Italian News at this time of year is limited to where celebrities take their holidays (largely Sardinia for fear of meeting British footballers in Portofino). Accordingly the Italian News item will be irregular during the summer, or very irregular if Wayne Rooney comes back.Holidays in Italy are, semi-officially, August, but some people start in July and some finish in September so to get anything done (like running the country) we are talking about a two month lapse. But life goes on as before, showing that continual lawmaking is not a prerequisite for a happy country (quite the reverse).
I am reminded of the time in Berlusconi’s last administration when Italy had the rotating presidency of the EU. This honour, which could have been forecast years in advance, was received by the government like a rugby footballer being unexpectedly thrown the ball while running in the wrong direction. They spent June and the first part of July thinking about it, then went on holiday, returning in mid-September in time for a hasty summit and a superbly organised dinner in a Roman palazzo. Nothing happened, a eurosceptic’s delight.
It leaves one feeling that Britain and America would be vastly better places if the political class took two months off a year (and that’s apart from the skiing holidays).
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