Volcano Effect (II)

My earlier post on Silvio Berlusconi's abject idiocy expressed some confusion as to why the bigoted crypto-fascist buffoon is still in power - returned to it, even!

Well, now I know why:

Through his media group, Mediaset, Berlusconi and his family control three private national television channels (the family advertising company Publitalia supplies most of the others as well), two newspapers, a fleet of magazines, the biggest cinema circuit, and the country's largest book publisher. Conflict of interest? Ironed out of existence by self-serving legislation that the former hard-pressed and short-lived centre-left government of Romano Prodi never got round to abolishing. Thanks to another trademark law, Berlusconi overruled the constitutional court and legalised his virtual monopoly while consolidating absolute political control over the public service broadcaster RAI.

It turns out few in Italy know what kind of toxic garbage spews out of Berlusconi's mouth - or anything else negative relating to the government, for that matter.

The cradle of western civilization, reduced to North Korea with sweat stains and a pasta maker.