Napolitano puts Bersani in his Place

Yesterday the Prime Minister told Party Secretary Bersani that talk of coalitions and support was premature and, in view of the membership of the Democratic party coalition, not possible unless there was a great deal more centre and no left.  Mr Monti has no interest in left-wing politics, politicians, policies, except to defeat and prevent them.

The Party Secretary snarled back that the President of the Republic could be relied on to call the leader of the majority party in the Lower House to form an administration (indeed so, Napolitano stated this constitutionally proper position some weeks ago) and that Napolitano would be the 'policeman directing the traffic' after the election.  There is a clear implication here that the politburo of the Democratic party expects inappropriate support into office from the Presidency: an outrageous assumption, let alone expressed expectation.

Today the President of the Republic struck Bersani's politically vulgar sense of entitlement to office down again.  The nomination of new life-Senators  will be undertaken by his successor in the presidency.  It would be inappropriate for the current presidency to be involved in any way in replacing the two positions left vacant by the deaths of Pininfarina and Levi-Montalcini.

Considering the likely failure of the Democratic party to take the Senate and, thus,  the elections Comrade Bersani is being cut to size quite drastically at a very early stage of this rather rushed electoral battle.