Italian Minister Denies Call to Fire on Immigrants or Umberto Bossi Caves

MSNBC ^ | 6/16/2003 | Reuters

[traditionalist]

A senior minister in the Italian government said on Monday his remarks had been misinterpreted after he was quoted as saying the navy should fire on boats carrying illegal immigrants to Italy's shores.

[traditionalist]

Bossi has caved. I knew the stories that the Italians were getting serious about illegals were too good to be true.

[traditionalist]

ping

[Chad Fairbanks]

Darn... I was hoping he had said it...

[decimon]

Bossi has caved. I knew the stories that the Italians were getting serious about illegals were too good to be true.

In politics you often get the lesser for threatening the greater. If you want a 5% tax hike then threaten a 15% tax hike. That will draw in all the usual suspects to negotiate a 5% tax hike to the relief of the taxpayers.

Maybe Bossi did cave or maybe he's trying to force some more limited response to the problem.

[Tancredo Fan]

Hmmm.... miserable pansies.

[traditionalist]

Good point. Bossi's outburst was in reaction to the fact that the Berlusconi government was failing to enforce stricter immigration laws passed by parliament eariler. Perhaps the remarks are his way of letting Berlusconi know that he will pull the Northern League out of the governing coalition, thereby brining it down, if it fails to deliver on enforcement.

[decimon]

Bossi's outburst was in reaction to the fact that the Berlusconi government was failing to enforce stricter immigration laws passed by parliament eariler. Perhaps the remarks are his way of letting Berlusconi know that he will pull the Northern League out of the governing coalition, thereby brining it down, if it fails to deliver on enforcement.

Or Berlusconi for some reason can't act unless cast as a moderate to Bossi's radical.

Am I a tad cynical?

[traditionalist]

Yes, Berlusconi and Bossi may be doing a good cop/bad cop routine.

[Regulator]

The Saints just opened up the Camp.

[ffusco]

Dang! I knew it was too good to be true. What's new ToRo?

[DCBurgess58]

I think ministers should stick to delivering sermons and marrying people and stuff like that. While it is nice that he wishes to offer the imigrants his church's cannon, I don't think he should be getting involved in politics. Well, I've got some cartoons I gotta watch now, buh-bye

[traditionalist]

In the parliamentary system, government officials are called ministers. You know, like prime minister, minister of finance, minister of culture, etc.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

Australia's handling of illegal immigration is the way to go. They refuse entry to any boat filled with "migrants", and they make life miserable for those that manage to get in.

But at least Italy recognizes there's a problem. That's far more than our government is willing to do. All we hear about are those "cultural and historical" reasons why we have to look the other way.

[DCBurgess58]

Hmmmmmmmmmm... could I have been joking around? Might I know that Tony Blair is not Prime Minister of the Church of England? Hmmmmmmmmmm... maybe!

[traditionalist]

could I have been joking around?

I don't get the joke.