Comments on: Stalemate http://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2009/06/30/thomas-jones/stalemate/ The Blog of the London Review of Books Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:00:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Thomas Jones http://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2009/06/30/thomas-jones/stalemate/comment-page-1/#comment-82 Thomas Jones Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:20:34 +0000 http://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/?p=932#comment-82 I think you're being optimistic about Franceschini, but we'll see. The labels 'centre'-right and centre-'left' seem just as bogus everywhere: in Britain, for example... I think you’re being optimistic about Franceschini, but we’ll see. The labels ‘centre’-right and centre-’left’ seem just as bogus everywhere: in Britain, for example…

]]> By: Phil http://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2009/06/30/thomas-jones/stalemate/comment-page-1/#comment-76 Phil Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:03:27 +0000 http://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/?p=932#comment-76 It's not just you! If you think about it, the term "centre-right" derives from the DC period - and their title to the "centre-" prefix was based on their exclusion of the hard right (the 5-6% who consistently voted neo-fascist). Who on earth is excluded to Berlusconi's right? Not Fini, not Michela "Roman salute" Brambilla, not even Ciarrapico. I guess you can point to Storace and Alessandra Mussolini, but even they were inside the tent in 2006. As for the centre-left, Veltroni seems to have believed he could work something like Blair's "the Left you can trust (because it isn't Left)" trick, ignoring the fact that Blair pulled it off at a time when the Right vote was already collapsing. Maybe Franceschini will leave the party in better shape - "se è notte, si farà giorno"... It’s not just you! If you think about it, the term “centre-right” derives from the DC period – and their title to the “centre-” prefix was based on their exclusion of the hard right (the 5-6% who consistently voted neo-fascist). Who on earth is excluded to Berlusconi’s right? Not Fini, not Michela “Roman salute” Brambilla, not even Ciarrapico. I guess you can point to Storace and Alessandra Mussolini, but even they were inside the tent in 2006.

As for the centre-left, Veltroni seems to have believed he could work something like Blair’s “the Left you can trust (because it isn’t Left)” trick, ignoring the fact that Blair pulled it off at a time when the Right vote was already collapsing. Maybe Franceschini will leave the party in better shape – “se è notte, si farà giorno”…

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