Assume that the left hasn’t done that much to tackle the issue of Berlusconi’s conflict of interest. Why not?
One explanation might be that many parties within the broad left-wing coalitions, and many individuals within Italian politics more generally, are inclined to forgive past crimes in order to make life easier or to avoid division.
This is one of two arguments adduced by Paul Ginsborg, in his 2004 book, Silvio Berlusconi : television, power and patrimony:
Most of those who were in the centre of the centre-left came from a Christian Democrat past. They were opposed to taking any determined measures, either of a judicial nature, or regarding Berlusconi’s predominant position in the media (the two issues had become almost inextricably intertwined by this time). For them a policy of laissez-faire and letting bygones be bygones was the wisest one to adopt. Behind such attitudes lay a deep-rooted tendency in Italian political culture, clearly of Catholic origin, towards pardoning and forgetting (p. 91)
And indeed, there have been numerous `amnesties’ in recent Italian political history, and not all on sexy issues like the media: there have been amnesties on immigration, on the building of residences without permits, on tax payments, and so on, most of which have been granted by the centre-right.
In any case, if this argument is correct, then the left hasn’t done more about Berlusconi’s influence on the media because the `centre’ of the `centre-left’ didn’t really want it, and they didn’t really want it because they’re inclined to let sleeping dogs lie.
At the same time, this argument runs against a very different school of thought: that it was not the former Christian Democrats who let Berlusconi off the hook, but rather the former Communists.
In particular - runs the argument - Massimo D’Alema was so keen to play the statesman and agree institutional reform with Berlusconi during the Bicamerale that he let Berlusconi off the hook. Call this the inciucio theory. It seems to me that the inciucio theory and the forgiveness theory can’t both be right.
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