PeterRS Posted June 14, 2023 Share Posted June 14, 2023 A strange thread title, I agree, but one that is I believe quite apt. A few days ago Italy's Silvio Berlusconi died. A media mogul with an outside personality whose businesses had made billions (€s or $s makes little difference) and who owned one of the country's top soccer teams, was attracted to right-wing politics. In 1994 he was elected to the first of his four separate terms as Italy's Prime Minister. Despite many scandals with young women (some being hookers and at least one alleged to be underage), continuing to own and run 90% of national television broadcasting whilst in power, alleged links to the mafia, a plethora of legal actions against him and his companies which saw him convicted several times for abuse of office, false accounting and bribery of judges - with the outcome in at least six occasions being politically altered to "no conviction", and a host of other scandals, he was always able to keep the public on his side. He was very much a model for Trumpism. Like Trump he liked to give his critics nicknames. Britain's Economist magazine was one of his sternest critics. Berlusconi called it The Ecommunist. The magazine was also taken to court. No doubt Trump watched and noted what was happening in Italy. Another avid viewer must unquestionably have been Britain's now disgraced Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Having lied to parliament years after he had lied massively to the British public when he led the campaign to get the country out of the European Union (an act that has seen the UK economy with the highest rate of inflation in Europe since the oil crises of the 1970s and the country's economy suffering badly through loss of jobs with the transport, farming and hospitality sectors particularly badly hit, stalled investment spending and a host of new export and travel regulations infuriating many), he had to resign as Prime Minister last year and has in recent days been forced to resign as a Member of Parliament. His ruling Conservative Party is about to go to war over whether he will be permitted ever to stand again for election as a Member of Parliament. He did not set himself up as a model. But Berlusconi certainly started the rot now eating away at US and UK politics. vinapu, reader and Ruthrieston 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reader Posted June 14, 2023 Share Posted June 14, 2023 Trump took a little of the worst from all notable dictators and weaved his own brand. I very much want to believe that you’re right but the US lurches from one election to another and there’s really no cool down period. Far right figures will always find an audience in the era of the 24-hour news cycle. Even if Trump fades or disappears, you have DeSantis et al waiting impatiently in the wings. alvnv and vinapu 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterRS Posted June 14, 2023 Author Share Posted June 14, 2023 I wish I understood some detail of the law in the US. I fail to understand why the various legal actions against Trump that have been talked about in some cases for years take such an inordinate amount of time to get anywhere near a law court. The attempt to manipulate the last election results in Georgia took place two and a half years ago. Yet despite the considerable evidence already made public, the case is dragging on and is still not ready to get to a court. Then there is the much older 2019 Deutsche Bank case where the Trmp Organisation allegedly failed to repy loans of $640 million +. I recall that Deutsche Bank was in a total internal mess at the time and that having stated it would not loan Trump any more cash, one of its departments did cough up a further $48 million - to help him pay off the $640 million! We also know that with appeal after appeal, whatever decision is come to in the case involving the documents found at Mar A Lago, a final outcome is not going to happen till after the 2024 Presidential election. With a Supreme Court packed with the likes of the dreadful sexual predator Clarence Thomas, that final verdict may itself be open to question! floridarob and Ruthrieston 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reader Posted June 14, 2023 Share Posted June 14, 2023 1 hour ago, PeterRS said: Then there is the much older 2019 Deutsche Bank case where the Trmp Organisation allegedly failed to repy loans of $640 million +. I recall that Deutsche Bank was in a total internal mess at the time and that having stated it would not loan Trump any more cash, one of its departments did cough up a further $48 million - to help him pay off the $640 million! Makes me wish I’d borrowed money from Deutsche Bank 🙂. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinapu Posted June 14, 2023 Share Posted June 14, 2023 11 hours ago, PeterRS said: He did not set himself up as a model. But Berlusconi certainly started the rot now eating away at US and UK politics. Berlusconi at least made impression of being fun loving which Trump does not , at least not on me reader and floridarob 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floridarob Posted June 14, 2023 Share Posted June 14, 2023 2 hours ago, vinapu said: which Trump does not , at least not on me Another reason we can be friends 😁 vinapu 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinapu Posted June 14, 2023 Share Posted June 14, 2023 2 minutes ago, floridarob said: Another reason we can be friends 😁 done deal but warning - I really liked first 2 seasons of The Apprentice and still have them on DVD , well hidden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10tazione Posted June 14, 2023 Share Posted June 14, 2023 3 hours ago, vinapu said: Berlusconi at least made impression of being fun loving which Trump does not , at least not on me When Berlusconi was asked if Trump is the Berlusconi of the United States, Berlusconi answered "the best thing about Trump is his good-looking wife" JKane, vinapu and reader 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floridarob Posted June 14, 2023 Share Posted June 14, 2023 1 hour ago, vinapu said: done deal but warning - I really liked first 2 seasons of The Apprentice and still have them on DVD , well hidden You just dropped down 3 spaces vinapu 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gayinpattaya Posted June 14, 2023 Share Posted June 14, 2023 It doesn't matter who the yanks vote for. You're country is finished. The petro-dollar is finished. The West is collapsing and the East is on the rise. It's not the fist time it's happened in history and it won't be the last. Yin and Yang..... The reasons are not worth debating here. Too many matrix slaves and NPCs reciting CNN. Western democracy is an illusion. Ticking a box gives the wage slaves an illusion of control over their lives. Is this forum mainly Americans? It seems so. Asia is surpassing everyone, and for good reason. I just pity the sorry sods left rotting in failed states in the West. BRICS is coming... and yes, the R is Russia. Good luck! Mavica, alvnv and Latbear4blk 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reader Posted June 15, 2023 Share Posted June 15, 2023 ….burp. floridarob and Mavica 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterRS Posted June 15, 2023 Author Share Posted June 15, 2023 8 hours ago, 10tazione said: When Berlusconi was asked if Trump is the Berlusconi of the United States, Berlusconi answered "the best thing about Trump is his good-looking wife" Describing Obama to Medvedev (during Putin's mandatory sabbatical as Russian President), Berlusconi said "he's young, handsome and tanned!" 10tazione, floridarob, Mavica and 1 other 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floridarob Posted June 15, 2023 Share Posted June 15, 2023 5 hours ago, gayinpattaya said: The reasons are not worth debating here. Because you can't....not capable of a debate. Your tin foil hat is too tight....you don't know the first thing about world economies nor finance. Your WORLD and work experience is so limited. Now I'll await your wise analysis with some dribble regurgitated from FAR right cults. Mavica, alvnv and reader 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinapu Posted June 15, 2023 Share Posted June 15, 2023 9 hours ago, floridarob said: You just dropped down 3 spaces I will suffer in silence floridarob 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinapu Posted June 15, 2023 Share Posted June 15, 2023 5 hours ago, gayinpattaya said: Asia is surpassing everyone, and for good reason. I just pity the sorry sods left rotting in failed states in the West. BRICS is coming... and yes, the R is Russia. Good luck! never mix whisky with tomato juice ! reader, floridarob and alvnv 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alvnv Posted June 15, 2023 Share Posted June 15, 2023 6 hours ago, gayinpattaya said: It doesn't matter who the yanks vote for. You're country is finished. The petro-dollar is finished. The West is collapsing and the East is on the rise. It's not the fist time it's happened in history and it won't be the last. Yin and Yang..... The reasons are not worth debating here. Too many matrix slaves and NPCs reciting CNN. Western democracy is an illusion. Ticking a box gives the wage slaves an illusion of control over their lives. Is this forum mainly Americans? It seems so. Asia is surpassing everyone, and for good reason. I just pity the sorry sods left rotting in failed states in the West. BRICS is coming... and yes, the R is Russia. Good luck! I pity English speakers that don’t know the difference between you’re and your. Trump does say: “I love poorly educated”, which pretty well explains the usual ramble coming from this sort. reader and floridarob 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterRS Posted June 15, 2023 Author Share Posted June 15, 2023 1 hour ago, alvnv said: I pity English speakers that don’t know the difference between you’re and your I am not taking sides in this discussion, but I do want to point out that with predictive spelling (correct term?) it is far from uncommon for it's and its, you're and your etc. to come out not as typed. This happens to me so often I rarely spot it. Naturally a check would pick this up - but who always checks the fine detail of their posts? Mavica and vinapu 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
