Silvio Berlusconi è morto
June 12, 2023 8:16 AM Subscribe
Silvio Berlusconi è morto, aveva 86 anni: domani la camera ardente a Mediaset [Corriere della Sera]
Silvio Berlusconi, scandal-ridden former Italian prime minister, dies aged 86 [Grauniad]
Silvio Berlusconi, a Showman Who Upended Italian Politics and Culture, Dies at 86 [NYT; ungated]
Silvio Berlusconi, Italian prime minister, 1936-2023 [FT; ungated]
Silvio Berlusconi, Former Italian Prime Minister and Media Magnate, Dies at 86 [WSJ; ungated]
Silvio Berlusconi: How the former Italian PM changed Italy [BBC]
PARTY LEADER Inside Silvio Berlusconi’s ‘bunga bunga’ parties – from ‘orgies’ to Ronaldinho masks and Ruby the Heart Stealer scandal [The Sun]
Berlusconi è morto | Camera ardente privata ad Arcore, funerali di Stato mercoledì in Duomo. Il Papa: «Energico» [Corriere della Sera liveblog]
Dalla A di amore alla Z di Zelensky: l’alfabeto di Berlusconi [Corriere della Sera]
Silvio Berlusconi, scandal-ridden former Italian prime minister, dies aged 86 [Grauniad]
Silvio Berlusconi, a Showman Who Upended Italian Politics and Culture, Dies at 86 [NYT; ungated]
Silvio Berlusconi, Italian prime minister, 1936-2023 [FT; ungated]
Silvio Berlusconi, Former Italian Prime Minister and Media Magnate, Dies at 86 [WSJ; ungated]
Silvio Berlusconi: How the former Italian PM changed Italy [BBC]
PARTY LEADER Inside Silvio Berlusconi’s ‘bunga bunga’ parties – from ‘orgies’ to Ronaldinho masks and Ruby the Heart Stealer scandal [The Sun]
Berlusconi è morto | Camera ardente privata ad Arcore, funerali di Stato mercoledì in Duomo. Il Papa: «Energico» [Corriere della Sera liveblog]
Dalla A di amore alla Z di Zelensky: l’alfabeto di Berlusconi [Corriere della Sera]
Finally.
posted by trotz dem alten drachen at 8:27 AM on June 12, 2023 [10 favorites]
posted by trotz dem alten drachen at 8:27 AM on June 12, 2023 [10 favorites]
He set a great example for other fascists, who should also die.
posted by Jon_Evil at 8:29 AM on June 12, 2023 [67 favorites]
posted by Jon_Evil at 8:29 AM on June 12, 2023 [67 favorites]
Couldn’t happen to a nicer fascist
posted by bq at 8:34 AM on June 12, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by bq at 8:34 AM on June 12, 2023 [3 favorites]
Vaffanculo a chi t'è morto, Berlusconi!
Should be easier for him now.
posted by lalochezia at 8:35 AM on June 12, 2023 [4 favorites]
Should be easier for him now.
posted by lalochezia at 8:35 AM on June 12, 2023 [4 favorites]
A repellent, but typical, example of the "lovable rogue" in politics. I've seen several tweets along the lines of "At least he was fun/entertaining." That's how we got Trump. And that's a tradition that goes back to corrupt assholes like "Gentleman" Jimmy Walker and similar early-20th-c. pols.
posted by the sobsister at 8:35 AM on June 12, 2023 [10 favorites]
posted by the sobsister at 8:35 AM on June 12, 2023 [10 favorites]
One fewer orange man in politics
posted by dis_integration at 8:36 AM on June 12, 2023 [10 favorites]
posted by dis_integration at 8:36 AM on June 12, 2023 [10 favorites]
Ruth Ben-Ghiat in Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present:
"Racial fears and practices harking back to Fascist persecution of Bedouin in Libya also resounded in Berlusconi's 2008 'nomad emergency decree.' It destroyed camps in Italy inhabited by thousands of Roma people, some of whom were Italian citizens, on the grounds that they threatened 'public order and security.'
[...]
Berlusconi was often called the Mussolini of the twenty-first century. Like Il Duce, he made his image dominant in the public sphere, and he reoriented Italian foreign policy around his personal relationships with the despots he so admired. Taking advantage of his control of national media, Berlusconi remade Italian political culture. He mainstreamed the far right, merging AN and Forza Italia into a new People of Freedom party, which governed Italy from 2009 to 2011. He detained and demonized migrants, promoted the agendas of autocrats like Putin, and exercised authoritarian and personalist leadership in a nominal open society. This Berlusconi formula would soon be exported to America."
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 8:36 AM on June 12, 2023 [9 favorites]
"Racial fears and practices harking back to Fascist persecution of Bedouin in Libya also resounded in Berlusconi's 2008 'nomad emergency decree.' It destroyed camps in Italy inhabited by thousands of Roma people, some of whom were Italian citizens, on the grounds that they threatened 'public order and security.'
[...]
Berlusconi was often called the Mussolini of the twenty-first century. Like Il Duce, he made his image dominant in the public sphere, and he reoriented Italian foreign policy around his personal relationships with the despots he so admired. Taking advantage of his control of national media, Berlusconi remade Italian political culture. He mainstreamed the far right, merging AN and Forza Italia into a new People of Freedom party, which governed Italy from 2009 to 2011. He detained and demonized migrants, promoted the agendas of autocrats like Putin, and exercised authoritarian and personalist leadership in a nominal open society. This Berlusconi formula would soon be exported to America."
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 8:36 AM on June 12, 2023 [9 favorites]
My mental map draws a direct line from Burlusconi to Trump. Showmen, populists, sexist pigs, overall bad for their respective countries. And because it's Italy, I can't help but think of the path of Sulla to Caesar and Augustus.
A reminder that Burlusconi implemented a fingerprinting regime for all Romani, including children. In 2008. Which apparently survived court challenges. He also had several Romani camps bulldozed.
There's that Kissinger meme about death with a claw machine, but a variation on it for Pat Robertson was "sure, I'll take it." I kind of feel the same about Burlusconi. (CW: from twitter, but with Reddit's situation, it's the best I can do)
posted by Hactar at 8:37 AM on June 12, 2023 [15 favorites]
A reminder that Burlusconi implemented a fingerprinting regime for all Romani, including children. In 2008. Which apparently survived court challenges. He also had several Romani camps bulldozed.
There's that Kissinger meme about death with a claw machine, but a variation on it for Pat Robertson was "sure, I'll take it." I kind of feel the same about Burlusconi. (CW: from twitter, but with Reddit's situation, it's the best I can do)
posted by Hactar at 8:37 AM on June 12, 2023 [15 favorites]
Last week's Good Week is continuing into this week. I mainly remember Berlusconi from the many, many mentions of him on The Bugle; Andy and John got a lot of mileage out of his news stories.
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posted by May Kasahara at 8:39 AM on June 12, 2023 [10 favorites]
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posted by May Kasahara at 8:39 AM on June 12, 2023 [10 favorites]
No discussion of Berlusconi is complete without mentioning Propaganda Due (P2), the Masonic lodge/far right social club where he got his start in business and politics. (Not this is not meant as a “freemasons control the media” conspiracy, more in a “the rich have all kinds of way of doing fascism” kind of conspiracy
posted by Jon_Evil at 8:56 AM on June 12, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by Jon_Evil at 8:56 AM on June 12, 2023 [7 favorites]
Good point: several times lately I wished for a new "F*ck you-logy" for Berlusconi, Robertson, etc.
posted by wenestvedt at 9:01 AM on June 12, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by wenestvedt at 9:01 AM on June 12, 2023 [6 favorites]
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posted by joannemerriam at 9:30 AM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by joannemerriam at 9:30 AM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
now do Trump
posted by StickyCarpet at 9:31 AM on June 12, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by StickyCarpet at 9:31 AM on June 12, 2023 [5 favorites]
is henry kissenger even in this thing?
posted by bombastic lowercase pronouncements at 9:33 AM on June 12, 2023 [23 favorites]
posted by bombastic lowercase pronouncements at 9:33 AM on June 12, 2023 [23 favorites]
My mental map draws a direct line from Burlusconi to Trump.
Me too Burlusconi wasn't a big figure in the American imagination (or awareness at all) but the parallels are so striking.
Folks here have mentioned several. I want to add that combination of hypermasculinity with appeals to religion.
posted by doctornemo at 9:34 AM on June 12, 2023 [12 favorites]
Me too Burlusconi wasn't a big figure in the American imagination (or awareness at all) but the parallels are so striking.
Folks here have mentioned several. I want to add that combination of hypermasculinity with appeals to religion.
posted by doctornemo at 9:34 AM on June 12, 2023 [12 favorites]
Berlusconi, Duterte, Edrogan, Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage... they were all part of 2016's rising wave of fascism.
posted by grumpybear69 at 9:36 AM on June 12, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by grumpybear69 at 9:36 AM on June 12, 2023 [5 favorites]
Couldn't happen to a nicer.
posted by gentlyepigrams at 10:18 AM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by gentlyepigrams at 10:18 AM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
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posted by Meatbomb at 12:10 PM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Meatbomb at 12:10 PM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
Bunga bunga party in Hell tonight boys!
posted by Ignorantsavage at 12:45 PM on June 12, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Ignorantsavage at 12:45 PM on June 12, 2023 [3 favorites]
funny I just watched Assholes: A theory yesterday, and there was a fair bit about him in it. Interesting documentary!
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 12:46 PM on June 12, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 12:46 PM on June 12, 2023 [4 favorites]
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posted by EvaDestruction at 1:01 PM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by EvaDestruction at 1:01 PM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
Do you think he'll be surprised when he reads the words, "Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch'entrate"?
posted by biogeo at 2:16 PM on June 12, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by biogeo at 2:16 PM on June 12, 2023 [4 favorites]
With Berlusconi gone, the Finnish pizza chain called Kotipizza has apparently changed his namesake pizza into just Poro (“reindeer” which is the main ingredient). A bit of context in the comments.
So back in 2005 Berlusconi argued that whenever in Finland he would had to "endure" the Finnish food. Back then Finland and Italy were competing which one gets to host EU food safety agency in their country. Berlusconi's main argument being that since there's no actual food culture in Finland, Italy should natrurally get the agency.
When he was eventually successful, he told the media that he used his "playboy charm" on Mrs Tarja Halonen (president at the time). Finland ended up calling in the Italuan ambassodor over this.
As a revenge, Kotipizza designed a pizza with smoked reindeer meat, red onion, chanterelles and named it after Berlusconi. It went on winning a pizza contest in New York in 2008.
(via reddit)
posted by tractorfeed at 2:32 PM on June 12, 2023 [7 favorites]
So back in 2005 Berlusconi argued that whenever in Finland he would had to "endure" the Finnish food. Back then Finland and Italy were competing which one gets to host EU food safety agency in their country. Berlusconi's main argument being that since there's no actual food culture in Finland, Italy should natrurally get the agency.
When he was eventually successful, he told the media that he used his "playboy charm" on Mrs Tarja Halonen (president at the time). Finland ended up calling in the Italuan ambassodor over this.
As a revenge, Kotipizza designed a pizza with smoked reindeer meat, red onion, chanterelles and named it after Berlusconi. It went on winning a pizza contest in New York in 2008.
(via reddit)
posted by tractorfeed at 2:32 PM on June 12, 2023 [7 favorites]
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posted by mbo at 2:59 PM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by mbo at 2:59 PM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
a career tainted by sex scandals, allegations of corruption and a tax fraud conviction.
I'm not convinced that it was the allegations that were doing the tainting here.
posted by pompomtom at 4:35 PM on June 12, 2023 [3 favorites]
I'm not convinced that it was the allegations that were doing the tainting here.
posted by pompomtom at 4:35 PM on June 12, 2023 [3 favorites]
a career based on sex scandals, allegations of corruption and a tax fraud conviction.
posted by krisjohn at 5:23 PM on June 12, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by krisjohn at 5:23 PM on June 12, 2023 [7 favorites]
I wrote a letter to the Washington Post:
posted by mark k at 5:39 PM on June 12, 2023 [6 favorites]
I want to compliment you on the excellent work done by your Obituaries section editor in recent weeks. I read with pleasure the entries for Pat Robertson, Silvio Berlusconi and Ted Kaszinski.(FYI I'm did not write a letter and the structure is just a recycled old joke.)
Do you take requests?
posted by mark k at 5:39 PM on June 12, 2023 [6 favorites]
June 2023 is just hitting them out of the park.
HENRY!
HENRY!
HENRY!
HENRY!
HENRY!
posted by flabdablet at 7:02 PM on June 12, 2023 [5 favorites]
HENRY!
HENRY!
HENRY!
HENRY!
HENRY!
posted by flabdablet at 7:02 PM on June 12, 2023 [5 favorites]
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posted by Token Meme at 8:07 PM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Token Meme at 8:07 PM on June 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
Mod note: A couple deleted. Let's not turn this into a discussion about Trump, please.
posted by taz (staff) at 11:18 PM on June 12, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by taz (staff) at 11:18 PM on June 12, 2023 [3 favorites]
I studied French and Italian at university and wrote my dissertation on how corrupt he was, in 2010!
posted by ellieBOA at 2:27 AM on June 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by ellieBOA at 2:27 AM on June 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
Of course he'd die during the writer's strike, so Last Week Tonight won't be able to give him a gleeful eulogy (or "Fuck Eulogy," in The Bugle's terminology).
posted by JHarris at 5:18 AM on June 13, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by JHarris at 5:18 AM on June 13, 2023 [3 favorites]
Oh hey, It's pride month (and I saw a lovely pride event in London this last weekend, GO! you magnificent LGBTQ+ bastards! It shocked my uptight christian family :D) The prefect time to remember the Queen hit Another One Bites the Dust. Or for those of a slightly different musical demographic, the Ramones, Glad to See You Go. We could probably do this all day for those interested.
On subject, fuck this guy, the fascists that followed him, and all fascists everywhere.
posted by evilDoug at 8:03 AM on June 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
On subject, fuck this guy, the fascists that followed him, and all fascists everywhere.
posted by evilDoug at 8:03 AM on June 13, 2023 [2 favorites]
Rest in piss, you asshole.
My mother's mother was born in northern Italy and came here as a child in the 1920s; they were refugees from the Fascist regime.
If there is an afterlife, my late mother is now toasting Silvio's death with her mother, her nonna, and her zia.
posted by virago at 8:28 AM on June 13, 2023 [7 favorites]
My mother's mother was born in northern Italy and came here as a child in the 1920s; they were refugees from the Fascist regime.
If there is an afterlife, my late mother is now toasting Silvio's death with her mother, her nonna, and her zia.
posted by virago at 8:28 AM on June 13, 2023 [7 favorites]
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posted by Fizz at 8:26 AM on June 12, 2023 [12 favorites]