The habits of highly effective people...

Recently I attended a time management course. My employer, who has seen his fair share of employment gaffes identified that it was needed. Time management and goal setting isn't easy; it's the habit of highly effective people; I'm not one of them. Forward planning is reserved for those who aren't like me. Reserved for those who unlike me, understand the importance of where they want to be and what they want to do.

My trainer for the day was Mike, unsurprisingly had an interesting philosophy on time management and goal setting. Imagine yourself being transported five years into the future (scary right?), and you end up meeting your future self. Lets leave aside that every science fiction film talks about the negative consequences of this happening, how the space time continuum could be drastically changed, and lets focus on the question to hand; "What have you achieved in these last five years?" 

Highly effective people it seems plan ahead. They know that in five years they would have overcome the goals to get them where they wanted to be, they identify, they analyse, they re-evaluate and tick off lists. They are always thinking ahead, believing that their actions, their positivity to overcome any obstacle will get them achieving their goal. They are probably right. 

So after 60 days since an Italian election, can you imagine anyone having foreseen the outcome. A parliament which remains hung, although the nephew of Berlusconi's right hand man, Gianna Letta is now leading an exploratory request of parties to get a government formed. How Enrico Letta is in for a tough time admitting "the sense of responsibility is greater than my shoulders can carry", as comforting as having an airline pilot admit to forgetting how to fly a plane on take off. 

Pier-Luigi Bersani, the man who still thinks to this day that he won the election has resigned. His attempts to get both Marini and Prodi elected as President of the Republic were duly usurped both internally by his own party as well as the no vote from the Five Star Movement and unsurprisingly the right wing coalition of Berlusoni in the later candidates request. 

We thought that Giorgio Napolitano retired, in fact so did he, but the procrastination and political bickering took its toll; he duly accepted to be re-confirmed as President of the Republic. At 87 its worrying to think that he may have been the only suitable choice, although Stefano Rodota, seven years his enfant terrible would have adequately bridged the gap between the PD and the Five Star Movement of Beppe Grillo; Grillo proposing "approve Rodota, and we'll support your government to lead"; they refused. 

And what about Berlusconi I hear you all scream? Amidst the betrayal of Bersani proposing Prodi (the only man to beat Berlusconi twice in 20 years) and his own three court cases, he can be found in Texas bathing in the Bush Jnr presidential library biding his time until the left wing implodes, until Renzi becomes less popular, until Grillo gets portrayed as the man who blocked Italy and until a new election is called. 

Highly effective people, they set their goals, they bide their time, they adapt. My my, how effective is Berlusconi looking these days. 

Who's laughing now?

"If Grillo wants to talk politics, then he should start his own party, present himself to the elections and lets see how many votes he gets! After all why shouldn't he." That was a then secretary for the Democratic Party, Piero Fassino who, after blocking any attempt for Grillo to run as a candidate for party leader, taunted the comedian to stand up and be counted. (2009) 

Communist, racist, idiot. (Nouns) "I see a dictatorship."(Observation) "He just grunts" (impolite) "I see a whore going man with a tiny penis" (Artistic license to insult).* 

And yet over the last seven years, they've said a lot worse about the man The Economist has epitomised as one of the two clowns of Italian politics; the other of course is, Silvio. But why should the The Economist change the habit of a lifetime? Little are The Economist to realise, that's not the way into Italian hearts. 

"The web doesn't exist" (Living in a cave syndrome) "He reminds me of a fascist, no, more like a Nazi, he has the verbal violence of Goebels. A fascist-communist" (history confounding rhetoric) "He's struggling" (Opinion polls count for nothing) "Il Duce Beppe"* (they really love their fascism)  The list goes on, and on. 

Grillo, just kept going. His insults back to the political class were, of equal weight you could say. "Psycho-dwarf", "a 74 year old with no prostate", "He's been in liquid Nitrogen for 10 years" (Berlusconi). "A walking zombie", "The nearly dead", "He's not a fascist just someone who has no balls" (Bersani). "Problems living with her real life partner is probably something she's never had to worry about" (Rosy Bindi). "The Princess on the penis" (Elsa Fornero). You name a politician, Grillo has probably insulted them. 

The political class just sat there. They didn't, couldn't take the Clown seriously. His first party election, 8% of the vote in Emilia Romagna, a centre-left stronghold. His second one was in Piedmont, 4%. A movement born only a year before hand, and still, "Grillini, cockroaches with rare faeces". (Right wing journalism) 

The movement went to Parma, Pizzarotti, an ex IT engineer would win mayorship and with it a public administration debt crisis. There were those who doubted the young mayor could really do anything; after all, he's just an IT engineer. They of course would be tested on their comments. 

Sicily was next. There i Grillini would go onto become the third party of the island, a right wing stronghold. In return, the new assessors would each "give back €8000 of our wages so that we can use it as a microcredit to small businesses that need to start up and survive". 

And still, "the clown that laughs, instead he should be crying" & "Grillo is losing consensus". Well, not quite... 

"We're prepared to talk, let's hear what he has to say" (PD leader Bersani) "It's our obligation to now talk to Grillo" (Sel Leader Vendola) "For the good of the nation we need to talk to Grillo" (Bersani... again)

Elections it seems change things. Berlusconi looks like he did well, he lost over 8 million votes from the previous election result. Bersani and the democratic party actually lost 4 million. Grillo, the troublemaker, the clown, from 0 won the over 8 million votes, they are the most popular party in Italy.  

They now all want to be his friend; not bad for a "crazy, communist, fascist, racist, dictator, violent, faecal cockroach". 

Grillo reminds me of the saying, "He who laughs last, laughs longest". 

Gino De Blasio

*(Courtesy of the brilliant Marco Travaglio for piecing together this re-assumption of character)