- Silvio Berlusconi has failed to show that he is any more worthy of leading Italy today than he was in the past.
- During his most recent spell in office, between 2001 and 2006, Mr Berlusconi did achieve modest improvements to Italy's unsustainable pension system and to its inflexible labour market.
- Much of his energy, though, was devoted to furthering his own, or his friends', interests. Some of his efforts took the form of laws (like the country's statute of limitations) that helped him to avoid conviction, some to attacks on the judiciary, some to the introduction of a voting system partly designed to keep him in power.
- Perhaps, now that he is rid of most of his legal troubles, he can start to think more about a place in history as a great reformer and less about staying out of jail.
- He is more likely to have his eyes on a populist route to the presidency.
- For this year, as in every year in which Mr Berlusconi has been a candidate, Italians are being asked to vote for someone who is simply unfit to lead a modern democracy.
- The Economist, which had called on him to resign in 1994, declared him unfit to run Italy. His response was a libel suit, which remains open. Our judgment, however, has been amply vindicated. Not only did the charges and conflicts of interest persist but so did the attacks on the judiciary.
- In January this year, for instance, he was acquitted of false accounting in the 1980s because a law passed by his government in 2002 had decriminalised the activities he was accused of.
- He is still Italy's richest man, still beset by conflicts of interest, still unfit, even if he were a great reformer, to rule Italy.
Tratto dall'Economist (qui l'articolo). A parte il punto 2 (che condivido solo parzialmente) condivdo tutto.
