Bollocks against Berlusconi

Il Buffone - sorry, 'Il Cavaliere' - does it again. He was reported as saying the other day that anyone who voted for the Left in the coming Italian elections is a "coglione", which literally translates in English to "ball" or "testicle", but a more colloquial translation might be "bollock". As ever, he sought to minimise his words after the event, once again implausibly invoking his ineffable and ever-present irony, but too late. Immediately a whole movement of "coglioni" ("bollocks") has sprung up, with the slogan "Io sono un coglione" (I'm a bollock). In a masterstroke, a student studying a Masters in Political Communication just a few metres from the Berlusconi residence has started up a weblog at sononuncoglione.splinder.com and has sparked off mass 'flash-mob' style demos of proud "coglioni" coming from all over Italy to declare that they're proud of being bollocks who will vote for the Left.

This is one of the reasons I love Italy and the Italians. Sure, there's plenty wrong with the country - corruption, clientelism, obsession with "figura" (looking good), parochialism - but the people have a strong anarchic streak which, mixed with their famous self-deprecating humour and appetite for spontaneity, is highly appealing to this jaded rodent. When they have a complete buffoon as prime minister, the combination is explosive. It'll be a great loss to satirists and comics when Berlusconi does go, as only a miracle can win him this week's elections. If he does win then that will only be because the Italians prefer a good laugh to good government, but even they aren't that perverse.

Dal Web alla piazze tra rabbia e ironia (La Repubblica online, 5/4/06)
La parolaccia del premier spiazza la stampa straniera (La Repubblica online, 4/4/06) (some nice 'translation notes' for the foreign press)
Gadget, adesivi e "autodenunce" (La Repubblica online, 5/4/06)
Berlusconi seeks votes in sex lines and swear words (The Times online, 5/4/06) (in which "coglioni" is translated as "dickheads")
Italian election: media watch (Financial Times online, various dates) (a nice diary of the Italian election, with relevant links)