Category Archives: italy

The right of the strongest

Posted on August 3, 2009 by Charles Lambert

There’s a typically Italian kerfuffle going on here at the moment about the authorisation of Ru486, the pill that induces abortion. It’s used pretty much everywhere in the developed world, but Italy’s taken its time about saying yes, for obvious … Continue reading →

Posted in berlusconi, italy, politics, pope, vatican | Leave a comment

All the news that’s fit to print

Posted on July 2, 2009 by Charles Lambert

The blonde in the green tee-shirt is Noemi Letizia. She’s the eighteen-year-old who calls Silvio Berlusconi Papi and can’t decide whether to cavort on a table in her underwear or represent Italy at the European parliament (and, let’s face it … Continue reading →

Posted in berlusconi, corruption, italy, journalism | Leave a comment

Dressing up

Posted on June 14, 2009 by Charles Lambert

A new ‘security’ law, which only looks like a knee-jerk reaction, is about to be passed here in Italy. Like most laws of this type, it protects – or is intended to appear to protect – the law-abiding citizen from … Continue reading →

Posted in fascism, italy | Leave a comment

The fall of the sparrow

Posted on June 14, 2009 by Charles Lambert

I was in my local post office here in Fondi a few days ago, waiting to pay an overdue bill. In the past this would have meant trying to guess which queue contained the fewest problem cases, ususally pensioners or … Continue reading →

Posted in italy | 2 Comments

Quoted

Posted on June 4, 2009 by Charles Lambert

To my surprise and pleasure, I’ve been quoted by la Repubblica today. You can read the article, about the way Berlusconi is being represented by the foreign press, here. The reference is to the comment I left on Geoff Andrews’ ten … Continue reading →

Posted in berlusconi, italy, politics | 1 Comment

Democracy at work

Posted on June 3, 2009 by Charles Lambert

Children and religion. Following on from the post below, it seems that not only the Dalai Lama doesn’t get it. A scientific high school in Cesena, in Emilia Romagna, has suspended one of its maths teachers for two months without pay. … Continue reading →

Posted in bigotry, church, education, italy, religion | 3 Comments

More questions for SB…

Posted on June 2, 2009 by Charles Lambert

…can be found in this excellent piece by Geoff Andrews. 

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Snip snap snip

Posted on May 31, 2009 by Charles Lambert

For someone whose media empire is based on vulgarity, indiscretion and an obsession with what famous people get up to in their spare time, assuming that’s still a meaningful concept, Silvio Berlusconi’s attempt to block the publication of photographs taken … Continue reading →

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Some are more equal

Posted on May 28, 2009 by Charles Lambert

Remember the ministries in 1984? The Ministry of Peace, responsible for war; the Ministry of Love, responsible for torture? Most governments are more subtle about this sort of thing, but Italy, a country that enjoys subtlety in so many guises, … Continue reading →

Posted in berlusconi, carfagna, equality, homophobia, italy | 1 Comment

Family holidays

Posted on May 25, 2009 by Charles Lambert

According to the ex-boyfriend of Noemi Letizia, the 18-year-old knicker model and would-be member of parliament who refers to Silvio Berlusconi as her ‘papi‘, Noemi was invited to one of SB’s villas in Sardinia last summer, along with 30 or … Continue reading →

Posted in berlusconi, blair, italy, politics, sex | Leave a comment