Editorialist Stephan Bussard tries to understand why Italy is about to elect Silvio Berlusconi as prime minister for a third time. "Because the country has never been so dislocated, with a prosperous north and a struggling south. This division benefits Berlusconi, who tantalises the entrepreneurial spirit in the north and the nationalist identity in the south. Because only the mention of the word 'left' scares Italians who worry about their purchasing power and tax hikes. Because Berlusconi continues to represent the illusion of success, a symptom of a country that lies to itself. 'Il Cavaliere''s probable victory is also Veltroni's defeat. The former mayor of Rome has nevertheless constructed a reformist branch of the centre-left, the Democratic Party, to split with the impossible multiform left. The strategy is sound. But he doesn't have the courage to take the centrist split all the way." (11/04/2008)

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In Italy the differences between left and right have long since become blurred and have been replaced by a conflict of interests between young and old, Dirk Schümer writes. "But now the country is paying the price for the paternalistic mentality of the political class and the inherent blocking of practical solutions: Italy is the country with the lowest birth-rate in Europe. ... Because the older generation easily outnumbers the younger generation in elections, the political parties are prolonging the country's agony. ... No matter how many Italians abstain from voting out of anger and desperation this weekend, and no matter which of the parties takes the lead in all the confusion, sociologist [Alessandro ] Rosino already knows who will win: the average age of the new parliamentarians will be at least 53. The marginalisation of the young, which is tantamount to social suicide, will therefore no doubt continue." (11/04/2008)

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Frank Paul Weber, the daily's Italian correspondent, is sceptical about the viability of a grand coalition after this weekend's parliamentary elections. "The Italians are kidding themselves ... with illusions of their ability to bring about this right-left union. The grand coalition in Germany is more the rule than the exception there: the chancellors, from Kohl to Schröder, often had to work with a Bundesrat - the equivalent of the Italian Senate - controlled by their opponents. Reforms were often the fruit of long negotiations between right and left in mixed parliamentary commissions made up of representatives from both chambers. ... These everyday grand coalitions fostered in the institutions, and a certain proclivity for compromise is, by contrast, entirely absent from the Italian political scene. In this sense, the 'Veltrusconi' scenario to manage the Euro zone's third largest economy ... worries more than it reassures." (10/04/2008)

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Italian film director Nanni Moretti gives his reasons for voting for the Democratic Party and argues that abstention is not an option in these elections. "I don't like the idea of 'a vote that counts'. Personally, I have no doubt about my vote. The Democratic Party is the only new thing in Italian political life, and it could be the ultimate opportunity to withhold the country from the extremists, Berlusconi and Bossi [the leaders of the North League]. Unfortunately, with left-wing voters, just like right-wing ones, there is a strong temptation to abstain. The undecided are certainly undecided because they are disillusioned, tired or used to it. The disappointment with the centre-left government is understandable, but it must not make us forget the real political, cultural and ethical abyss between the centre-left and the right ... ." (11/04/2008)

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Whether it's Berlusconi or Veltroni who wins, according to Wieland Schneider, neither will be able to guide the country out of its present social crisis. "Economic growth is stagnating at around zero percent and inflation is at its highest level in over ten years. The price of food and other everyday goods has risen and the budgets of many families are getting tighter. ... Powerful unions that block reforms, an overblown yet inefficient state administration and widespread cronyism - all these things represent an additional burden for this already exhausted country. And there's no help to be expected from the politicians because they're part of the system. ... There's still no sign of an end to Italy's downward spiral." (11/04/2008)

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French author Olivia Rosenthal worries about the homogenisation of literary tastes produced by the commercial logic of best-sellers. "Instead of following the hit parade of best selling books, as if this could take the role of a critic, as if the reign of 'good taste' could replace the search for meaning, as if we should all like the same things, think the same way and feel the same emotions, as if the 'universal' - which is the philosophical term we use for homogenisation - had any role whatsoever in the elaboration of a work of art, we would be better off admitting and defending a very simple but not very popular idea: that literature cannot be, will never be, a widespread practice, because by nature it is subversive." (11/04/2008)

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All available articles from » Olivia Rosenthal

Columnist Simon Jenkins reflects on the Olympic torch relay disruptions, asserting that the 'mob' is an underrated political phenomenon. "A crowd running amok in the streets of a capital somehow outguns opinion polls and election victories in the minds of rulers. When those in palaces of power peer round their curtains and see the howling throng, their knees go weak. ... This week's mob in London, Paris and San Francisco was tiny and unrepresentative of mostly non-violent Tibetan opinion. But by attaching itself to a publicity stunt, the mob delivered a humiliating blow to the mightiest dictatorship on earth, China. ... The games offer real leverage to a mob. ... $20bn to $30bn is invested in an Olympics these days, with just two weeks to make a return. That time sensitivity offers street activists extraordinary power, power that may even induce the Chinese to lighten their repression." (11/04/2008)

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"This small continent, with just 15 per cent of the world's people, can lead the way towards ecological sanity and a liveable planet and prove nations can overcome even the most tenacious hatreds and live together in peace," writes author Susan George. But she cannot support the Lisbon Treaty because it takes Europe in the wrong direction. It "is a model of failed neo-liberal economic nostrums and misplaced confidence in the market and competition as universal panaceas. Europeans deserve better, beginning with an elected convention for drafting a constitution, time for full debate and a popular ratification process. Europe has now surpassed the US as the wealthiest political entity. We can afford to retain and perfect the European social model, provide a decent livelihood for all and undertake a swift conversion to an ecological economy." (11/04/2008)

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The Slovak parliament yesterday passed a new media law which is heavily criticised by the media. It also ratified the Treaty of Lisbon for the reform of the EU, which the opposition had vetoed in a bid to prevent the passage of the media law. The party of the Hungarian-Slovaks, the Party of the Hungarian Coalition, became the deciding factor when it abandoned the boycott and endorsed the reform treaty. Lubos Palata comments: "Over the past 20 years there hasn't been a single important moment in Slovak politics in which the Slovak-Hungarians have failed. In the dispute over the press law they sided with the journalists. They stayed on the barricades right up to the last minute. However, unlike the rest of the defeated opposition, they realised that the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty was more important than the hopeless battle against the press law." Slovakia's newspapers appeared with blank front pages, a black-edged border and an open letter in protest against the law. (11/04/2008)

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On April 10th, members of the European Parliament stepped up the pressure on EU leaders, demanding that they only attend the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Beijing on the condition that the communist regime re-launches negotiations with the Dalai Lama. The daily writes that this resolution, passed by a large majority, "gives the Olympic conflict, sparked by the crisis in Tibet, a new dimension. The EU's engagement in China-Tibet relations goes beyond the gestures or sporadic declarations that we've seen up until now, and transforms them into a condemnation that encompasses all the EU countries in an official manner. ... Solidarity with the Tibetan people has ceaselessly grown. The powerful economic and commercial interest in China does not seem capable of curbing the snowball that is growing in regions and countries, among celebrities and athletes, around the world." (11/04/2008)

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Columnist Gary McKeone explores what peace in Northern Ireland has really accomplished after ten years. "What the Good Friday Agreement has certainly achieved is the near-annihilation of what used to be called constitutional political parties. The [Social Democratic and Labour Party], SDLP, and Ulster Unionists are in the wilderness because violence has been seen to pay. ... [In a BBC documentary] Seamus Mallon of the SDLP quotes [a] 'Undercover Diplomat' as saying of Mallon's party that 'the problem with you guys is that you don't have guns'. ... We should bear this in mind when the deals are done, as they inevitably will be done, with terrorist organisations across the globe. Terror works. Nothing like it to focus the mind. Shoot them coming out of churches; bomb them in restaurants; play trick or treat with a machine-gun in a pub. Stick at it long enough and the next thing you know, you're taking a brief from a civil servant and climbing into a chauffeur-driven car." (11/04/2008)

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A survey conducted in Estonia has revealed a sharp decline in the nation's trust in its parliament and government, while the reputation of the media has improved considerably. According to the newspaper, the two trends are linked. "The press has vehemently criticised policy-makers over the past few months and taken up many sensitive issues like the increase in parliamentary allowances, the unfair bill on changes in the laws for protection against dismissal, the budgetary deficit and the controversial freedom monument. When those who are supposed to represent the interests of the people forget their responsibilities, the media steps into the breach. Moreover, the press is making it possible for people to have more say, for example with its petition against the increase in parliamentary allowances." (11/04/2008)

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Radu Gabrea's film "The Headless Chicken", a German-Austrian-Romanian-Hungarian co-production based on the novel of the same name by Romanian-German author Eginald Schlattner, is currently making its way round Romania with part of the film crew. Mihai Fulger writes: "The film centres on the evening of the 23 August 1944, when the Transylvanian Saxons, many of whom had been drafted into the German army, were suddenly declared enemies of Romania overnight after having lived in peaceful coexistence with Romanians for 800 years. This was the beginning of the end for the national minority, which has searched without success for the head of the headless chicken - considered a lucky charm - since 1944. ... The film is well made from a technical point of view, and it's the first full-length feature about the tragic fate of the Transylvanian Saxons, so it deserves respect. The problem is it won't satisfy film fans seeking more than a bit of educational entertainment." (11/04/2008)

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All available articles from » Mihai Fulger

The Centre for Historical Research in Berlin, which belongs to the Polish Academy of Sciences, has begun a new long-term research project called "We Berliners!" about the influence of Poles on the German metropolis. In an interview with Joachim Trenkner, Robert Traba, director of the research centre, points out that Germans and Poles need to know more about the development of their bilateral relations. "We must finally grasp the fact that our common history consists of more than just a couple of decades in the 20th century. We should see it from a 'long-term' perspective that takes into account the diversity of historical events, and explore it using different research methods. This certainly won't have the effect of playing down its importance. On the contrary, the point of all dialogue in sciences is the reassessment of research methods regarding the most important subjects and the creation of new challenges, because so many perspectives come into play, including those that result from different national traditions." (09/04/2008)

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In a bid to help the estimated 83 million Europeans with hearing problems, Polish MEP Lidia Joanna Geringer de Oedenberg has proposed the subtitling of all programmes broadcast on state television. Hannelore Crolly comments: "Ms Geringer de Oedenberg now has first-hand experience of how risky the translation business can be. Apparently owing to a 'translation error' in her declaration, her well-meant idea triggered a great, if unnecessary uproar. ... Many people thought the former TV boss wanted the dubbing of programmes to be abandoned completely and only original soundtracks to be permitted. ... Well, in the end it doesn't really matter what she meant, because her declaration isn't legally binding. But at least the former TV boss managed to persuade 427 of the 785 parliamentarians to sign - if only because many of them apparently don't read things before signing them." (11/04/2008)

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All available articles from » Hannelore Crolly