The latest dose of Italian ignorance is brought to you by the Lega Nord (surprise, surprise). In the above posters, the far-right group the Northern League equates the immigration situation in Italy to that faced by Native Americans in the colonial period: “They had immigration and now they live on reserves” and “The Indians could not stop the invasion.”

I am loathe to talk about the elections in Italy but the time has come with voting taking place today and tomorrow. For weeks I have been announcing my presence to friends and colleagues by stating that I am not interested in talking about politics. So you may be asking yourself why all of the fuss? Well, Italian politics make me sad and slightly nauseous. The thought of four more years of darkness (another Burlusconi-led government) inspires me to pack my bags immediately. Does no one here remember that Italy’s lack of economic growth (one of the EU’s worst performing countries) started during Berlusca’s reign? Does no one recall all of the lawsuits against this criminal? I better not get started.

Much in the same way I have never heard any Americans I know admit they voted for Bush, no one I know here in Italy has ever voted for Berlusconi. Unfortunately my left-leaning American and Italian friends are not a majority it would seem. All I can say is the future looks grim in this country. The electoral system (and so many other things) is in need of a drastic overhaul. A strong government is necessary to get Italy back on its feet and I don’t think that is going to happen anytime soon. Stay tuned for a post-election post-mortum rant.