An Italian phenomenon: Beppe Grillo, a comedian who challenges the political system. A rising Five-Star politician without a governance program. Founder of a new anti-austerity movement that won a quarters of the vote in last Sunday’s elections. A 25% that makes him a kingmaker. Without the participation of non-conformist Beppe Grillo no government can be formed in Rome. Beppe Grillo rejects any coalition government approaches.
“Voice of protest for some, populist demagogue for others, comedian Beppe Grillo has become a serious political player after taking a quarter of the vote in Italy’s election, with his anti-establishment Five Star Movement,” BBC wrote in its article dedicated to Grillo.
It’s not a secret that Greeks – majority? minority? it doesn’t matter – are discontent with the established political system. The three-party centre-right/centre-left coalition government of Antonis Samaras has disappointed even its own voters in less than six months after it came to power. Non-stop imposing of taxes, permanent reducing of incomes, cuts in social welfare and health care, preferential attitude towards party friends and the rich.
Main opposition, left-wing SYRIZA does not manage to convince the austerity-hit middle classes as much as it should. Too many party components express much too many different views on economy that rather create confussion – not to mention ‘scare’ in some cases.
Therefore… do Greeks need to just pick up one of the country’s famous comedians and crown him to lead a new protest movement?
“Can Lakis Lazopoulos, Pavlos Chaikalis or Harry Clynn win our hearts by promising everything and thus without a plan?,” asks Aris Dimokidis in Greek mazagine Lifo
“PARTIES ARE DEAD. LONG LIVE COMEDIANISM” poster created for Lifo by Christos Papanikos.
I personally can very well imagine a movement of comedians to lead us if not to prosperity, at least to some good portions of fun! After three years of IMF-imposed austerity and six years of recession, we desperately need some heart-enlightening entertainment to take us out from the misery.
What if they do not have governance programs? Do the parties that have one keep it once they come into power? They don’t. If no real solutions, at least, real humor.
And anyway, we are tired anyway from clowns in costumes of politicians. Better the original than the copy-paste.
The latest trend, to have politicians and government advisors appear on television programs claiming they talk as ‘ordinary citizens’, does not provoke a vague smile even to my granny.
Pavlos Chaikalis is MP for nationalist Indepentent Greeks since June 2012.
perhaps this may herald the ‘eurozone spring’
maybe even a leader might emerge that the people can relate to
maybe the young talented people untainted with the smell of corruption could provide that
maybe maybe mavbe
the future is upon us
the present system has failed us and we have failed the system
the system only works when the right people engage for the right reasons
Political don’t need a comedian but someone that destroys the italian corruption and thievery of politician men. For this Italy voted him. And while destroying corruption, something other he destroying (or threatens to destroying) and Europe – and Germany at first – have a little fear … is so well to understand that it’s easy to control our last government without election, other is control now. And if in a short time we will go to vote again… Grillo take a 80%.
Maybe this is the wave of the future. We have a rock star clown as president.