Why Does a “Clown” Frighten So Many?
Political elites and the media around Europe must have lost their collective senses of humor: they call Beppe Grillo a “comedian” or a “clown”, but nobody is laughing at his words. The past week after a significant electoral result for Beppe Grillo’s Five Star Movement (M5s), the entire world is looking at Italy with concern. There […]
Beppe Grillo’s 5 Star Movement in Action
Last Friday evening I was invited to attend a meeting between some of Beppe Grillo’s 5 Star Movement’s newly elected MPs. Here’s an article on what went on and how I found the event. Italy’s RAI television channel had sent a camera crew and a reporter, but neither the crew nor the microphone wielding reporter were allowed […]
Is Press Freedom about to be Limited in Italy?
Not too long ago, in fact just after Berlusconi won the elections, I spoke to a journalist who works for a major Italian newspaper, and this journalist told me that he and many of his colleagues were worrying about clamp downs on press freedom in Italy. Well, it’s looking as though this hack’s fears were […]