Five Stars 1: Berlusca/Bersani 0

The Five Stars promised to rip open the corrupt Parties and their Parliament like a tin of tuna.  They have. 

It has cost them tears of blood but they have blocked-off so many strategies with the Revolt of the Sicilians (who voted for the anti-Mafia Senate Speaker Grasso, otherwise they couldn't go home) and thus ensured the defeat of both Comrade Bersani's chosen candidate, the scrap-heap-worthy Finocchiaro, and Berlusconi's investigated-for-Mafia-involvement candidate, Schifani.  In the process they have demonstrated that they are not Grillo's zombies - one of the principal disdainful attributions of the elites and their media, and discovered the joys of flexing our political muscle.

They have blocked-off the rising Monti-for-President  tide; they have lopped-off  a Wimmin-for-President  Hydra-head and put Finocchiaro back in the scrap; they have cornered the 'Democratic' Party with two purely nominally Democratic institutional posts leaving the Presidency almost unattainable for a third  'Democrat' (there is constitutionally an expectation that senior state positions should be shared across the political spectrum);   they have honoured their commitment to vote piece by piece for what their electors want.

The elites and progressive media are screaming that the Five Stars have been split.  Rather, at their first passage of arms, they could hardly have done more.

Sadly, Italy has run out of time.