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) 

Nobody knows nothing: there’s life in the old dog yet...

Restuitiro - an action of giving something back from the verb, Restituire. (to Return)

Within days, this verb has become a hashtag, a facebook meme, a political satirist's dream; restuitiro. This is arguably the first real digital campaign of Italian elections, and unknowingly, at the behest of a few, it’s giving even more attention to the man at the centre of it.

In the space of one week, Silvio Berlusconi has promised to “give back the Italian property tax”, “allow a mass tax amnesty” and “create 4 million new jobs for young people”. If a week is a long time in politics, as Harold Wilson attested to, Berlusconi is making brisk work of it.

And yet there’s something very irksome about all of this. An economic position which few economists can actually agree on, to the salesman pitch of a second hand car dealer, the promise to give things back is, well, working.

He’s adopted a dog, got a new squeeze, discovered Twitter and purchased Balotelli. He’s turned political campaigning on its head. From the political abyss of twelve months ago, to the theatrical “here to save Italy” re-emergence; he’s gone from being without a cat in hell’s chance of winning to now a whisker away. OK - I promise, no more feline puns.

Since his re-introduction to the main political stage, he’s classed the office of president as “lame duck” and claimed that he doesn’t want to be president; well, he has had four stabs at it now. Whatever he does, whatever he says, tongues will wag, people will write and it has it’s desired effect. From less than a twenty-four percent chance of winning twelve weeks ago, down to four percent today, even Lazarus would be impressed by this turnaround. 

In short he is the antithesis of Cicero’s political warning, “Nothing is more unreliable than the populace, nothing more obscure than human intentions, nothing more deceptive than the whole electoral system.”

His political resurrection has been founded on making a promise of giving something back, he’s the Arthur Daley of politics - and if he wins, he’ll have to be the Father Christmas of it as well.

Gino De Blasio

Read mylittlevespa, Gino's humorous and affectionate blog about all things Italian.

Hey, good lookin' - what (or rather who) you got cookin'?

Roasted: The Perfect Italian Barbecue with Giordano Bruno

Benvenuto! – or Welcome! if you prefer. My name is Giordano Bruno – and this is my Perfect Italian Barbecue. 
(Actually that's not my name and I'm not even one person, but two (currently) and maybe more to follow - but chi se ne frega?)

Visited the Bel Paese at least twice? Tried out all the recipes from Nigellissima and watched every episode of Montalbano? Confident that you can appreciate the difference between a macchiato and a marocchino when you’re ordering your morning coffee?

Think you know Italy?

Think again.

In this irreverent – and, frankly, heretical – blog, English-speaking know-it-alls who have been there, seen it all and got la maglia show you another side of the boot-shaped country that you never imagined existed. We debunk popular myths and trample all over carefully-constructed misconceptions in our 1953 horsebit Gucci loafers. But we also giving you some handy tips and trade secrets on how to savour the most delicious ironies of Italian life, love, food – and, of course, politics.

No Italian feast would be complete without a barely-credible shaggy dog story, outrageous flirting,  a feud, endless toasts – and, of course, an enormous dollop of sentimentality topped off with a maraschino cherry of wit. We promise the lot – but with a refreshingly acerbic Anglo-Saxon take guaranteed to leave a bad taste in your mouth.

If you like The Perfect Italian Barbecue with Giordano Bruno, then please tell your friends. If you don’t, then… vattene scemo! Maleducato inglese che no sa cucinare un ca**o !

You have been warned…

Robert Dennis
Gino De Blasio