we have an aging population, so there will be many people getting homes without a mortgage as the elderly die. Here take a look at the numbers….
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_home_ownership_rate
Property prices have fallen. In some areas of Milan in Italy, one of Italy’s wealthiest cities, the value of residential real estate has fallen by more than 40% in the last five years. While not all areas of Milan have seen falls, the rises have not exactly been stratospheric at around 7% in some of Milan’s best areas.
This is another lie. Properties in Italy have been in a minni bubble for the past 10 years, like most places in the world. This did not happen under Berlusconi. Here take a good look at the facts….
http://intermarketandmore.finanza.com/mercato-immobiliare-italia-a-rischio-bolla-speculativa-33640.html
and,
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolla_immobiliare
as for prices, they have barely budged. But if they do, they should fall another 50%!
Italians are spending less. They are buying less meat and more pasta.
WRONG AGAIN! Here are the facts…
http://www.piuprezzi.it/dotAsset/10920.pdf
people where eating more meat every year Berlusconi was in power, only when the economic crisis hit did meat consumption go down.
Tax levels are still crippling.
Can’t blame Berlusoni on that, Italy has had crippling taxes for many years. And look at Monti, he has made it worse than anything Berlusconi has done.
Small and medium sized companies, 95% of all Italian businesses, have to manage as many as 300 taxes.
This was always the case, even before Berlusconi.
A spate of small business owners have committed suicide.
Berlusconi is to be blamed for business owner suicides!!! BWAAAHHAAAAA…..
take a look here ….
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/9236231/Italian-businessman-becomes-countrys-25th-austerity-suicide-of-the-year.html
who’s face do you see on the page! For the record this suicide rate has only started AFTER Berlusconi left government and when austerity was applied, by non other than MONTI.
Murders of women have increased.
More sensationalism…what a lot of rubbish. Here are the facts…
http://sieds.blogspot.sg/2008/01/italy-has-second-lowest-murder-rate-in.html
and includes for women.
as for women homicides….Berlusconi had nothing to do with it…look when these things are happening…
questionedelladecisione.blogspot.sg/2012/04/violenza-sulle-donne-il-femicidio.html
and,
http://www.personaedanno.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=39326&catid=224&Itemid=473&mese=06&anno=2012
I do believe that is AFTER Berlusconi has gone, that makes it MONTI’S fault, well at least the way you think. Mr. Rose, more lies, more bullshit from you.
Italy is to end up with around 18,000 fewer hospital beds.
Monti is doing the cutting not Berlusoni….more lies.
The retirement age in Italy has risen.
WRONG! Berlusconi cut the retirement age, for only Prodi to raise it again.
Levels of corruption are still far too high – just ask the head of the Bank of Italy.
Since when has corruption not been around in Italy, hardly something to blame Berlusconi for.
Italy came very close to the humiliating loss at least part of its sovereignty as a result of Berlusconi’s inept handling of the debt crisis.
I POINT YOU TO EVERYTHING I HAVE WROTE PREVIOUSLY. WHAT LOAD OF RUBBISH THIS STATEMENT IS.
Many thanks, DS, for confirming everything I’ve written.
Too scared to use your real name, are you?
And you are very rude too.
By the way, the name’s Roe, not Rose. Low marks for attention to detail
Best,
Alex
PS Do you happen to work for a certain Mr B?
The fact that shocks me the more, being a girl, is the increase in the killing of women (“femminicidio”).
L’immagine alterata della donna oggetto che le televisioni di Silvio hanno introdotto per più di trent’anni nelle case degli italiani sicuramente ha contribuito in qualche modo a questa successsione angosciante di crimini. Non ho mai votato per lui ma per questo fatto ( che è ben più grave del disastro economico in cui ci ha lasciato ) non voterò mai più per lui e per nessun partito a lui alleato. Ciao
I don’t know how you think DS’s post confirms your contentions. I checked out the references, and they certainly appear to be legitimate and impartial. I personally have no horse in the Italian race for prime minister, just a love for and a curiosity about the country. But whether DS works for “Mr. B” or not, your reply did nothing to discredit his/her retort to your article.