Actually one did. Francesco Zanfardino on Agoravox Webiste (you can read the article here ) tells us that Berlin was the first capital to switch to digital TV. Moreover Germany, Holland, Sweden, Finland and Luxemburg are entirely covered by digital TV.
What can we say? Not much about Italian mass media. Something more about the web. The information are just there, we should only have the goodwill to go through them.
It is evening. On air an Italian show “otto e mezzo” featuring Italian minister for tourism Maria Vittoria Brambilla. The title is “BERLUSCONI INTERNATIONAL” and the aim to find out if there is a true conspiracy of foreign press against Italian premier.
In conclusion the Ms Brambilla invites Italians to defend their country image and reputation, whatever their political ideas are. Because our country is great and we all should be proud of it.
Fine. Isn’t she right? Italy is a great country. Has anybody attacked the Coliseum? Or raised doubts about Sistine chapel’s reputation? That’s not the point. Foreign press is talking about one single man. About his personal behavior and his own problems with law.
In minister’s words we can find maybe the key for (past?) success of the prime minister. He just identifies himself with Italy. Therefore his enemies become national enemies. People that criticize him are Anti-Italians (meaning enemies of the country).It seems crazy but it surely worked and god knows if can still work.
If we turn off TV for a while, we may turn mind on. Berlusconi is not Italy. Criticism about his behavior, his problems with law have nothing to do with Italy. Alas they affect Italian’s reputation, since Italians voted Mr Berlusconi and seem to not blame him too much.
Italians should ask themselves if premier contribution to Italian reputation is positive or negative. What should they think of foreign citizens tolerating such a premier? At least these simple questions should be affordable.
Because give a fair evaluation to government would be ask too much to Italian voters.
Rome, 7 October (AKI) – Italy’s top court, the Constitutional Court decided that a law granting immunity to Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi violated the constitution and is thus illegal.
In September, the state attorney said if the law was deemed unconstitutional, Berlusconi could be unable to govern. «It could damage to electoral functions that would not be able to be carried out with due commitment, it could also cause resignations and, in any case, it would cause irreparable damage,» the state attorney said. The ruling comes two days after Berlusconi was declared to be jointly responsible for a corruption conviction against his holding company Fininvest in a 1991 battle to buy publisher Mondadori and will have to pay more than 1.1 billion dollars in compensation.(quoted from http://www.adnkronos.com).
Will something change? The top court decision can have the effect to put an end to Mr. Berlusconi government (hopefully). But the true question is what Italians will do. Have they changed their mind about the premier? Will they go on supporting him?
Should this happen the only chance will be to focus on child education in order get some result al least in next generationOn October 3,2009, the ruling of the Milan Law Court was recorded in the civil action filed by CIR, against Fininvest for damages caused by the corruption of a judge in the Mondadori affair (Lodo Mondadori). The judgement, which is enforceable, rules that:
«CIR has the right to receive compensation from Fininvest for the patrimonial damage from the “missed opportunity” of an impartial verdict, which can be quantified in the sum of euro 749,955,611.93;
CIR also has the right to receive compensation from Fininvest for the damage of a non-patrimonial nature suffered in the same affair. The settlement of these damages will be made in a separate ruling (quoted from CIR website http://www.cirgroup.com/press/press-releases/document/comunicato-stampa-cir.html) »
It took almost twenty years to De Benedetti Family holding to have justice in civil court. Moreover the story is likely to continue since Fininvest is appealing the decision and intends to request a suspension of the court decision. But even getting a sentence is not enough in Italy to claim justice have been restored. Does anybody remember about Europa 7?
It is an Italian television channel owned by Centro Europa 7 s.r.l. Europa 7 runs TV syndication in various areas of Italy. In 1997, Europa 7 attempted for the first time to broadcast nationwide. It was unable to do so because the frequencies legally assigned to Europa 7 were used by Rete 4, one of the three TV channels owned by Silvio Berlusconi, a media tycoon and the current Prime Minister of Italy. The Italian Constitutional Court and the Supreme European Court have subsequently asserted Europa 7’s full legal rights to operate.
Furthermore in 2003 Berlusconi government submitted a law proposal to regulate digital and analogical broadcasting. This law would have allowed Rete 4 to keep the frequencies former assigned to Italia 7. Italian President of Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi rejected the law. In 2004 a new law was approved that blocked the assignment of analogical frequencies, waiting for accomplishment of transition from analogical to digital broadcasting.
Europa 7 continue to be the center of judicial and political dispute in Italy. If you were the founder of Europa 7, would you say that all men are equal before justice in Italy?
On October 3,2009 there will be a manifestation to claim press freedom in Piazza del Popolo in Rome organized by FNSI, the national trade union of journalist.
Italian newspaper “La Repubblica” has launched an appeal on its website this ist the first sentence:
«The libel action against “Repubblica” is the last in a long list of attacks against this daily which can only be seen as attempts at silencing the free press, at benumbing public opinion, at removing us from the international information scene and ultimately at making our Country the exception to the rule of Democracy. »
As a matter of fact Italy is holds a 73rd place in Table of Global Press Freedom Rankings compiled by Freedom House. It is the only European country classified as “Partially Free”.
Maybe Mr. Berlusconi does not like press and media when they do not agree with him. Maybe his behavior on this topic is not exactly what can be expected from the premier of a modern democracy. Anyway the most worrying issue is probably not this. The main problem is how Italian public opinion reacts to this.
Newspaper like “La Repubblica” or “L’Unità ” are widely sold and read as well as TV shows like “Anno zero” or “Ballarò” are on air. Mixing this with other sources Italians can be fairly informed about what is going on in their country if they want.
The question is: do they want?
Or better: do they care?
On September 8, 2009, at the age of 85, Mike Bongiorno died of myocardial infarction. He was an American-born Italian television host. Everybody loved him. Everybody is going to miss him in Italy. This is the piece of news. Let’s see if we can get some insight about modern Italy from this.
Was Mr. Bongiorno a fearless journalist? The kind of man ready to risk is life in order to unveil the truth? No he was not.
Was He an extraordinary actor or singer capable to touch people’s heart? No he was not.
Was he a good showman able to entertain properly his public even though not excelling in any specific art? No he was not.
So why did Italians love him?
Let’s quote from Wikipedia:
«In 1963 Umberto Eco wrote an essay entitled “Fenomenologia di Mike Bongiorno” in which he used advanced academic theories to shed light on Mike Bongiorno and his way of communicating. Eco held that Mike Bongiorno was so good at portraying himself as no better than average in every respect, that 100% of his audience could feel good about themselves, could feel that they were more sophisticated in some way.»
Is professor Eco 40 years’ old analysis still actual?
Can Mr. Bongiorno’s story tell us anything about Italians?
Is there any relationship with the Italian Smart Brains run abroad to fully express their potential?
What about lack of meritocracy?
Ancient philosophers talked about “Aurea Mediocritas” (golden mean) to express «the desirable middle between two extremes, one of excess and the other of deficiency» (quoted form Wikipedia).
Maybe modern Italy has inherited just mediocritas (meaning mediocrity).
In the past days there have been a lot of clamor on Italian media due to the postponement of Italian state television's postponement of a popular show (‘Ballaro’) to avoid drawing viewers away from a rival show on new homes for earthquake survivors (‘Porta a Porta’) featuring Silvio Berlusconi. It has been said that it was an attempt to give the prime minister positive publicity.
Anyway the supposed promotional aim was not reached since the audience of show was far below expectation. Again let’s ask a couple of questions. Are Mr. Berlusconi supporters aware of the economic damage to state television? According the administrative adviser Nino Rizzo Nervo (mentioned on repubblica.it) the loss should be some 500.000€.
But let’s ask more. What is happening in Italy while everybody are focused on Premier individual behavior? A quotation from timesonline.co.uk:
« Lawyers for Silvio Berlusconi admitted yesterday that he could resign if a law giving him immunity from prosecution is struck down next month.
If the Constitutional Court, which begins its deliberations on October 6, overturns the law “there would be damage to the functions of an elected official, which could not be carried out”, Glauco Nori, a state lawyer for the Prime Minister’s office, said. The move could cause “irreparable damage” and lead to the Prime Minister’s resignation.
The law, which Mr Berlusconi pushed through Parliament last year after coming to power for the third time, gives immunity to him, as Prime Minister, and three other holders of high office: the President — a post to which he aspires — and the Speakers of both houses of parliament.
(…)
Opposition politicians claim that the law was “tailor-made” to shield Mr Berlusconi from corruption charges. At the time the legislation was passed he was on trial in Milan for allegedly giving the British lawyer David Mills a $600,000 bribe to provide false testimony on his behalf in corruption trials in the 1990s. Mr Berlusconi’s trial was suspended but Mr Mills was sentenced in February to 4½ years in prison.
If the immunity law is overturned, charges against Mr Berlusconi are likely to be revived. There are also reports that magistrates in Milan and Palermo are investigating the Prime Minister’s alleged links to the Mafia in the 1990s.
Mr Nori said that the immunity law was not only legitimate but also obligatory, since bringing corruption charges against the Prime Minister would “limit his ability to lead the country”. However, the Milan prosecutor’s office submitted its own memorandum to the court, arguing that the immunity law violated the principle that all citizens are equal before the law.»
Shouldn’t Italian care more about the dramatic change in their legal system than the new Berlusconi’s soap episode?
“Which president I should ask for permission to speak?” This is the joke of Joaquin Almunia about the recent Italian premier’s declaration. Is anybody surprised about this?
Again Italian premier said something inopportune.
Again foreign press expressed its dissent about this.
Again nobody in Italy seems to care.
Neither seem they care about other staff like unemployment, public debt, impact of the world crisis still to come.
In the famous fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen it was a child that pointed out the truth everyone had been refusing to admit. Nobody knows what happened later. We do know what currently happens in Italy: Just nothing.
Maybe in Italy the problem is not (much) that things are not said in TV or written on newspaper. The problem is that nobody seem to care even if the matter is very serious. On BBC website I find what follows:
What about Italy?
Let’s leave apart for a while all the news about Italian Premier and pick something else.
As the website Lavoce.info has explained in detail 400 Millions of Italian taxpayer’s money have been wasted because northern league did not want European election and Referendum to be hold in the same date. This party accounts for some 8% of Italian population.
Now the question is: has anyone seen some street demonstration? As Government or Northern League consensus decreased? Do Italians understand that were their money to be wasted? Are they so much familiar with this kind of news?
Come on, how can a question be defamatory? Anyway not answering is not the best way to defend oneself. The huge clamor about Noemi Letizia seems to be a frontal attack to the premier. The newspapers talking about the presumptive scandal seem to be the last chance of free press. Are we sure? Aren’t there any further questions that may be even more inconvenient for the premier? On Jul 30th 2003 Bill Emmott Editor of The Economist sent an open to Silvio Berlusconi. In this letter still available on the website www.Economist.com we can read what follows:
«On April 28th 2001, we published a cover story entitled “Why Silvio Berlusconi is unfit to lead Italy” and a four-page investigation “An Italian story”. We sent you a letter on April11th 2001, containing 51 questions, that stated: “The Economist intends to publish shortly a feature on your business career and on the various investigations into you and your companies that have been carried out by the Italian magistracy during the last seven years”. You did not reply.»
The letter ends with the following:
The questions of the Economist seem much more relevant than those of Repubblica, aren’t they? Does anybody care? Is the presumptive summer scandal the most important thing Italian press should care about?
And what about government policies? Is anyone checking if the premier is maintaining his past promises? About tax reduction? About infrastructures? Has anybody heard about a soap opera named Alitalia? Is it finished? What happened in the last episode? The entire world is trying to face the worst financial crisis since Great Depression, do anybody know what is going on in Italy? Will our prime minister’s famous humor and optimism solve everything as usual?
On July 2009 on the web site of national newspaper La Repubblica appeare the following title
It says:
“Restaurateurs like pensioners they have both the same tax return / The case of micro-firm that earn less than employees”
Let’s consider another title of 2007
It says:
“Taxi drivers: very poor or big tax evaders their tax return is on average 13.800€”
Back to the article of 2009 we can read
So the average for taxi driver is now from 15k to 17k.
Let’s make some quick math.
A roman taxi driver in 2005 had an official income o 14k€. Let’s even assume that now it reaches 20k€. The flat rate for a ride from Rome centre to Fiumicino Airport is 40€. In the evening a ride from airport to North Rome costs on average 60€. Let’s assume that a taxi driver earn 30€ for each ride on average. An annual income of 20k means 666,6 rides (funny?) that is 3,3 rides per day if we assume a very conservative 200 working days per year. Can you believe this?
The last piece of the puzzle is the value of driving license. Tax inspectors in Emila Romagna estimated in 2005 a value of 200-240k. To keep the analysis simple we used gross figures, but the basic meaning is more than clear. Would you buy for 200 a license that allows you to earn 14 per year?
Self employed people in Italy pays taxes on the base of industry studies. This means that if their tax return is lower than what can be expected on the basis of industry studies there in an automatic control from tax inspector. The result is that large majority return an income equal to the minimum expected according industry studies. This allowed roman taxi driver to return an average income of 14k in 2005.
Let’s do some more quick math. A taxi driver may probably work 300 days per year for something like 10 hours per day. Let’s say that each working hour on average produces the income of just one ride and it is 30€. This ends with 10 x 30€ x 300 = 90.000€ per year.
Should industry studies be revised?
Do Italian employees understand the zero sum game that transfers onto them the burden of taxes unpaid by self-employed people?
If they even understand the game, do they realize what they are doing when they support political parties soft with tax evasion?
Is Italian press truly free? Are Italians correctly informed about what happens in their country? Can they freely express their political will without bias? Many more questions could be asked about this theme and far more than a single article space would be needed to discuss them. Let’s focus on one single sentence: Italy cannot be ruled by fair governors.
The main reason is that private interests of some Italians and wrong understanding of some others conflict with the needs of the country. As a sort of opposite of invisible hand, the individual Italian, believing to pursue his own interest, causes damage to the whole country and therefore to himself too. For example Meritocracy is most of what Italy needs. However no meritocratic reform or policies could be well accepted by the voters. Let’s detail why.
Meritocracy should mean at least three things.
Voters that would not accept meritocratic reforms can be divided in three main categories.
Category one includes people that consider meritocracy a threat to their own interests namely
Category two includes people not understanding or not willing to recognize meritocracy’s benefit including
Category three includes people that consider a political party just like a soccer team, something you choose with heart more than with brain or a passion you may even inherit from your father.
Only people belonging to category one get a tangible benefits from lack of meritocracy, however they are able to determine political results using the cooperation of categories two and three. Collaboration of category two is based on resignation, lack of will or time to become fairly informed and so on. Category three gives its support on a non rational base, its members prefer to believe in biased news or improbable announcements more than consider facts objectively.
In conclusion, Italy cannot be ruled by fair governors because a lobby is able to determine political results and the interest of this group conflict with those of the entire country. These lobbyists are helped in pursuing their own interest by others that do not understand or do not want to see the global damage to the country.
This photo have been take in Rome at the beginning of August 2009.
It says that 400.000 Romans were fined since 2004. Thank to Rome’s mayor they can now avoid paying the penalty. How will this affect general perception of Law Enforcement? What kind of incentive is this?
