17 August 2008

The Berlusconian philosophy

Here is a translation of an article from the Spanish daily newspaper “El Pais”, entitled "Towards the berlusconisation of Europe".
"Journalist Indro Montanelli, a former right-winger, was wrong when he predicted that Berlusconi’s election would be a good thing. “That man is like an illness and the only cure for it is a vaccine. A good injection of the ‘Cavaliere’ as prime minister in order to provide us with immunity”. This notwithstanding, the Italian population have once again voted him into power, not simply for a second time, but for a third time. “The population” admires this man. Montanelli was also wrong when he insisted that “the Italians are incapable of moving to the right without resorting to the use of the truncheon”, obviously referring to fascism. This Berlusconian right wing doesn’t need to resort to truncheons, after all it has its own television stations.
If demagogy is the downfall of democracy, then we must accept that berlusconian Italy is the kingdom of all that resembles any form of demagogy. Economic crises, refuse problems in Naples, organised crime and corruption at the highest levels. However, the new Italian Government immediately identified the causes of all of the Country’s ills as being the immigrants and the gypsy children. I certainly hope that the consequent decisions are not taken with the aim of “putting Europe back on the straight and narrow”, as stated by the “Cavaliere”, who found a very different Europe upon his return after two years of absence. “This Europe, without Tony Blair, Aznar, Chirac and myself, has lost all of its personality and has gone backwards”. It would be impossible to say it any clearer manner than this.
When Silvio Berlusconi promises to straighten out Europe, in his vocabulary it means that as far as Italy is concerned, his set objectives have already been met. He had a specific recipe for the Country, which he has implemented fully. What he wanted was a Country without any rules and regulations, with no critical spirit, and populated by individuals that are fast asleep in the grip of a totally meaningless passiveness. And he has managed to achieve all of this in just two decades. His plan began to take shape with the creation of his very own media empire. Having gained control of the means of communication, it was easy for him to obtain the kind of support that many politicians can only dream about. When Berlusconi talks about Europe, his comments are often taken very lightly. In fact, with his colourful turn of phrase, he is able to make things seem far less serious than what they really are. Racism, xenophobia and male chauvinism become nothing more than mere opinions or jokes. This is the same technique that has always prevailed in all of his media, namely, to get the people accustomed to that type of discussion, until eventually seems to be something that is perfectly normal. Obstacles are avoided at all costs. Democracy must be stripped of all of its power. It must become ill. Any attempt to defend it must be eliminated by using the kind of language that, on initial inspection, appears to be courteous and respectful to the fellow man. This is the kind of language that Berlusconi and those around him refer to disparagingly as being “politically correct”.
That is why, when Berlusconi talks about straightening out Europe, we should take his comments very seriously indeed. He has realised the extent of the difficulties involved in adapting Italy to comply with European rules and regulations and, in view of this fact, he has now decided to get the rest of Europe to adapt in order to match the Italian model. In other words, changing reality to suit his personal needs. After all, if this approach has been implemented so successfully in Italy, then why not attempt to “export” the model throughout the rest of Europe? He is a great entrepreneur, after all, and he is looking to team up with like-minded individuals. What do you think Sarkozy is, if not merely a product of the Berlusconi school? This is precisely what the “Cavaliere” dreams of, namely to create a Europe in his own image and likeness.
The issue of immigration is a good example, which goes to prove that Europe is becoming more berlusconian with every day that passes. Berlusconianism is a particular way of seeing the world, an acknowledged philosophy. Instead of actually addressing the problem earnestly, they simply launch another series of slogans. Such as strict laws for illegal immigrants. Such as jail time, for example. Can they please explain to the population precisely how a potential jail sentence is going to deter someone who is prepared to risk death in order to escape from hunger and persecution?
In order to address the problem of his free-falling public approval ratings, Sarkozy proposes the creation of a European bunker, in other words, sealing off the borders of the Union in order to prevent indiscriminate immigration. This is one of the four main priorities that have been set for France’s six-month presidency of the European Union. In this regard, its “integration contract” is a work of art, the apotheosis of demagogy and a perfect example of high-level berlusconianism. The very idea that someone can be integrated merely by signing a contract is the product of a mind that that has failed to grasp not only the fundamental concept of immigration, but also the real significance of poverty. Many years ago, when I worked with the Tànger Church in Morocco, I witnessed many people who were prepared to go as far as converting to Catholicism in exchange for obtaining a visa that would grant them access to Spain. If people are prepared to go as far as changing their religion, then how much easier will it be for them to simply sign a piece of paper?
In extreme circumstances, people will be prepared to sign any conceivable contract whatsoever, and to endure endless humiliation, however, this will clearly not resolve the immigration problem, nor eliminate the hardships faced by the local population. In an increasingly globalised world, addressing the issue of immigration purely by means of slogans and applied demagogy may well increase the user’s popularity, however, it is of no help whatsoever in terms of resolving the actual problem.
It is only by viewing the world in an open-minded manner and by accepting the current reality that we will be able to eliminate the real evil, namely poverty. Shutting the doors of Europe is nothing more than a mere fantasy and a huge lie. Instead, the berlusconianism that is currently invading the old continent is an established fact. The problem is that: “his ability to lie in such a convincing manner – states Montanelli – is due to the fact that he himself genuinely believes his own lies”.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Information