That Uncertain Italian Referendum
The upcoming Italian referendum is causing considerable kerfuffle here in Italy. The voices of the for and against factions are growing ever louder as the December date of the constitutional reform referendum nears. Opposition to Italy’s constitutional reforms is basically two fold. Some question the substance of the reform, while others wonder what lies behind. Of […]
Results: Italy Elections 2013
Well, the result is, er, no conclusive result. No single political party or coalition earned enough votes to form a working majority and it’s not looking as if the three main groups, the Bersani and Berlusconi coalitions and Beppe Grillo’s Five Star Movement group are likely to want to jump into bed with one another […]
No Ordinary Election for Italy
Next weekend Italy votes. This is no ordinary election, and even if many Italians may not realize it, nor care, many from beyond Italy’s borders will be waiting with baited breath for the outcome. The shadow of Berlusconi looms large, but there are newcomers too, such as Beppe Grillo and his 5 Star Movement, and then […]
Will Italy End Up Being Run by the Bunga Bunga Movement?
When Italians start voting on 24–25 February 2013, they will have no less than 169 parties to choose from, perhaps a few more! One of the parties in the running is the Bunga Bunga Movement. Yesterday, the party logos, actually logos for electoral lists, numbering a grand total of 219, were approved or excluded by Italy’s […]
Turning Round La Brutta Figura
Italy is a very image conscious country – just wander down any Italian street and you will see beautiful shops and elegantly dressed passers by. The places and people are examples of ‘la bella figura’ – which means ‘creating the right impression’. The opposite of the ‘bella’ version is ‘la brutta figura’, which is similar […]