"Civil War" Breaks out in Italian Government

Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's Prime Minister and richest man, appears to have some trouble with his political ally Gianfranco Fini, the Speaker of the lower house of parliament. Mr. Berlusconi's family owns the newspaper Il Giornale, which just ran an editorial attacking Mr. Fini. The new editor of the newspaper, Vittorio Feltri, wrote addressing Mr Fini directly, "You are being used by the Left. Turn back to the Right, otherwise you risk becoming even more ridiculous than you have often appeared in recent times." Mr. Fini's supporters are livid, and opposition leaders are talking about "the beginning of the end" of Mr. Berlusconi's government.

In the interests of full disclosure, this journal doesn't like Mr. Berlusconi one little bit. His manipulation of the Italian media and of Italian law to prevent legal actions against him undermine the fabric of the Italian Republic. His character and behavior undermine the credibility of the Right in Italy. In short, this journal has nothing against the conservatives in Italy, just a great deal against a man whose character makes him ill-suited to lead the country.

Mr. Berlusconi made light of the editorial. He said that he was unaware of the editorial in advance of its publication, and he dissociated himself from it. He added, "everything is fine with Fini -- there are no tensions." Mr. Fini doesn't agree. "Everything is not fine," he replied. He also said, there are "political problems Berlusconi cannot hide."

Something more is going on here, though. The Catholic daily Avvenire put out a similar editorial a week or so ago claiming that Mr. Fini was a homosexual with a police record. The editor, Dino Boffo, had to resign as a result, but the Berlusconi-Fini relationship took a hit. This new attack is salt in the wounds. And why would certain parts of the Right go after Mr. Fini?

Mr. Fini is the former leader of the Alleanza Nazionale, the "post-Fascist" party that faintly veiled its admiration of Mussolini. It merged with Mr. Berlusconi's Forza Italia to form the ruling People of Liberty [PdL] party. Since becoming Speaker, he has been a bit more responsible. He has apologized repeatedly to Israel for the Italian participation in the Holocaust, and has moved away from Mussolini's legacy. This repositioning has made him a likely successor to Mr. Berlusconi, who will turn 73 this month; Mr. Fini is 57. It appears that some on the Right aren't quite comfortable with the possibility.

The Italian Left is following the advice of Napoleon, doing nothing while its enemies are busy making mistakes. The newspaper Corriere della Sera, which backed the center-left in the 2008 general election, stated, 'The downward curve of Berlusconi has begun, though it is unclear how long it will take and where it will end.' One can only hope the end comes quickly.

© Copyright 2009 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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