Remember to Stay Alive

Last week was a hard one for Silvio Berlusconi. A decaying emperor  slave of his own vices, Mr Berlusconi’s struggling to save an empire that is falling to pieces.  After receiving warnings from the Vatican and  from an unusually explicit President of Republic Giorgio Napolitano, it seems his days are over. Though I’ve learned to preserve a disillusioned cynicism in these occasions, over the last days I couldn’t help asking myself:  “what if we get rid of him?”. Two pictures picked up from last week depict Mr Berlusconi’s legacy. The inauguration of a square named for statesman (and fugitive) Bettino Craxi and a statement from Berlusconi’s main ally Umberto Bossi unfold a system that has pervaded every level of the Italian culture, eventually corrupting the only defense conserved by the Italians: their memories.

Italian school freed from 700 Lega Nord symbols

Italian school haunted by 700 Lega Nord symbols was cleared up  yesterday morning after the Chancellor had called for removal of political presence in the building.

Teachers and janitors partially carried out the drainage operation  of the primary and secondary institute in Adro, a small village near Brescia.  The Alps Sun, Lega Nord Party symbol, covered the whole building: desks, chairs, bins, ashtrays and even not-to-trample-the-flower-beds cartels.

The  haunted school has been a deeply covered issue in Italy since its inauguration last September 11, when Adro Mayor and Lega Nord Oscar Lancini, showed the building to the public. The presence of the party was evident as the school was named Gianfranco Miglio, Lega Nord chief ideologue.

However, Lancini has always denied any attempt to get  politics into the school. The sun stuck on every wall of the building wouldn’t have been the Alps Sun but rather the historic symbol of the village. But numerous inhabitants said they had never seen the symbol in any historic building of the village.

Over the last month Lancini had to deal with hordes of journalists, angry parents and even warnings from the President of Republic Giorgio Napolitano. The Education Minister’s reaction was not immediate but she eventually asked Lancini to remove the symbols.

However, no measures were taken by the Mayor. The order had been ignored until yesterday, when the Chancellor decided the time for legality had come.