When I Get Older

Seven weeks after the country held a general election - the Italian Parliament has finally elected a new President, the same guy who was President last time - so step forward Giorgio Napolitano at a sprightly 87 years young.

Now what this says about the state of Italian democracy is that they don't do things in haste - or quickly even - and sometimes they just end up going round in a circle and ending up right back - where they started with Giorgio as Top Banana.

Just as well that the comedian - Beppe Grillo - who leads the anti-establishment 5 Star Movement has a sense of humour because while their voting bloc was opposed to the election of Giorgio as President - they were comprehensively outvoted.

In fact Giorgio powered to victory, you could say, by attracting 738 votes from members of Parliament when all he needed was 504 votes to secure another 7-year term of office.

Which means that Giorgio will be knocking on the door of 95 by the time he leaves his post - if he lasts that long, of course.

Yet he looks really good for a man of his age, well turned out, and presumably with all his faculties in working order - so what's not to like about about someone of that age holding down Italy's top job.

In fact Giorgio could even take a leaf out of Ronald Reagan's book who - when faced with a tricky question about his age from his rival in a Presidential debate - promised not to hold his opponent's relative 'lack of experience' against him.

Now that apparently off the cuff remark by Reagan - which was probably very carefully scripted - helped overcome the doubters and the rest is history.    

So to mark the occasion of Giorgio's second term here's a YouTube link to the famous The Beatles song - 'When I'm 64' - for the wondeful Sergeant Peppers album .

Giorgio must have been a mere slipped of a lad and around 40-years old - when this was released wayback in 1966/67. 

http://youtu.be/WRBa1_eOaxU