NYTimes Ian Fisher's point of View on Italian Politics---commented

thank you for your answer again
I can say that Prodi has made himself richer than Berlusconi on this system without creating new jobs or new companies, but selling them out at extremely cheap prices.
What do you think of the new idea that Berlusconi is bringing up? A joint coalition on 15 topics with the Democratic party and whoever else wants to join in to change Italy.... Praise of Folly or pure Uthopia?
----- Messaggio originale -----Da: Ian Fisher A: Giuseppe Liberati Inviato: Lunedì 4 febbraio 2008, 21:10:08Oggetto: RE: NULL
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i actually agree with everything you said. i just think two things: 1) berlusconi is an unusual case. 2) he may be the least likely to make any change. he got very rich on this current system. it suits him.
but your observations are, sadly, on the money.
best, ian
From: Giuseppe Liberati [mailto:gili_bauco@yahoo.it] Sent: Monday, February 04, 2008 8:26 PMTo: Ian FisherSubject: Re: NULL
Dear Mr. Fisher

Depends of what problems? He started with the new infrastructures (highways tunnels and trains) after more than 40 years of complete inaction!
Anyhow, I'm sure enough that no politician will ever attack those "sacred" places that can supply votes.
Mr. Fini would never touch deep in the Public employees or in Alitalia; Mr. Casini either... For sure it won't do that Mr. Prodi (I'm sure you know what he did at IRI!!!!) neither Mr. Veltroni (check Lega Cooperative and the BNL affaire!!!!) Unless we consider that downselling some of the Italian Companies to foreign investors is the key role of a good politician!

By the way, what is Mr. Sarkozy doing in France? He is promising changes but in reality is keeping things as they have always been.... Anyhow, he is praised almost everywhere around the World.

So the only thing left is to hope for a change of the complete ruling class. Is that likely to happen? I don't think so.

Either we accept that Italy is a stable and acknowledged anarchy or we hope for something to change. Change, from my point of view, can only occur if a governement is stable in power and brings forth a program to ease and loose some of the Italian Knots.
(e.g. Universities; Infrastructures to ease the Logistics; Smoothen the Burocracy; Play a Key International Role)

By the way, I know that you are not Italian however, is aggravating to always read in the International Newspapers that the CenterRight is unfit for ruling the country, and that only the CenterLeft is entitled to do so.... and once they are in power they fail to fulfill their assignment.

Don't get me wrong, but we as Italians deserve better rulers than Berlusconi or Prodi or Veltroni, but there is no one else in the race capable of giving a new look to a sader and sader country!

Greetings

Giuseppe Joe
----- Messaggio originale -----Da: Ian Fisher A: Giuseppe Liberati Inviato: Lunedì 4 febbraio 2008, 18:25:21Oggetto: RE: NULL
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i ask this not as a prodi fan or a reflexive berlusconi hater (im not italian), but do you really think berlusconi will attack those economic problems you mentioned below? i didnt see so much evidence of it in his five years in office. i speak regularly even with his political supporters and they dont think so either. they just cant free themselves of him.
From: Giuseppe Liberati [mailto:gili_bauco@yahoo.it] Sent: Monday, February 04, 2008 6:07 PMTo: Ian FisherSubject: Re: NULL
Mr. Fisher

first of all thank you for your answer. I fully agree that our center right is not yet the ideal one. However, plenty of examples show that the tendency of every rightist movement is towards a strong leading personality.
I live in France and Mr. Sarkozy is the best example of such tendency. Mrs Merkel put her personality in the game in Germany; in South Korea is a Lee Myung Bak a business man that takes on the challange of improving a country and lead to the reunification.

Personally, I consider Mr. Berlusconi the least appealing of the politicians, however, his personality has created the divide in the Italian Politics that lead to a majority and an opposition. Such condition never been present in the Italian parliament since the end of WWII.

What can we hope, at this time? Well, I did launch a forum on Facebook: improve the Electoral law and spend the upcoming months is never-ending discussions or attack the economic problems that overshadow the Italian infrastructures and society?

I would enjoy reading analyses from your preferential point of view as outsider that investigates, more than add some blurs to an already extremely blurred situation.

Kind regards

Giuseppe Joe Liberati
----- Messaggio originale -----Da: Ian Fisher A: gili_bauco@yahoo.itInviato: Lunedì 4 febbraio 2008, 15:10:03Oggetto: RE: NULLMr. Liberati: A fair note. However, the article on that particular day wasless about the center-left, which I have written about ad naseum and whichpassed away two full weeks ago, than about the possibility that berlusconireturns. Believe me, I understand very well why people hate the center left(which I don't think I am beholden to). But I wouldn't feel so certainforeign reporters don't take the time to understand Italy. There seems to mealso an article about why Italy does not have a real or modern center-right,but rather what one not-very-liberal US ambassador here called, "a cult ofpersonality." Thanks for the note. Ian -----Original Message-----From: gili_bauco@yahoo.it [mailto:gili_bauco@yahoo.it] Sent: Monday, February 04, 2008 3:03 PMTo: FISHERI@nytimes.comSubject: FW: NULLGood morning Mr. Fisher, I'm so surprised to read your article on theItalian situation. First of all, instead of analyzing what has reallyhappened in Italy under Mr. Prodi's ruling, you start by describing Mr.Berlusconi as the most negative person in the Italian politics. We are allsick of the lack of ideas and of vision that the center-left has beensetting forth. The main goal is to control the institutions and let Italy beslaughtered by either the workers' unions or by foreign interests (Mr.Prodi's CV stand by itself as a pure example of my previous statement). Ihave lived in the US in France and in Germany, however, I'm astonished howforeign journalists never spend the time in Italy to undertstand theItalians but just reports what most of the Italian Newspapers who aresupporters of the center left. Please dedicate more time to investigationand less to the comfortable Center-Left Italian think tank! GreetingsGiuseppe Joe Liberati