Italy Must be Broken Up , Says Berlusconi's Wife

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 4-26-2008 | Malcolm Moore

[blam]

Italy must be broken up, says Berlusconi's wife

By Malcolm Moore in Rome
Last Updated: 1:37am BST 26/04/2008

Silvio Berlusconi's wife added her voice yesterday to the growing calls for Italy to be partitioned.

In an interview with La Stampa, Veronica Lario, 51, said: "Italy has never been well-suited to being a single country, and has never matured enough to become one. There is no longer any value in a unified Italy."

Silvio Berlusconi with his wife. Cabinet posts may go to the Northern League, which wants independence from Italy’s South

Ms Lario, a former showgirl, married Italy's prime minister-elect 18 years ago after catching his eye on a television show. Since then, she has rarely courted publicity, but does run Il Foglio, an influential newspaper.

The prospect of a devolved Italy has grown significantly in recent weeks since the Northern League, a secessionist party, won strong support in the general election.

Umberto Bossi, its volcanic leader, has repeatedly threatened to "take up arms" against the "corrupt" politicians in Rome who divert the wealth of Italy's North to the impoverished South.

Ms Lario disclosed that she was a fan of Mr Bossi and added it was time for Italy to stop being "snobbish" about the League, whose politicians are frequently coarse and populist.

advertisement "This is a disillusioned country, even after Berlusconi's victory," she said. "The League expresses concrete demands from the most productive part of Italy, which is tired of dragging the rest of the country and does not find itself represented by the Left-wing."

Mr Berlusconi, who will find it difficult to maintain a majority in parliament without the League's support, is likely to make Mr Bossi a cabinet minister. He could also appoint Roberto Calderoli, Mr Bossi's second-in-command, as deputy prime minister.

In the past, Mr Calderoli has called for immigrants to be shot in their boats and for a national pork-eating day to defy Islam.

"If the people have voted for Mr Calderoli," said Ms Lario, "that gives him credibility".

[Clemenza]

Crestwood? NE Yonkers? Steven Tallarico, er, Tyler grew up in the latter.

My point was that the folks in Chappaqua and Irvington, to say nothing of Scarsdale, have always looked down on Yonkers.

FWIW: Folks on the North Shore of Long Island always looked down on use South Shorites, even though I grew up in a town considerably more charming than Roslyn.

[angcat]

Our section was called “North End” close to the Hastings line. North Broadway and Untermeyer Park now innindated with third world.

Just busting your chops Clemenza

[exit82]

Give her the boot!

[angcat]

http://www.pellegrinlowend.com/untermyer.html

[Clemenza]

I know the area well, as the old croton aqueduct runs right through there.

[airborne]

I’d like it if the United States went back to being a collection of strong States with a weak federal government.

We’d eventually end up with wealthy, conservative states and struggling liberal, welfare states.

Then maybe we’d get around to that conservative government you (and I) desire.

[angcat]

Now I’m reading about Son of Sam. See how great Yonkers is!

[rmlew]

Upstate NY is essentially Rust belt. Between the loss of industry, the decline of the Erie Canal, and high taxes, they're screwed.
As for Italy, Unless they secede from Eurabia, what does it matter it the north secedes from Lazio, Naples and Sicily?

[chs68]

"Italy Must be Broken Up , Says Berlusconi's Wife"

I know Italians are supposed to be quite emotional and all that.

But what has happened to cause all of Italy to get so emotional and broken up.

Did I miss something??