While some in the Green and Left groups have criticised this as a violation of democratic principles given the size of the Farage group, there appears to be a sort of cordon sanitaire in place. So, good luck with effective opposition from there.

I guess they are scared of something, huh?

Look, bonding with Farage may well be the dumbest thing they ever did, I grant you that. It never warmed my fuzzies either. If it was a gamble to get their ball upfield and then the goalposts were moved, then we get to see how EU realpolitik rolls, that's always good! Cordon sanitaire, good one.

But what you don't reflect on it seems is that MV5 haven't espoused Farage's platform, they just have some coincident goals, primarily sorting out this dog's dinner of a currency foisted on us. (Not that it's the currency per se that's at fault, just its ridiculous mis-management.) If it weren't for the rules being as they are I guarantee they wouldn't have done it. A lot of their followers are gagging on it and unless it leads to better ends, it may cost them big time at the box.

'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty

The M5S, on the other hand, by allying itself with Farage (which you deplore) has succeeded in putting itself beyond the pale: the EPP, PSE and ALDE allied themselves to deny Farage's group (and the M5S) any institutional roles (committee chairs or vice-chairs, for instance).

And to get more committee chair and vice-chairs to hand to ALDE. MEP Wikström, ALDE (and committee chair thansk to this deal) defended it as a natural step in making a coalition.

Sweden's finest (and perhaps only) collaborative, leftist e-newspaper Synapze.se

Thanks for your diligence in finding hearteningly intelligent actions by the L'Altra Europa group.

They may catch a few votes from people who don't trust the MV5. They are too academic for the voters though and their web presence is negligible, social media wise.

Beppe's blog is huge, and the comments aren't stupid either. He was in the vanguard of political blogging worldwide, the Dkos of Italy, if Dkos had its own party.

Di Maio more than held his own at the live stream with Renzi on the 17th, put him in his place more than a few times, reducing him to babbling froth on others. (Mind you Renzi is an expert frothbabbler, like TB.)

What's politically embarrassing for the PD is their resistance to letting go of the Nazarene pact with B, and their ever-more obvious efforts to wangle Berlu a presidential pardon fuels a lot of anger that the Mv5 are channeling into good (imo) politics. B's megalomania just got an un-needed shot in the arm from his acquittal yesterday, so he is dipping his scummy oar in, though it's possible he's actually damaging the R's ability to cohere by not just going away somewhere where there's no TV cameras for a while.

Like Beppe with Mv5, who do better when he takes a back seat! Too short a fuse, makes funny comedy but too much -even comic- ire scares the grandma vote away.

And there's lots of voter granmas here who think he's Frank Sinatra and Francis of Assisi rolled into one...

Tsipras are just dabbling in Italy in comparison, though they have integrity and made the 4% vote, just.

They'd be better off colonising intellectuals and joining Beppe, imho. Firebrands do come in handy to get a platform off the ground.

'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty

The 'Caste' is still going strong with 90% of its bloated privilege intact.

'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty