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Why Silvio?Submitted by Ferdinando Giugliano on December 4, 2009 - 12:55 AM
Beppe Severgnini lists five possible reasons why Italians vote for Berlusconi, but leaves the ranking open. Any takers? Italians, the blog created on the Corriere della Sera website by one of the most famous Italian journalists, Beppe Severgnini, has turned eleven. Severgnini chose to celebrate his blog's birthday with a provocative article on the five reasons why he thinks Italians have chosen to elect Silvio Berlusconi again, again and again. The first reason he lists, called the Human Factor, has to do with the fact that Berlusconi is a national mirror, as Italians recognise some very familiar traits in him. This is a concept which Severgnini has also expressed elsewhere and which has caused much controversy, especially among the left-leaning intellectuals. This factor is linked to a second one, the Divine Factor, which suggests that Berlusconi has understood how Italians fundamentally are interested in being linked to the Church in order to feel less guilty. A different point is the third one, the Political Factor, which is, in a sense, the one common to most governments in the world. Severgnini says that many Italians actually agree with many of the Berlusconi government's policies, such as the Home Affairs Secretary's clampdown on clandestine immigrants or the reform of the university sector proposed by the Education Secretary. This positive view on the government is complemented by a negative view of the opposition. The fourth factor is the so-called Palio Effect, which takes his name from the famous Siena horse race where the main aim of each contrada (faction) is to prevent the rival contrada from winning. According to Severgnini, many Italians will do anything they can to prevent the left-wing parties from winning elections. If all the above four factors seem to make Berlusconi less of an Italian anomaly than one may think at first, the fifth, the TV Factor, is certainly more of an Italian peculiarity. As the Corriere journalist underlines, the great majority of Italians acquires information about the world on prime-time TV and through the news, where Berlusconi's influence is undeniable (particularly, Severgnini says, on what is NOT shown). The article is, in typical Severgnini style, clear, witty and provocative. The five factors (Human, Divine, Political, Palio and TV) all have some truth in them. The obvious follow-up question, though, is which weight one should give to each one of them This is a challenge which Severgnini does not explicitely consider, but one which the readers of this blog may want to take up. We invite our readers to submit blogs similar to those posted on the website by our researchers. If you have strong views about journalism and politics that you'd like to share, submit your writing to us by emailing janice.winter@axessjournalism.com Comments (20)
This is an interesting post and the challenge posed at the end can be rather revealing in what the apparent view of the Berlusconi phenomenon is to those interested in reading about it. Personally, I find it hard to rank the above factors unambiguously, for they are all intertwined. However, here is my (very personal) order:
1= Palio Effect; I have ranked three of them at the top as I could not decide which could be said to prevail. Mr. Berlusconi's aura of success and (undeniable) charm clearly helps some of his policies become attractive to a significant section of the electorate. The Palio effect caps this off perfectly: according to various government and PdL (Berlusconi's party) spokesmen, the Communist menace is lurking just around the corner and they will do everything in their power to prevent it from happening. The TV factor is difficult to rank for it has surely helped create and strengthen the top three factors in the past. However, Anna said something very true in her comment: centre-right voters are not going to be suddenly swung to the left just because of increased TV pluralism. At any rate, it is a significant factor today nonetheless, for news program surely shape viewers' perception of society. The Church factor used to be more relevant and has lost its appeal in the wake of recent sexual scandals involving Mr. Berlusconi.
Mr.B is e leader and he will rule till in Italy another bleader will take his place.All the critics are correct and is diffucult for non-italian to understand that such a compromise is better then over 40 years of non leadership.ciao
The majority of Italians are with Silvio Berlusconi because there is no alternative. Following the advice of a famous Italian journalist (Indro Montanelli), many of the voters cast their ballots for the Centre-right coalition grinning and bearing it.
I'll also have a go and say I agree with Daniele Sepe:
"1= Palio Effect; 1= Human Factor; 1= Agreement with Policies; I personally never voted the man, but know a lot of people who did and whose main reason is his supposed pragmatism and the fact that there's really no viable alternative. I understand where these people come from when they say this: the left is either spineless and divided in small factions who fight instead of creating a programme, or extreme and anachronistic. So, I think it's definitely also the left-wing parties' fault, for not providing an alternative with a vision and some appeal. The five reasons do make a lot of sense.
1) Palio Effect
2) TV 3) Agreement with Policies 4) TV;Human Factor 5) Church. If I may, I would give the "Palio effect" an enormous weight in the final balance of reasons. And in some way, I believe the reasons are intertwined: the TV had been for many years a mean in the hand of the main Parties, so when SB's alternative TV arrived, people felt very much freed. I believe that Italian people think too much in a dulaistic way: left-right, unlike UK or US does. They seem not capable of criticize a person or a law without bringing everything to their atavic hate respect the right or the left party. This way of thinking, I believe, is one of the main reason behind Berlusconi success at polls. Thank you for this interesting blog. One last thing: I am not a communist not a right wing person but I am very interested in the "Berlusconi-phenomenon". But of course, for Italian people, I am only a communist, therefore a hypocrite (see Italian left wing politics) and so on. Lucky me, I live in the UK and see all from a detached eye.
1) tv
2) human factor 3) palio 4) church 5) agreement with policies
1) Palio Effect
2) TV 3) Agreement with Policies - Human Factor 5) church
1) Palio Effect
2) TV 3) Human Factor 4) Church 5) Agreement w/ policies I should add, for clarity, that I am definitely against mr. Berlusconi, and I believe he is a disgrace to Italy. I put policies last because it is apparent that mr. Berlusconi has no policies. Lega Nord do have, and they are effectively driving the government; the only policy mr. Berlusconi consistently brings about is minding his own interest.
Human factor
There´s a bit of Berlusconi in each of us, the percentage of it varies from Italian to Italian, but none is immune. Who has never flirted with other women outside of marriage/relationship? Who has never tried to be funny and make a joke to ´break the ice´. The problem is that he wants to use these ´qualities´ in serious contexts, and nobody accepts that. But who´s more to blame, an hypocrite politician with a very serious surface paving his career after politics within a great gas company? (Schroeder-Gazprom) Berlusconi´s assets are even too much under the spotlight compared to other head of states and former head of states. Palio factor. Yes, this still matters. Italy unfortunately is still hostage of conflict right/left, fascist/communist. Out civil war (1943-1945) has never really ended. It was just quiescent during 50´s-60´s thanks to the booming economy and the start of a spreading wealth (commies were fingered as anti-freedom and Soviet Union friendly party) but exploded with the 70´s conflicts throughout the 80´s, 90´s till nowadays. We shouldn´t forget anyway that the communist past of certain local politicians ( the likes of D´Alema) would be embarassing in most Eastern European countries. The Italian PC, communist party, had a proved-right link with Soviet Union. We shall not forget what the world was before the fall of the wall. It will take some generations to overcome the prejudice towards leftist parties, especially till many of the former communists will still be in the game. TV It does matter for certain mid-low part of population. Italy is not strictly divided into classes like UK, but certain differences of education mark the distance. I would say that a typical Berlusconi voter whitin this factor is the Southern Italy lower education worker, either independent worker or little entrepreneur or artisan. Agreement with Policies This factor comes after the TV because I am sure not all voters agree with the policies, with most, but not with all. Many of his voters know it´s the price to pay not to make the ´commies´ rule the country and they accept. But Berlusconi gives the general impression that things are done (honestly, we shall admit: somehow L´Aquila earthquake victims have mostly returned into decent houses, do you remember Irpinia victims? Berice victims? Some of them are still living in containers! Some in prefabricated buildings, after 20-30 years! These houses seems to be decent and most of all built with seismic criterias...okei, some will object: it´s propaganda, it´s populism, it´s whatever...but for many Italians it was done, and they even get bothered by too much criticism: therefore we should have left them in the tents until all L´Aquila would have been rebuilt same as before??They will answer.) Church. I think the contradiction, the inconsistency of the situation is so evident to any intelligent human being, that this factor negligible. It just makes me laugh that he wants to protect the family as institution, as such. Probably if you would object him he has had 2 families, well, he will answer with a joke: well, you see? I love family, that´s why I made even 2! The religion factor affects the country in another way which is to complicated and brings the reasoning out of this discussion. In conclusion. Enzo Biagi, one of the greatest Italian journalists, said something about Mussolini that it is true and could be partly appliable to Berlusconi: in that historical moment Mussolini was the best at the eyes of many Italians. Of course opposition was silenced and confined (however brutality was not widespread and systematic as in Germany) but if Mussolini hadn´t joined the war, he would have died on his death bed celebrated as the greatest Italian statesman ever. Instead he was lynched dead by the same Italians who were cheering them. We are different from Anglo-Saxon and Nordic countries. Sorry for lenght, but the topic is complicated and fascinating. Regards, Angelo
1) tv
2) palio 3) human factor 4) church 5) agreement with policies
Italians vote Berlusconi because his party, unlike the Left, is capable of governing the country.
In fact, when the Left won the election in 2006 (by a majority of 20,000 voters, equivalent to 0,002% of the Italian electorate), how long they lasted? Barely two years and then they argued between themselves: Green against Commies against ex-Commies and the bluff of Mr Prodi's governement was called. Saying that,Severgnini is the typical politically correct darling of the Left, who want us to believe that Italians vote for Berlusconi because of the TV. Yeah right, when I am in Italy I hear only bad things about Berlusconi, even on his own channels... if you believe to Severgnini, you would think Italy is like the Soviet Union of the '70 but it is not. The fact is the Left in Italy is dead and Italians, being not stupid as Mr Severgnini wants us to believe, vote for the best option available.
Hi,this is my ordered list
1)Human factor, I think that a in many italian there is a lot ( and not a bit) of Berlusconi.
1)TV
2)Human factor 3)Agreement with policies 4)Palio 5)Church Tv is very strong in Italy. In a country in which people eat in front of the day news, it is very easy for Berlusconi to manipulate the masses.
1) 100% Palio effect
The last left-wing governments were such a disaster that most italians should vote everyone against left-wings parties, Mr. Berlusconi or Mr. Bean makes no difference.
1)TV
2)Church 3)Human factor 4)Agreement with Policies 5)Palio effect I do not think that one factor is much more important than the others, but I believe that TV and Church are a little more so.
Let me say, first, that I don't share Beppe Severgnini's analysis about Berlusconi's success. To say it all, I believe that some of his assertions are shamelessly propagandistic.
However, I want to play this game by the rules, so let me comment the "factors" in reverse order from the least to the most important. I would start from TV in this comment, and consider the other factors in other comments as I don't have, unfortunately, enought time to do it all at once (apologies). 5) TV: TV is highly - and often knowingly and cleverly - overrated as a factor of the steady success of Berlusconi. For sure, it was a key factor in his descent into the political arena in 1994. After the former governing parties had been wiped out by the "clean hands" investigations, nobody without such a vast and unchallenged access to media could have won the elections. In this respect, I evaluate this under a positive light from an historical standpoint: at that time it was the only mean to build a political alternative in Italy, which is an incredibly precious asset for any democracy. [1] source: audipress http://www.audipress.it/upload/Audip%202008_I%20DATI%20x%20sito.xls
1. Human factor
2. Agreement with Policies 3. TV 4. Palio 5. Church
Apologies for splitting my comment; I continue with my reverse-order ranking:
4) Agreement with policies. 3) Palio effect 2) Human factor 1) Church #1, 2 and 3 (i.e., church, human factor and palio effect) are linked to a two cultural attitudes of Italians, i.e., way-of-life traditionalism and anti-élitism. I have ranked "Church" as #1 not because Italians are particularly religious, but because the Church has a very strong symbolic value. The Roman Catholic Church represent what a vast majority of Italians hold as a firm belief, that is, the intrinsic superiority of their way of life as compared with any other in the world. This is a very strong and deep cultural undercurrent in Italy, and I'm surprised that not many commentators and scholars have investigated it in depth.
I believe one fundamental aspect has been overlooked so far. That is, the fact that opposition parties simply don't seem to be able to get along.
Since Mr. Berlusconi entered the political arena, 15 years ago, several candidates have been put forward by different parties in order to challenge his premiership. None of them succeeded because sooner or later they all lost support from part of their own coalition. As a result, left-wing governemnts have long been marked by ineffectiveness and immobility. It seems clear to me that Italian people, when it comes to choosing some government policy, whatever that may be (represented by Mr. Berlusconi) or no policy at all (represented by opposition parties), favour the former. In addition, the incapability of the left-wing political elìte to take responsible action against Mr. Berlusconi has led to a radicalization of politics. The results of this shift can be observed in the rampant increase of populism, the increase in political animosity, and the creation of factions (correnti) within opposition parties. In the end, my answer to the question "Would you like to know why Mr. Belrusconi, despite everything, is still in power?" is that there were no viable alternatives. PS: I don't think the political situation in Italy will be any more stable once Berlusconi leaves politics. In fact, I think it will only get worse. Post a CommentPlease allow some time for our editors to approve your comment after posting. |
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1) Palio effect: 30%. The Italian left still reminds of the old Comunist Party, maybe not in the ideas but in the attitude; the majority of Italians would rather vote for Mickey Mouse than for them.
2) Agreement with policies: 25%. There are many people in Italy who don't want immigration, want the government employees to work harder, etc. Also, Berlusconi's government is able to pass laws very quickly due to the very low level of debate within his majority. That's why things get done (you might agree or not on those things, but they get done).
3) TV: 20%. It does count but I don't think that Berlusconi's voters would change their mind so easily if the untold things that are written on Repubblica were shot out in TG1 at 8 pm. A lot of things are very well known already but many people seem to just don't care.
4) Human factor: 15%. The man looks cool and successful to many who would like to be like him.
5) Church: 10%. He is not against the Catholic Church, which is a necessary condition to be in power in Italy. Those who care about his actual behavior are not enough to make hm change, and in any case they think the alternative is even worse.
Posted by Anna Missiaia on December 4, 2009 - 10:07 AM