07.05.2012 - 19:57 [ Guardian ]

Italy‘s political outsiders have their day in the absence of Berlusconi

Although overshadowed by elections in Greece and France, Italy‘s local election results, announced late on Monday evening, are nonetheless fascinating. They represent a massive victory for a comedian-turned-blogger-turned-activist called Beppe Grillo. For years, the round-faced, 63-year-old with thick grey hair has been shaking the cage of traditional politics: staging rallies, organising petitions and pleading for a clean-up of the country‘s notoriously murky politics. He‘s been a bit like an Italian Michael Moore – a passionate self-publicist who sees the world in black and white.