On Leave Till Monday

Some of you who follow me, especially on Facebook, know of my progressive credentials. For those who do not, a synopsis: I was the organizer for the Philadelphia chapter of the Young Communist League (YCL) during the 1990s. In 1993, the YCL secured the vote of Councilwoman Happy Fernandez for…

More developments are coming out of Italy. On Wednesday, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni gave indications that the anti-weapons, pro-negotiations front may be having its effect. In comments delivered in the Italian Senate, Meloni said that: “The only way to encourage negotiations is to create a balance between the forces involved…

Today, an update on the situation in Europe, as the Meloni Government takes power in Italy. Rome has been the center of a lot of diplomatic activity in recent days, with both the Pope and — in a break from previous practice — Italian President Sergio Mattarella calling for a…

I am going to make a prediction which, in the end, may even seem a bit obvious: the EU will break up, and it will do so on an East-West axis. What makes me say that? First, I would invite you to read (or re-read) my recent piece on Germany…

Today, the European Parliament voted up a resolution calling on its member states to ‘massively strengthen’ their arms shipments to Ukraine. The measure passed with 504 votes for, 36 abstaining and only 26 against. Giorgia Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia party, Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party and Matteo Renzi’s Italia Viva, and even…

Read This Before You Panic (or Pop Your Spumante) Note: I don’t know what you think of Giorgia Meloni. Maybe you think she’s the greatest. Maybe you think she’s the worst. What I ask is that you read what follows all the way through. There are a lot of commentators…

Ok, here are my numbers, as the polls close: These numbers assume the following: That about 75% of people vote in the historically ‘red’ regioni (Emilia-Romagna, Toscana, Umbria, Marche). That about 70% vote in the rest of the Northern and Central regioni. That about 60% vote in the South, Sardegna…

The Ukraine war continues to spiral. Xi Jinping on Wednesday called again for a de-escalation and for negotiations (1) — the only world leader to do so, apart from Pope Francis (who has steadfastly refused to join the “pro-Ukraine” chorus and continues to warn against ‘World War III’) (2). Indeed…