Category Archives: politics

Monkey business

Posted on March 22, 2008 by Charles Lambert

The logo of the brand (sic) new Democratic Party here in Italy has been reminding me of something for some time. I realised what it was today. As if that wasn’t enough, the woolly monkey now used to advertise PG … Continue reading →

Posted in berlusconi, italy, politics | Leave a comment

Tengo famiglia

Posted on March 13, 2008 by Charles Lambert

Three short updates on Italy. (Spot the link.) Salvatore Ferranti, jailed for presumed association with the Mafia, has been granted house arrest because he’s just too fat for his cell. The bed won’t take his weight, the door’s too narrow … Continue reading →

Posted in italy, mafia, politics | Leave a comment

Cream for (fat) cats

Posted on February 14, 2008 by Charles Lambert

This smug bastard is called Sergio De Gregorio. He was elected senator two years ago for one of the smaller parties of Prodi’s centre-left coalition. A few weeks after the election he had an epiphany, funded by Berlusconi, and discovered … Continue reading →

Posted in berlusconi, corruption, italy, politics, prodi | Leave a comment

Fright

Posted on February 12, 2008 by Charles Lambert

It’s standard practice in the run-up to elections for opposition leaders to accuse the government of practically anything short of first degree homicide (pace Andreotti), knowing full well that retaliation only makes the retaliator look pathetic. It’s an old playground … Continue reading →

Posted in berlusconi, giuliano ferrara, italy, politics, vatican | Leave a comment

Sharia hits fan

Posted on February 10, 2008 by Charles Lambert

Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has created a brouhaha after suggesting on Radio 4 that the acceptance, or ‘accommodation’, in the UK of some aspects of Sharia law might be ‘unavoidable’. This is already the case, apparently, with Sharia courts … Continue reading →

Posted in islam, politics, religion | 3 Comments

It’s the money, stupid

Posted on February 6, 2008 by Charles Lambert

Clemente Mastella, ex-minister of justice and the man who brought down Prodi’s government, isn’t just a consummately self-regarding politician. He’s also a newspaper editor. Like all Italian parties, UDEUR, Mastella’s gang of hangers-on, cronies and relatives, has the right to … Continue reading →

Posted in corruption, italy, money, politics, prodi | Leave a comment

Mug shot

Posted on February 2, 2008 by Charles Lambert

If you’ve spent more than a few days in Rome you’ll probably have left the traffic of Largo Argentina behind you and paused by the turtle fountain in Piazza Mattei and thought, for a moment, how wonderful it must be … Continue reading →

Posted in art, freedom of speech, photography, politics | 5 Comments

Riparliamone

Posted on January 31, 2008 by Charles Lambert

For Italian speakers, here’s the wonderful Paola Cortellesi casting a wry glance (as they used to say) at the Italian situation, character, political opportunism, and so on. She’s interrupted by the appalling Serena Dandini, but I can’t do anything about … Continue reading →

Posted in humour, italy, politics | 1 Comment

Business

Posted on January 31, 2008 by Charles Lambert

An amusing, if slightly chilling, story from today’s Guardian. The headline? Pilot restrained after ‘talking to God’ on flight to Heathrow. At first I thought the pilot was under the impression that God was actually on the plane with him, … Continue reading →

Posted in politics, religion, revealed truth | 2 Comments

James on pontiff

Posted on January 30, 2008 by Charles Lambert

In his LRB review of the first two volumes of Henry James’s collected letters (The Complete Letters of Henry James, 1855-72: Volumes I and II edited by Pierre Walker and Greg Zacharias,) Colm Toibin quotes from a letter James sent … Continue reading →

Posted in henry james, politics, pope, power | 1 Comment