Berlusconi is not just another rightwinger; he is a threat to democracy

Guardian ^ | 07/05/03 | Martin Jacques

[Pukin Dog]

I love the guy.

[Southack]

"Certainly the populist far-right has poisoned public discourse ..."

Now that's some serious arrogance!

The Left **ASSASSINATED** Pim Fortyun and called President Bush a NAZI, but Berluscoini makes one single **joke** and all of a sudden it is the Right that has "poisoned public discourse"?!

Oh please...

[Guillermo]

It's ok for their lefty politicians to compare Bush to Hitler...they do it all the time.

But when someone does it to them, they freak out.

[Malesherbes]

If memory serves, Martin Jacques was (and may still be)editor of a publication called Marxism Today. His attempts to argue that Communism was not bad in principle, but only badly implemented, have had a sympathetic hearing on the British left.

[once upon a time]

I guess the author had nothing against the unstable communist governments Italy has had since WWII. For a while there they were changing governments as often as I change my socks.

[Cicero]

The intolerant left can't stomach the idea that even one European country should be run by a conservative.

[marron]

Martin Jacques was indeed editor of Marxism Today. Which adds some flavor to his line attacking Berlusconi: "He describes the left as "communists" under whom "there would be no freedom in Italy."

Yes. His attackers, certainly including this particular attacker, are Communists. Under them there would be no freedom. Period.

[witnesstothefall]

The erosion of alternative logics.

You really gotta admire the Left's ability to BS sometimes.

[1rudeboy]

Bingo. This author bemoans the death of democracy that has seen 50 governments in 50 years. (I fudge, but what's the difference?)

[Burkeman1]

When an article labels a self described gay hedonist like Pim Fortyun who was against muslem immigration (before he was gunned down by a Leftist) because they are too socially conservative for Europe as a "far right racist" then one can pretty much dismiss the entire article.

[GulliverSwift]

I failed to read anything in the article which would enabled one to characterize Burlusconi as "right-wing."

A convenient fact which the Guardian refuses to acknowledge is that Italy did not support the action in Iraq which the "nazi" Bush had been urging. Sounds really fascistic to me.

[McGavin999]

For the first time, in I don't know how long, Italy has a real man at the helm. For a nation known for producing some of the most masculine men, they have had some pretty wimpy leaders. Italy can be proud of Silvio.

[7DayRepo]

The Guardian is what we like to call a contrarian indicator for American conservatives.

For them to come out and smear Berlusconi like this must mean he's doing a great job getting under the skin of the Left.

[StriperSniper]

But when someone does it to them, they freak out.

That's because the truth hurts.

a degenerate form of democracy: a halfway state between democracy and a new form of totalitarianism

Sounds like the EU to me.

[StriperSniper]

I was trying to figure out what that meant.

[epow]

A convenient fact which the Guardian refuses to acknowledge is that Italy did not support the action in Iraq which the "nazi" Bush had been urging

I thought Italy did support us in Iraq. Not with troops, but with political support from the government at least.

[gcruse]

Somebody thinks somebody else is bad for socialism.
It is amazing to see a right-winger re-elected in
Italy...actually, Italy has had the most fractured
electorate since the end of the War. To see continuity
is more shocking than its nature. As Harry Truman's wife
told a reporter who complained at the President's use of
'manure,' "Be grateful. It took me forever to get him to say 'manure.'"