Another conspiracy?

Will Berluscummy now tell us that the notoriously conservative Daily Telegraph has joined the left-wing conspiracy against him? What a joke....
The article below is courtesy of the Daily Telegraph:

Italian at centre of allegations about Silvio Berlusconi's love life claims she has been destroyed

Patrizia D'Addario lashed out at attempts to destroy her reputation by Mr Berlusconi's allies since she revealed salacious details emerged of the night she alleges to have spent with the prime minister in his palazzo in Rome. "I'm the only one who is telling the truth and by doing so I've become a Joan of Arc," she told the Daily Telegraph at a five star hotel in her hometown of Bari, a port on the Adriatic Sea. "I'm being sacrificed to a wicked and evil system. But I have courage and they will never break me. I have so much will to go on in life that they will never stop me. I could have blackmailed Berlusconi but I chose not to."
Pressed for details on the encounter, she said: "All I can say is that he was a likeable person. And we didn't get any sleep that night." Miss D'Addario initially refused to answer questions on the encounter but in recent weeks has put her side of the story during trips to Turkey, Spain and France. She hosted an evening entitled I Love Silvio at a Paris nightclub.
She has spent the last few weeks writing an autobiography which, she says, will offer more explosive details of her alleged relationship with Mr Berlusconi. "I've called it 'La Mia Vita' (My Life) and it's nearly finished," she said. "I was able to work hard on it because I haven't been going out and I haven't been sleeping much."
Mr Berlusconi's penchant for catapulting attractive young actresses into politics was a "strange" way of running a democracy, she conceded. "It may seem strange to foreigners but in Italy it's normal," she said. "It's a world of convenience, of favours." Before becoming involved in a scandal that has rocked Mr Berlusconi's centre-right government, Miss D'Addario earned a living as a high-end escort and as an events promoter, lending a touch of glamour to corporate parties and nightclub events.
As Mr Berlusconi began his annual holiday at his villa in Sardinia, she told the Daily Telegraph that she could no longer find work as an escort or model in Italy and that she wants to start a new life in London. Wearing a tight black dress and with dark sunglasses holding back her long blonde hair, Miss D'Addario burst into tears when she described how her 14-year-old daughter had refused to speak to her for the past two months. But the two were reconciled at the weekend, after Miss D'Addario travelled to Istanbul to give interviews to Turkish television and reporters. "She said 'I love you, Mummy, I'm proud of you, be strong."
She said she was in fear of her life earlier this year after a car slammed into her vehicle and raced off without stopping, and a mysterious burglary in which she claims CDs, tapes and the underwear and dress she wore on the night of her encounter with Mr Berlusconi were stolen. "It's very hard because for two months I've been massacred, but now I hope I'm beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I don't believe anything else bad will happen to me, because of the all the attention the international media have given this whole affair," she said. Asked if she thought Mr Berlusconi should resign over the series of scandals involving young starlets and showgirls that have battered him since May, she said: "That's up to other people to judge. For me, an apology would be enough."

Alitalia up to their old tricks

I flew Alitalia this weekend for my usual trip back to Rome. I hadn't flown them in a while so I was a bit worried that things might have been a bit different.
However I can reassure you that some things never change: the flight back from Rome to Heathrow was 1h15m late.
The excuse for this delay this time was that a seagull had hit the plane (or the other way around) during its descent into Fiumicino. Therefore they had to line up a different aircraft as the original 'big bird' had to undergo several checks.
This excuse might be 100% true for all I know (or care), however Alitalia have gained such an expertise in the art of bullshitting that now I always take everything they say with a fistful of salt.

Obviously when we boarded our flight, the crew didn't even remotely think of making a nice little goodwill gesture, like offering a glass of water to their passengers. Is that too much to think of? And anyway.... we do understand the (alleged) reason for the delay, but what happened to the poor seagull?? Is he making a speedy recovery?!? Again, no information available.

Gent away

Took the Eurostar to Brussels on Thursday morning and got there at 11.30. After checking into my 1/2 star hotel, I caught up with my mate Andrea near the Grand Place for a few beers and some excellent carbonnade (A Belgian beef stew). It was great to catch up with him over a few Belgian ales in the baking sun. Yes, it was baking hot so having all those beers wasn’t the greatest idea.
In the afternoon we took the train to Gent, where we caught up with the rest of the troops that had arrived via Charleroi. Went to an Irish pub by the river, very picturesque setting. I bet there must be an Irish pub even at the North Pole. Most of the same old faces were there, more drinks, a great time was had by all. We had about 30-40 guys there, which for a match in the middle of the holiday season isn’t too bad, or is it?!
I have to admit that I was surprised by how beautiful Gent is. All you hear about Belgium (apart from Brussels that is) is Bruges this, Bruges that... but I think Gent can give Bruges a run for its money. Lots of Flemish charm, cobbled streets, pretty little squares, definitely worth a weekend trip.
We decided to make our way to the match by tram as the ground was far too distant, almost out of town on the east side. Got there with very few minutes to spare and little or no bother from the locals. It’s a cosy little ground with the stands almost on top of the players. The final score was 7-1 to AS Roma although the match was virtually over by half-time when the score was 1-0 to us and Gent had a mouthy butcher, pardon a defender, sent off by the ref.
There were a few hairy moments after the match when some of the locals probably weren’t too happy (about the final result??) and were looking for some sort of revenge but all ended well when our contingent made it back into town. Funny how our 40-strong contingent quickly shrank to almost half of that as soon as we heard that the locals were on the warpath!!
Back in Brussels thanks to a car lift from the lads, I woke up this morning and took it pretty easy. Enjoyed more sunshine, taking in all the sights (brunettes, blondes etc...) that Brussels has to offer. No beer for me though as I still felt rather dehydrated so just plenty of water and the occasional Coke.

Tamarai

Went out for a nice meal with my colleagues after work yesterday. The restaurant in question was Tamarai, a kind of Pan-Asian eaterie on Drury Lane.
Before dinner we met up in a pub just opposite the restaurant, called The Sun. Decent selection of beers and friendly service. On the wall they have a board, enlisting Oliver Reed among the Sun's famous patrons. Thinking about it, probably there aren't many London pubs whose doorstep hasn't been darkened by this famous drinker-cum-actor.
When we finally got to the restaurant I feared the worst for my wallet. The eating area is in a basement - dimmed lights, lounge music.... the warning signs were all there and screaming at me. I thought it was going to be one of those places where you pay a small fortune, only to get a gigantic plate put in fron of you with very little food right in the middle.
I was already resigned to getting a falafel wrap at Waterloo on the way home to subside my hunger, however I was pleasantly surprised. Portions were averagely sized and the food was well-above average.
For starters, I shared with Eva some hoisin duck spring rolls which were delicious - light and crispy pastry filled with incredibly tasty meat. For main course I opted for a vegetable red curry with a side order of garlic fried rice. Very succulent indeed. The curry was well spicy but you could still taste the coconut milk, of which there was plenty!
The fact that we were on a 50% off your food bill deal helped matters of course so the damage was limited to £20 each. The service was very courteous and professional. Between starter and main course, they serve you a fruit sorbet (nice touch) and before the starter gets served they also give you a little crouton with a tiny bit of warm duck liver on it.

Waterloo

I was out for a drink with my mate Andy tonight after work and, as usual, we met up at the Fire Station on Waterloo Road. The fact that this distinctly average pub is one of the best in the area speaks volumes in itself.
Anyway what really annoyed me was the fact that in less than 2 hours we were bothered by 6 or 7 vagrants / drunks / good-for-nothings. I certainly don’t have a problem if someone tries to sell me a copy of the Big Issue. What I do have a problem with though is when this seller is incredibly pushy and doesn’t take no for an answer. What I have a problem with is when a vagrant takes exception to god-knows-what and adopts an aggressive behaviour towards me... just because they feel like it.
With all the officers usually on the main concourse at Waterloo, surely it’s not too much to ask for a couple of them to take the escalator and see what’s going on at street level?? And why doesn’t the Fire Station landlord do anything about it? Is he happy to see his customers harassed? Does he want to see them go and drink somewhere else??

The World's Favourite Airline??

I was quite surprised to hear that British Airways - once the world's favourite airline - have decided to scrap all meals, excluding breakfast, on all flights under 2.5 hours.
My surprise stems from the fact that this is a rather dangerous route to go down, in my humble opinion. I am totally aware that BA have been implementing several cost cutting exercises recently but this may be a step too far.
Swapping a pretty decent sandwich for a bag of nuts or another snack will effectively put them on a par with Alitalia, for example, as far as Italian destinations are concerned. Now that post-merger Alitalia has improved its timekeeping, there was only the in-flight catering left to differentiate them from British Airways. Will customers be happy to pay a higher fare to fly BA for what is probably a very similar service?
Anyway, never mind Alitalia.... some analysts have pointed out that axing meals on short-haul flights will reduce BA's differentiation from the no-frills carriers and I cannot disagree with this viewpoint. Once you scrap the free sandwich (drinks will still be available on BA), passengers will be left to ponder if the inconvenience of not having a pre-assigned seat - if you fly Easyjet for example - may be tolerated if you can save £50 or more on a short-haul flight to anywhere in Europe.

Italy’s problems do not end with Berlusconi

A couple of days ago, I read this article in the Financial Times. Unfortunately it is pretty accurate, and I say 'unfortunately' because it certainly doesn't paint a great picture of my country of origin. As usual, what will be the most common reaction in the Italian media to any criticism coming from abroad and particularly from the British isles? "They are only jealous of us".... "What do they know? They dress like tramps".... "We're not taking any lesson from a country without bidets". I have heard all of them before.

The article below is courtesy of the Financial Times. It is a bit long but definitely worth reading.

The now daily revelations about Silvio Berlusconi’s sex life suggest to many a leader unfit to govern. Yet in the extensive coverage in the international press and the growing condemnation of the Italian prime minister’s behaviour, bigger problems are being missed that go to the heart of Italy’s decline and which will not be remedied solely by his removal from office.

The central issue in the background is the extent of corruption at the heart of the government, and the lack of transparency and accountability that bedevils efforts to deal with it. There is a culture of illegality that runs through Italian politics and extends to society, from habitual tax evasion and Mafia involvement in building contracts – including, many suspect, ones currently being negotiated in earthquake-ravaged L’Aquila – to the fixing of football matches. Italy has easily the highest proportion of MPs found guilty of criminal offences in Europe. Mr Berlusconi has faced down many court cases of his own, successfully avoiding prosecution merely by virtue of parliamentary immunity legislation introduced by his own government.

There are two main reasons why this situation has been allowed to continue. First, Mr Berlusconi presides over a regime built through his media empire, which includes the ownership or control of almost the entire television network and significant publishing ventures. Even Rai, the public broadcaster – which has faced much political interference from Mr Berlusconi – has refused to carry any coverage of the allegations linking him to the escort girl Patrizia D’Addario on its main news channel.

The second reason is the continual failure to open up Italy’s political system following the “Tangentopoli” corruption crisis of the early 1990s, which brought down the ruling Christian Democrats. The Italian left has gone through a severe crisis of identity and several name changes in recent years, and has failed to develop the reforming agenda that this moment of opportunity demanded.

Perversely, it has been Mr Berlusconi who has benefited most from this political vacuum. Since his arrival on the scene in 1994, he has reshaped Italian political culture and values in his own image. The merging of his Forza Italia with the post-fascist National Alliance last year into the People of Freedom Party only consolidated his control, as his allies depend on his patronage, power and popularity with voters. Even the Northern League, which brought down Mr Berlusconi’s first government in 1994, depends on his leadership.

The opposition is currently having its own leadership dilemmas, as it attempts to find someone capable of what seven centre-left leaders – with the exception of Romano Prodi – have failed to do: defeat Mr Berlusconi. The decision of the last incumbent, Walter Veltroni, to resist what he called “anti-Berlusconism” merely allowed the prime minister’s conflict of interests to remain unchallenged. The failure of Italy’s political class to reform itself over many decades has meant Mr Berlusconi’s populism has been able to address some of the everyday fears of Italians, however incongruous this may seem to outsiders.

The situation has become so serious that Antonio Di Pietro, leader of the Italy of Values party who led the “Clean Hands” anti-corruption movement in the early 1990s, recently placed an advertisement in the international press calling on foreigners to help “save Italian democracy”. Shortly after, the comic blogger Beppe Grillo decided to stand for the leadership of the Democratic party, the main opposition party. Both developments are symptoms of the same problem, namely that there is neither an alternative leader nor a strong movement for change at home capable of delivering credible government.

Even when Mr Berlusconi does finally leave – and despite some fall in support there is no reason to believe his departure is imminent – there is little hope that the cross-party collaboration needed to introduce a new electoral system, more public accountability, greater media independence, and more competition to open up markets, will follow. The international condemnation of the Italian premier’s behaviour has at least brought the early beginnings of national self-examination. We will wait to see whether this will lead to further introspection, or the energy to drive a new spirit of reform in the future.