I think it goes along the lines of "it takes a thief to catch a thief."
Not in actual criminal terms, you understand. (One of the more displeasing aspects of our last General Election is that we appear to have let in the sort of backwoods Tories who not only believe in said criminality but are also apt to flaunt their beliefs -- obviously, to no political purpose whatsoever -- at the worst possible moment.)
But, in a sense, Berlusconi has spent, what, fifteen years doing exactly what the Eurocrats do in the large. The difference ("it takes a thief, etc") is illustrated, I think, in your generous analysis of Merkel, and your even more generous analysis of Sarkozy.
I am probably too cynical, and you may well be proved right. And if you multiply this "they really do care, they're just clueless" thing through Brussels/Strasbourg/Luxembourg (is Luxembourg the other site? I forget), then, yes, these people really are honest enough to want a solution, even if it hurts them personally in the short to medium term.
Berlusconi, on the other hand, is a straight-forward Robber Baron. It's been obvious for ages. If you've got any Italian friends, I think you'll find them particularly despondent at the moment. Not because of the EU crisis; more because of Berlusconi.
Plus which, Silvio doesn't actually have a long term. I seriously doubt that he gives a shit; otherwise he would have done something five years ago.
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Re: EU hypocrisy
Date: 2011-10-26 10:25 pm (UTC)Not in actual criminal terms, you understand. (One of the more displeasing aspects of our last General Election is that we appear to have let in the sort of backwoods Tories who not only believe in said criminality but are also apt to flaunt their beliefs -- obviously, to no political purpose whatsoever -- at the worst possible moment.)
But, in a sense, Berlusconi has spent, what, fifteen years doing exactly what the Eurocrats do in the large. The difference ("it takes a thief, etc") is illustrated, I think, in your generous analysis of Merkel, and your even more generous analysis of Sarkozy.
I am probably too cynical, and you may well be proved right. And if you multiply this "they really do care, they're just clueless" thing through Brussels/Strasbourg/Luxembourg (is Luxembourg the other site? I forget), then, yes, these people really are honest enough to want a solution, even if it hurts them personally in the short to medium term.
Berlusconi, on the other hand, is a straight-forward Robber Baron. It's been obvious for ages. If you've got any Italian friends, I think you'll find them particularly despondent at the moment. Not because of the EU crisis; more because of Berlusconi.
Plus which, Silvio doesn't actually have a long term. I seriously doubt that he gives a shit; otherwise he would have done something five years ago.