Italy 2013: The official thread

[Keystone Phil]

The election gets front page coverage...in Philadelphia (thanks to hometown favorite Berardi). Ignore the other headline (in the top right).

[DC Al Fine]

Obviously Berlusconi is the best leader Italy has had in the post war era

/troll

[Gary J]

How about Alcide De Gasperi for the best post war Italian Prime Minister prize? Founder of the Christian Democratic Party and Prime Minister from 1945 until 1953.

I would suggest that the challenges De Gasperi faced were greater than those of his successors. He seems to have been remarkably successful compared to those who came before and after him.

[Keystone Phil]

Just to be clear, the original comment wasn't about the greatest post war PM; he was saying in more recent times. 

[Antonio the Sixth]

Yeah, I think it's pretty clear that all of Italy's best postwar PMs were in the 1st Republic. And even then, only a few of those really qualifies as decent when you account for things like corruption etc.

[DL]

Considering how long Berlusconi served and the other options, you really don't have anyone else to label as the best so that really isn't saying much.

Oh come on - surely the absolute GREATEST Italian PM of all time has to be the dynamic, charismatic Giulio Andreotti!! He even got charged with murder and got off on a technicality and was apparently very actively involved in the Mafia!

I think it almost goes without saying that Italy really has the most low quality political leaders of any western democracy. 

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Correction: he got off from all kinds of charges on what amounted to some kind of hilarious parade of technicalities...

[DL]

Some would say that Italy has been in decline since the end of the Florentine Renaissance. Hard to imagine that the country that gave the world everyone from Machiavelli to Gramsci is now symbolized by political leaders like Andreotti the murderer and Berlusconi the child rapist.

[Antonio the Sixth]

According to EMG leaks, undecideds are still over 15%.

[Andrea]

According to EMG leaks, undecideds are still over 15%.

how many "won't vote"?
If the "won't vote" is not high, I would guess that some of those claiming to be undecides 6 days before polling day won't turn out.
In 2008 turnout was 80%. I think it will drop this time

[Antonio the Sixth]

From what I remember, abstention was polling around 25%...

[Andrea]

From what I remember, abstention was polling around 25%...

they sound about right. So the 15% of don't know should decide at one point.

[SPQR]

Oscar Giannino,the leader of Fare-Fermare Il Declino (neo-liberal party polling at 2%) apparently had in his CV a Master from the University of Chicago...which he never actually received.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Oscar Giannino,the leader of Fare-Fermare Il Declino (neo-liberal party polling at 2%) apparently had in his CV a Master from the University of Chicago...which he never actually received.

Not being from the Chicago School of Economics is a big plus in my opinion.

[SPQR]

Oscar Giannino,the leader of Fare-Fermare Il Declino (neo-liberal party polling at 2%) apparently had in his CV a Master from the University of Chicago...which he never actually received.

Not being from the Chicago School of Economics is a big plus in my opinion.

Supporting their ideas and claiming to have gotten a master there when it's not true,is not that big a plus

[Iannis]

Some would say that Italy has been in decline since the end of the Florentine Renaissance. Hard to imagine that the country that gave the world everyone from Machiavelli to Gramsci is now symbolized by political leaders like Andreotti the murderer and Berlusconi the child rapist.

Andreotti the murderer and Berlusconi the child rapist?  Are you smoking some pot?

[MaxQue]

Some would say that Italy has been in decline since the end of the Florentine Renaissance. Hard to imagine that the country that gave the world everyone from Machiavelli to Gramsci is now symbolized by political leaders like Andreotti the murderer and Berlusconi the child rapist.

Andreotti the murderer and Berlusconi the child rapist?  Are you smoking some pot?

Well, Andreotti was involved in some murder mafia and some of the bunga-bugna guests were allegedly minors.

[Iannis]

Some would say that Italy has been in decline since the end of the Florentine Renaissance. Hard to imagine that the country that gave the world everyone from Machiavelli to Gramsci is now symbolized by political leaders like Andreotti the murderer and Berlusconi the child rapist.

Andreotti the murderer and Berlusconi the child rapist?  Are you smoking some pot?

Well, Andreotti was involved in some murder mafia and some of the bunga-bugna guests were allegedly minors.

Nobody was blamed of rape and Andreotti was guilty of contacts with mafia in '70s but cleared of all accusations about mafia murder (Percorelli's homicide)

[MaxQue]

Some would say that Italy has been in decline since the end of the Florentine Renaissance. Hard to imagine that the country that gave the world everyone from Machiavelli to Gramsci is now symbolized by political leaders like Andreotti the murderer and Berlusconi the child rapist.

Andreotti the murderer and Berlusconi the child rapist?  Are you smoking some pot?

Well, Andreotti was involved in some murder mafia and some of the bunga-bugna guests were allegedly minors.

Nobody was blamed of rape and Andreotti was guilty of contacts with mafia in '70s but cleared of all accusations about mafia murder (Percorelli's homicide)

True, but do you really want to argue they have good morals or are appropriate role models?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I suppose an argument exists that convicting someone for having Pecorelli bumped off wouldn't be in the public interest anyway.

Not that I would agree, hasten to add, but his story does work as a cautionary tale...

[Keystone Phil]

The video rental store up the street from me is going out of business so I figured I'd stop by to buy Il Divo. Unfortunately, they didn't have it anymore. I then went a half hour out of my way to another location that did have it because of all of this Andreotti talk around here.

Anyway, 15% undecided? Oh, man...

[Franknburger]

So, corruption is becoming a key issue for the election and the vote. Is this typical for Italian elections over the last decade or so ("let's throw some mud at the opponent, but continue with 'business as usual' after the election")? Or does the debate have a new quality, in the sense that some contenders are bringing up approaches and strategies to effectively tackle the problem?

How influential will the corruption issue be on the overall vote, in relation to other issues like, e.g., taxes, unemployment, social security, or refugees / immigration?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The video rental store up the street from me is going out of business so I figured I'd stop by to buy Il Divo. Unfortunately, they didn't have it anymore. I then went a half hour out of my way to another location that did have it because of all of this Andreotti talk around here.

Anyway, 15% undecided? Oh, man...

It's a great film, so that's entirely understandable.

[Keystone Phil]

The video rental store up the street from me is going out of business so I figured I'd stop by to buy Il Divo. Unfortunately, they didn't have it anymore. I then went a half hour out of my way to another location that did have it because of all of this Andreotti talk around here.

Anyway, 15% undecided? Oh, man...

It's a great film, so that's entirely understandable.

My favorite.

[Keystone Phil]

Decent resource for foreigners - http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-19/italy-s-bersani-may-need-post-vote-deal-with-monti-scenarios.html


Polls are open from 8 AM to 10 PM on February 24th and from 7 AM to 3 PM on February 25th. The first exit polls will be published as the polls close which will be at 9 AM Eastern.

As the article notes, the exit polls were terribly inaccurate (underestimating the center-right) as the polls closed in 2006 and 2008.