The Sick Man of Europe? = "Nope We're Playboy!"

international | consumer issues | other press Saturday May 28, 2005 12:25 by i

The British based news magazine "The economist" this week led with a cover "Italy the real sick man of Europe" which saw a little illustration of the peninsula on crutches hit news kiosks across the continent and a lot of content inside on the moribund, stagnant, depressed economy, and little digs at the lack of media freedom, disregard for civil and human rights and the "smellyiness" of it all.

Well Mr B. (B for berlusconi not beeton) has replied.
Retorted indeed-

"it is not true that Italy is the sick man of Europe"
"in Italy we have joys (delights and sweeties)"
"we are one of the richest nations on earth"
"our country is not beautiful for its good artists, but its culture and environment, but also one of the richest regions of Europe. Family wealth is increasing, we have a very high percentage of mobiles, cars and owner houses".

(and this is the line which is so, _so_ precious, which was indeed the touchstone of Mr B's spin)

"We have so many mobiles, we're playboy".

You might wonder how one of the most unpopular politicians in Europe, the only elected leader of a European state to have plastic surgery on his wrinkles, the man who built a vertible james bondesque fortress complete with tunnels and lair in Sardinia, got round to saying -

"we have so many mobiles, we're playboy".

So I'll tell you, he was listing all of things an italian ought be proud of (very few of which he could actually take credit for)-

"...we have 100,000 churches and monuments, 40,000 historic palaces, with the treasure they contain, 3500 museums, 2500 archeological sites, 1000 theatres"

and then-
"... we have the highest number of mobiles, we are playboy, and our youngsters send at least 10 messages a day to their girlfriends".

http://www.unita.it/index.asp?SEZIONE_COD=HP&TOPIC_TIPO=&TOPIC_ID=42839
http://www.unita.it/index.asp?topic_tipo=&topic_id=42706

So it's a bit weird, that today's Unita, (left wing daily) has brought the attention of their reader, distracting them from the musuems, churches, playboy lifestyle, to the startling fact that Italy leads the European Union in child exploitation and labour.
A startling 16.6% of Italian children it appears work for thier mobiles.

http://www.unita.it/index.asp?topic_tipo=&topic_id=42848