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MARGARET THATCHER: WHY I SUPPORT BERLUSCONI
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Race
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| Contributor | None Entered |
| Last Edited | None Entered May 31, 2004 08:59am |
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| Category | News |
| News Date | Friday, May 11, 2001 06:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | In over forty years of political life I have never witnessed a Europe-wide media campaign of such ferocity as that which in recent days has been levelled at Silvio Berlusconi. And since this exercise in character assassination was launched, if not necessarily devised, in Britain, it seems appropriate that as a former British Prime Minister I should offer some comments upon its significance.
The campaign against Mr Berlusconi claims, of course, to be prompted by a concern for probity in politics. This in principle is an admirable aim. But perhaps the various French, German, Spanish and indeed British journalists involved might do better first to consider the shortcomings in their own countries in this regard. Italy, as Italians know better than anyone, has certainly also experienced such problems in abundance. But Italy is not unique. As for the long lists of accusations made against Mr Berlusconi, I am one of those who believes that a man, even a successful businessman, is innocent until proven guilty; and I note that these reheated accusations have all either been dismissed or dropped or are unsubstantiated. I am not sure how well it translates in Italian, but in English we have an expression to the effect that those who live in glass houses should not throw stones. Europe today has an abundance of glass houses.
What is even more astonishing, however, is the assumption by the Left wing politicians and journalists in Italy and elsewhere that they now occupy the moral high ground of politics. The fact is that having comprehensively lost the Cold War, the fellow-travelling Left in Italy, as in so much of Europe, has simply reinvented itself. Old parties have new names. Socialism has changed its colours from red to pink or green. As in Italy at this election, new faces are found to front for discredited politicans and to mouth today's versions of yesterday's empty slogans. |
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