Jiminy Cricket, It's Grillo!

It's Grillo, isn't it? After all my wishful thinking that the Italian election would be about Bersani-Vendola and the center-left's resistance to Merkel, the ECB, and austerity doomsday policies ... by Monday, none of that will matter, will it? All my efforts to downplay this blowhard comedian with his crude rhetoric and atavistic notions ... useless, niente, nada. As Beppe Severgnino put it in the Corriere a couple days ago: "Whoever wins, this will be remembered as Grillo's election."

So I'm resigning myself to a 20%+ showing from Grillo, an effectively deadlocked parliament, an ungovernable Italy (again). And better late than never, I'm learning what I can about the Grillo phenomenon, starting with this article by a couple of professors at the University of Urbino. It's smart, comprehensive, and ... it's in English. Have a look.