The Berlusconi attack

The ANSA news agency reports that if you search Facebook for Berlusconi and for Massimo Tartaglia (his assailant) you will get almost equal numbers believing that one man or the other should be canonised. Berlusconi polarises opinion in that way.

For the average Italian there is, I believe, another aspect. They have experienced the 70s and 80s where politics was tinged with violence. More than anything else the emotion they experience when thinking about those times is shame. Italians are very conscious of what others think about their country. The arrival of Berlusconi on the political scene was intended to mark the end of that post war era of corruption, violence and venality.

Now they fear this might mark a return to those days. As the unruly element gatecrashed his party meeting Berlusconi was shouting 'Vergognatevi' - you should be ashamed.

Rightly or wrongly this may well turn out to be an electoral advantage for Berlusconi. Bravely, after the attack, he stood on the sill of his car to show his supporters he was all right. Now the other leaders have been forced to condemn the attack, showing solidarity with the Prime Minister. They could hardly do otherwise.

Berlusca will be out for 3 weeks having a nose job and there will be plenty of plotting behind the scenes during that time, not least by the great man himself.