ninme

Andrew Pierce in the Telegraph:

Yet again, we have had pure slapstick theatre from the Italian parliament after the fall of Romano Prodi’s government. One senator had to be physically restrained from spitting at a colleague who had had the temerity to announce he was voting for Prodi. He called his rival a “gay” and a “cuckold”, which all proved too much for the poor man. He burst into tears, fainted, and had to be stretchered out. How very Italian, I thought.

Why is it that, in times of crisis, people tend to revert to their national stereotypes? Surely only in Italy would MPs have pushed and shoved each other and sprayed champagne around the chamber.

Quite why they were celebrating is a mystery, as it seems the ludicrous Silvio Berlusconi, complete with bandana and hair transplant, will be back in charge after Prodi lost the 34th vote of confidence since his administration took over 20 months ago.

Mocking national stereotypes is as old as the nation state. So don’t get me started on Italians: mafiosi ruling the country, army tanks fitted with reverse gears… I wonder what they say about us?

Wheat & Weeds has the hilarious photographs.

A brief explanation:

Opinion polls indicate that the Centre Right would win elections handsomely. Mr Berlusconi has already fought four elections as centre-right leader, winning two of them, and a fifth election bid for the premiership would be an Italian record. Mr Prodi’s problems were sparked by the resignation last week of Clemente Mastella, head of the UDEUR Christian Democratic faction, as Justice Minister after magistrates began a corruption investigation involving him and his wife, Sandra. Some on the Left have accused the Vatican of persuading Mr Mastella to sabotage the Prodi Government — the 61st since the Second World War — because its policies on issues such as abortion and gay civil unions are against Roman Catholic doctrine. Vatican officials and Mr Mastella deny this.

No mention of poor Naples. I was rather hoping when I first heard about all this that perhaps that had had something to do with it, but no, the Vatican conspiracies are after all much more likely.