Not So Funny Now


The novelty of Beppe Grillo and his Five Star Movement seems to be turning a bit sour as the comedian cum politician has been the subject of fierce criticism for posing the following question about the female Speaker (Laura Boldrini) of Italy's National Parliament:

"What would you do alone in a car with Boldrini?" 

Now that's more than a bit weird, I have to say, sinister even and unsurprisingly it led to lots of offensive, sexual comments on Beppe Grillo's blog site which caused Laura Boldrini to brand Beppe and his supporters as 'potential rapists'. 

The Five Star Movement has benefited from the 'anti-politics' mood in countries across much the globe - UKIP in the UK or the Tea Party in America, for example - but I'm afraid I can't take seriously anyone (even a senator) with the name Serenella Fucksia.   


Italy's 5-Star Movement in bitter row over parliament speaker

By JAMES MACKENZIE - Reuters

Leader of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement Beppe Grillo (C) gestures as Grillo's Senate leader Vito Crimi (R) and Roberta Lombardi, 5-Star leader in the lower house, stand near during a newsconference in Rome April 21, 2013. CREDIT: REUTERS/REMO CASILLI

Italy's anti-establishment 5-Star Movement faced strong criticism on Monday after attacks and online insults against the speaker of the lower house Laura Boldrini, who responded by branding her critics "potential rapists".

Boldrini's retort followed days of escalating tensions in parliament where deputies of Beppe Grillo's Movement, angry over moves to push through approval of government decrees, have blocked committee work and clashed with rival parties.

The confrontation has fed a venomous climate in parliament just as it has begun debating proposals to overhaul voting rules blamed for the chaos of last year's deadlocked election, which forced the two main centre-left and centre-right blocs into a fragile and unstable coalition.

The 5-Star Movement, which has ridden a wave of anger against the mainstream political parties after years of scandal and economic stagnation, has called for both the impeachment of President Giorgio Napolitano and the removal of Boldrini as speaker of the lower house, accusing her of bias.

She particularly angered the party by imposing a guillotine to speed up passage of decrees on the recapitalisation of the Bank of Italy and a housing tax after 5-Star deputies had tried to stop approval by blocking access to committee rooms.

But online comments on Grillo's popular blog have gone further, culminating in an online video showing a man driving a car with a cardboard cut-out of Boldrini in the passenger seat entitled "What would you do alone in a car with Boldrini?"

The post attracted numerous offensive comments, many violent in tone, before they were removed by 5-Star officials.

"It is instigation to violence, you just have to look at the comments. It means that people who contribute to this blog don't want to have a discussion on matters of substance but to offend and humiliate, they are potential rapists," Boldrini told RAI state television on Sunday.

She said the party's tactics in parliament, where disputes have come close to physical fights, were "subversive".

"HYPOCRITE"


Grillo called Boldrini a "hypocrite" for not condemning a deputy from Mario Monti's Civic Choice who was caught on film striking a 5-Star female deputy in the face during a chaotic episode in the chamber last week when 5-Star politicians tried to clamber onto the benches reserved for the government.

Senior politicians, including the president, Prime Minister Enrico Letta and the new head of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) Matteo Renzi, have condemned the 5-Star tactics.

"These acts are like those used by fascist squads," Renzi said in an interview with La Repubblica newspaper, adding that the online insults against Boldrini were "squalid".

Reaction from the 5-Star Movement, which remains one of the three biggest parties in Italyalongside the PD and former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, has been a mixture of embarrassment and fury.

"Vulgarity and insults should always be condemned with no 'ifs' and 'buts'," said 5-Star Senator Serenella Fucksia.

"Some people use false names. They might not even be Grillo supporters but Renzi supporters," she told La Repubblica, adding that Boldrini was biased, inadequate and should resign.

While 5-Star's tactics have also been condemned by Italy's mainstream press, polls suggest its support remains around 20 percent or higher. And unscientific viewer surveys by both Sky Italia and state broadcaster RAI showed large majorities of participants supported its increasingly aggressive opposition.



No Laughing Matter (3 March 2013)


Italy has just held a general election last week and the result propelled a comedian - Beppe Grillo - to the centre stage of Italian politics.

Now I know that many people feel we have enough comedians in politics already - but this is serious - Beppe Grillo really is a comic and along with his 'Five Star Movement' - Beppe has broken the mould of Italian politics, for a while at least.

For the past two years or so Italy has been led by a technocratic government and Prime Minister - Mario Monti - in an effor to prevent economic disaster and the collapse of the Euro.

So like just about every other deeply indebted country in the world, Italy's technocratic government has been trying to balance the books - to get the country used to living within its means again - by people paying their taxes (sometimes more taxes) and reducing public spending.

But just as in Greece and in other countries which have been living 'high on the hog' for years - by 'maxing out' the national credit card - the Italian people don't like the 'austerity' medicine or coming back down to earth with a bump.

Hence the general election which dropped Mario Monti's government down to a lowly fourth in the popularity stakes - with the centre left and centre right groupings virtually neck and neck - while Beppe Grillo and his FSM hold the balance of power.

I suppose it's a bit like Ian Hislop from 'Have I Got News For You' holding the ring in the UK between the Tory and Labour parties - while the Lib Dems look on hopefully from the sidelines. 

Now the problem is that Beppe seems unprepared to work with anyone else - contemptuous as he is of the old 'left v right' school of politics - which helped to create this situation in the first place.  

Equally Beppe and FSM see no future in getting into bed with Mario Monti and his technocrats (sounds like a 60s rock band) - who presumably are all as brainy as can be, but dull as dishwater and no fun into the bargain.

All of which means that Italy is facing a perfect poltical storm - a cynical electorate, traditional left and right wing parties locked in a stalemate, a group of  technocrats who believe the only cure is more nasty medicine - and Beppe Grillo who can, if all else fails, tell a good joke.

I like Ian Hislop I have to say - in a curious way he reminds me of George Galloway - except that Ian Hislop is genuinely funny and much more political, in  my book.

But if comedians are going to get involved in politics - then the lesson of Italy is that they have to be prepared to get their hands dirty and make a few decisions.

Because to govern is to choose and all governments have to make choices between competing demands and priorities - which gets few belly laughs in my experience anyway.

So I don't expect Beppe to hang around the political scene for very long - though I wish him well because it is the old-fashioned, tribal politics of yesteryear - which have let Italy and many other countries down.

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