Berlusconi facing government collapse (And an election)

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=5693169&cKey=1113742241000

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's government urged rebel ministers to return to the cabinet on Sunday to avert a collapse that would force elections that Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi would likely lose.

The future of Berlusconi's centre-right government has been in doubt since the centrist Union of Christian Democrats (UDC) walked out on Friday demanding sweeping policy changes after the coalition suffered heavy losses at a regional election.

If Berlusconi cannot coax the UDC back with promises of new measures to boost the ailing economy and help poorer Italians, he has said he will dissolve the government, forcing a general election a full year ahead of schedule.

Interior Minister Giuseppe Pisanu, who is reportedly already preparing for an election that could be held as early as June, said the crisis "could get more complicated unless common sense, good will and good faith come into play soon".

more

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. I think the US is going to be like Italy soon

The big difference is that Italy has rarely ever had a functioning government. The amazing thing is that their society continues to function despite itself. I think the same thing is happening here. That's why I don't expect a big economic crash or marital law or anything like that. At this point when really bad things happen, most of the country doesn't even notice. The wheel of life just keeps turning.

[Mr_Spock]

2. "marital law" - hehe - yeah, keep 'em out of our personal lives!

:D

[TahitiNut]

4. "Italy has rarely ever had a functioning government"?

Nonsense. If anything, it demonstrates that their 'government' is extremely flexible and able to continue functioning despite wholesale replacement of the political "leadership".

The language in this story should neither be taken literally nor equated to the American notion of "government." In the (European parliamentary) sense of the story, "government" is the array of ministers and appointees from the last winning coalition who take over the reins of a team of horses that know very well how to keep pulling the wagon of state along the road. "Berlesconi's government" has nothing to do with the Judiciary and a little to do with the Legislature. It has everything to do with the authority to head up the Executive Branch functions, but not to perform them ... the bureaus and agencies just keep working along. The sole impact on the Legislature is the requirement that elections will be held and a new Executive coalition will be formed.

The working people of Italy have another very attractive "habit" - the ability and willingness to call a National Strike when they've had enough bullshit and want to force improvements in their equity.

[DoYouEverWonder]

5. Italy wasn't even really a country

until all the city states formed a unified republic in the 1900's.

What this demonstrates is that their 'society' is extremely flexible and able to continue functioning despite wholesale replacement of the political "leadership".

[TahitiNut]

6. The United States wasn't even really a country ...

... until all the states formed a unified republic in the ... oh, wait, they haven't yet. The states still maintain a great deal of autonomy. :silly:

According to Italy's constitution, executive power lies with the cabinet, and legislative powers are vested in a parliament consisting of a 630-member chamber of deputies and a 315-member senate. Except for a few life members of the senate (including former presidents and some prominent citizens nominated by the president), both houses are elected directly by universal adult suffrage for 5-year terms unless dismissed earlier. In 1993, the parliament, responding to public pressure after revelations of widespread political corruption, voted to abolish the party-oriented electoral system, replacing it with one in which most seats will be filled by candidates who have won the most votes in individual constituencies, regardless of party. The president of the republic is head of state and is elected to a renewable 7-year term by a joint session of Parliament and three delegates from each of the regional legislatures. Executive power rests with the council of ministers (cabinet) headed by the prime minister appointed by the president. The council is responsible to Parliament. Each of the 20 regions has an elected council, a president, and a "giunta regionale" that exercises executive power and is responsible to the regional council. Five of the regions (Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Sardinia, Sicily, Trentino-Alto Adige, and Valle d'Aosta) are granted special autonomous status by the constitution. The principal political parties of the post-World War II era-- the Christian Democratic party, the Communist party, and the Socialist party--all lost support in the early 1990s, largely as a result of the political corruption scandals of 1992 and 1993. In national elections held under the new electoral rules in late March 1994, the old centrist parties gave way to new groupings. An alliance of Forza Italia, the Northern League, and a neo-Fascist National Alliance made heavy gains, and Forza Italia leader Silvio BERLUSCONI became premier of the unstable coalition. Centrist parties included the Pact for Italy and the Popular party composed of former Christian Democrats. Parties on the left included the Democratic Party of the Left (a renamed Communist party) and a hard-line Communist Refounding. Other political groups include the Greens and an anti-Mafia La Rete.

http://www.bardotti.com/italy1.htm

[rpannier]

7. It Unified

In the 1840's

[Frederik]

8. Exactly. In Europe

government = cabinet

[Ratty]

14. My friend told me this once

She was a foreign exchange student in Italy many years ago. One day she heard on the radio that the government "collapsed" and she was terrified. Her Italy mom just laughed and said the government there was "collapsing" all the time and not to be worried about it.

[saigon68]

3. Another Bush Butt Boy Bites the dust

[displacedtexan]

9. Yep.

Karma. Bites. Ass. Ouch.

[rodeodance]

10. so far, Aussie, US and Canada have voted up their Iraqi war presidents

Also execetp Spain==maybe Iraly will go the way of spain. I do not think so with the Brits though.

[RFKHumphreyObama]

12. Canada wasn't involved in the war in Iraq

And Prime Minister Jean Chretien, who was Prime Minister of Canada during the second Persian Gulf War, is now retired. His successor, Paul Martin, has won an election but to my knowledge has not supported the war in Iraq even though he is perceived as significantly more pro-American than his predecessor. In a television interview in 2003, just after taking office, he gave an interview stating that he thought it was the right decision not to become involved in the war with Iraq.

Its worthwhile pointing out that Prime Minister Howard, the Australian Prime Minister, wasn’t re-elected because of his position on Iraq but more because he ran a scare campaign on interest rates and the economy and also due to other domestic issues. Australia still remains overwhelmingly opposed to the war in Iraq and also very suspicious of US foreign policy under *
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200503/s1332689.htm

[Judi Lynn]

11. Do you think they'll have room for him at the ranch?

[cliss]

15. Gotta love that smile! For a current update,

see the thread right here in LBN with a photo of the little Danny De Vito look-alike praying. If you look closely, his face is lumpy, skin is pasty-pale white. His eyes are closed. His hands are folded together, and he looks like he's praying for a miracle.

(tries to feel sorry for him). Well - he should have known. When you're friends with Bush, you pay and pay and pay and pay. Don't expect any support, once they turn on you. Ask Maria Jose Aznar about that. If Danny had called me, I would have told him.

Berlusconi: So, what you think. I should go with Boosh? He's offered me a lot of money, stock options and preferred stock with Exxon, even Arbusto (never heard of it, but it sounds good!).

Cliss: Don't bother, Danny. Bush is only using you. He's desperate to find some cronies in his ill-hatched plot to invade Iraq. I know he's promised you a bunch of money, but don't count on it. The US economy might collapse from this.

[Judi Lynn]

18. You're right. He doesn't even look like either Berlusconi or Danny!

It's on Ribofunk's post. He looks really, really desperate:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1396597#1397210

Every time U.S. papers carry his photo he's off on a political/financial improvement date with _Bush and trying to pass himself off as Bush's good ol' pal, just here for the rip roarin' fun with the nation's Imbecile-in-Chief.

[cliss]

19. That's the one!

Thanks, Judi. I still don't know how to link threads here on the DU.

Yes, Silvio looks quite sweaty there.

[Judi Lynn]

20. To link threads, go to the top of the page

to the area where all the posts are listed together by subject lines, then click on the specific post you want to link, and it will zip into view, with its own URL in your address line, where you can copy and paste it into the message.

Hope we see a few MORE of these mutants praying before they ALL leave town. :woohoo:

[DeaconBlues]

22. Too bad the biggest culprits - Bush and Blair - will probably keep their

jobs for the time being. I guess we have to be happy with small victories.

[confludemocrat]

13. Whoo hoo he's going down!

The instant he reversed himself on the withdrawal issue he was dead meat. As Blair will be too.

[natrat]

17. when he reversed himself on italy's withdrawal from iraq after

the murder attempt of the journalist he was screwed. What a moron, he could have hung on, unfortunately

[Henny Penny]

16. Hurrah...

At last some good news! All we need now is for Charlie Kennedy to perform a miracle.


:party: :party: :party:

[saigon68]

21. kick