a touch of the Bleak House

I watched Berlusconi’s wax effigy hold a press conference the other day – surreal stuff. A 90 min diatribe against his enemies, wounded pride, and a total lack of any grasp of reality.  Hand literally wringing, sweaty and slurred of speech, Mr Toad became the vision of a man who has tipped over the edge – if he had lanky hair, pissy trousers and was standing at a bus stop railing against the judicial system, everybody would just think he was another mad old gimmer.  But – as he has tv stations and papers and can order his minions to give him primetime we have to listen to his ranting.

His greatest venom was reserved for the judiciary – he just cannot accept that he may be guilty, or that he has ‘a propensity to be a delinquent’  – he ignores the reams of proof – emails from FOX execs, oral testimony and phone calls – all which point to him as being directly involved.  If he signed off on stuff without reading it, its his fault – as the big boss he would be the first to accept that the buck stops with him, unless he can pass it to an underling before he gets caught out.

Then there was the slagging off of Merkel and EUrope – which has caused the spread to climb 20 points today.  He must realise that he is now ineffectual and past it.  He won’t, but somebody should make his see – possibly using a 12 volt car battery – that he should just SHUT UP.

He announced that he would decide whether he would vote against the govt shortly.  By ‘he’ he means all his MP’s – who fairly immediately sat on the nearest fence, fearing for their pension schemes.  To back Steptoe now is to lose at the next election.  His will be a more ignominious end than Thatcher’s but possibly more celebrated.