Italians : half idiots or half wise ?

Berlusconi continues to repeat that his popular support is at 68%, the highest in the western world, higher than Obama and Merkel.

Nobody knows where he gets such percentages from, since he does not disclose how and when the poll was taken nor who did it (contrary to the basic ethics in this area). And since in the past months he showed that he is prone to lies, one could wonder. Such doubts are supported by the flop of Berlusconi at the last European elections where he wanted to attain 50% of ballots cast for him while he got a maximum of 38% with some candidates from his own party and from the opposition getting more than him in some areas.

More seriously, a professional company does a poll every month (IPR marketing °) since September 2008, found on its last poll just completed, that while indeed 60% of the Italians had confidence in him last September, one year later the confidence rate fell to 47%. In parallel, while 38% of the Italians did not have any confidence in him one year ago, now they are 50%. Quite far from what he says, but this we are used to…..

The trust in his government fell from 54% to 44% while the lack of confidence rose from 44% to 52%. And the confidence in his party fell from 53% to 46%.

There is no doubt that this data is reliable. May-be the wrong data quoted by Berlusconi is due to his decision not to read the newspapers who lie, according to him, all controlled by catho-communists he says. And he still quotes the first poll after the 2008 elections.

But indeed, he seems to have still quite a lot of supporters but their number is declining. Slowly, but surely. Now, what to conclude: that half of the Italians are still idiots or that half of the Italians are wise ? Up to the reader to answer. As far as we are concerned, half of them are still idiots

° http://www.repubblica.it/speciale/2009/sondaggi_ipr/fiducia_governo_settembre.html

Photo: ladepeche.fr