The ultimate political clown, bike horn and unicycle in hand, leaves the circus.
Berlusconi joins the Ousted Dictators of 2011 club
For as long as many can remember Ronald has been the clown face of McDonald’s, inhabiting his fantasy world called McDonaldland, having adventures with his strange friends such as Mayor McCheese, the Hamburgular , and Grimace. But after accusations of involvement with the McDonaldland criminal underworld, political corruption, abuse of his media power, illegal business deals, paid orgies with minors – Ronald was forced out for the sake of the solvency of the Fast Food Union.
Seriously though, what will Italy be like without Silvio Berlusconi? DisneyLand without Mickey Mouse. Las Vegas without Wayne Newton. The Chocolate Factory without Willy Wonka.
Yes there is celebrating in the streets tonight here. But its a joy somewhat reserved, a bitter sweet relief, like “this is great but what the fuck just happened?” Berlusconi lost in a parliamentary vote, not in a national election. He is being replaced by a technical government, not an opposition that beat him. His replacement, Mario Monti, is an old rich boy banker, advisor for Goldman Sachs and Coca Cola. He is, in other words, one of those types that drove the world into crisis. People know this. As much as they are glad to see the back of Berlusconi, there’s no illusion about who is in charge here, the bankers of the Euro and the international financial superclass.
Berlosconi taken away by the international stock market police
While there is no reason why Berlusconi can’t candidate himself for the next election, I think it’s unlikely. So for Italy this is the ‘exit stage left’ moment for the most influential leader since Mussolini. The era of Berlusconismo, or as philosopher Slavoj Zizek called it ‘Groucho Marx Authoritarianism’ is over. Not beat in a humiliating election defeat, not assassinated, just politely asked to leave the stage by his fellow actors in the farcical theatrical tragedy that is Italian politics. The tired and frustrated audience wait to see if this expensive and ineffectual play continues with a mere shuffling of roles between the same old actors or if something new is possible.
If I put forward my most optimistic hope it would be that the Partito Democratico is able to get out of the way of itself and vote in as its leader the 36 year old Matteo Renzi, current Mayor of Florence. And then that Renzi gets voted in the national elections as Prime Minister. It would change the collective psyche of the country in a moment, a refreshing energy to wash out the clogged arteries and suffocating feeling of hopelessness and hatred of the political class. But that’s just one little Anglo-saxons pipe dream for the country he currently lives in.
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