Silvio Berlusconi has claimed a call girl who says she was paid to attend one of his parties is being manipulated by shadowy forces intent on damaging his political career. In his first direct response to claims that he slept with escort Patrizia D'Addario at a party at his Rome mansion in November, the Italian prime minister accused her of being part of a co-ordinated "mission" to compromise his integrity. "Someone gave a very precise and extremely well paid mission to this Miss D'Addario," Mr Berlusconi said in an interview with magazine, Chi, which is owned by his publishing company, Mondadori.
In his first direct response to claims that he slept with escort Patrizia D'Addario at a party at his Rome mansion in November, the Italian prime minister accused her of being part of a co-ordinated "mission" to compromise his integrity.
"Someone gave a very precise and extremely well paid mission to this Miss D'Addario," Mr Berlusconi said in an interview with magazine, Chi, which is owned by his publishing company, Mondadori.
Berlusconi has on several occasions accused the press of subversion. His Minister of the Culture, Sandro Bondi, wrote a public letter on June 22, declaring that la Repubblica is a danger for democracy.
Repubblica replied with a short note:
L'invettiva del ministro Bondi nei confronti di "Repubblica", ma più ancora della libertà di informazione, merita nella sua miseria roboante appena due righe di commento. Soltanto nel nostro Paese un ministro della Cultura può definire un giornale "un'insidia per la democrazia". Evidentemente nella sua concezione della democrazia che non prevede contropoteri e pubblica opinione, ma solo sudditi, la libera stampa rappresenta un'insidia. I cittadini sono avvertiti. Minister Bondi's diatribes against la Repubblica- all the more so against freedom of information- hardly deserves more than two lines for all its bombastic misery. It's only in our nation that a Minister of Culture defines a newspaper "a danger for democracy." Apparently in his concept of democracy which does not allow for public opinion and balance of power but only for subjects, a free press represents a danger. Citizens are warned.
Minister Bondi's diatribes against la Repubblica- all the more so against freedom of information- hardly deserves more than two lines for all its bombastic misery. It's only in our nation that a Minister of Culture defines a newspaper "a danger for democracy." Apparently in his concept of democracy which does not allow for public opinion and balance of power but only for subjects, a free press represents a danger. Citizens are warned.
For my take on this saponified mediocrity- who has turned Italian museums over to a MacDonald's executive and shows up at talk shows with priceless masterpieces underarm he grabbed off the wall- see this thread.
