How Italy came to back a clown

UNSURPRISINGLY, the powers-that-be in Europe are dismissing the results of the Italian elections — in which the Five Star Movement (a neo-anarchist collective run, literally, by a clown) and the Northern League (anti-immigration Right-wingers) swept the board — as an act of madness by the Italian people.

Which, of course, it is. But if you want to know who is to blame for this fiasco, there is only one place to look: the EU. Brussels’ rampant federalism has meant that, for years, it hasn’t mattered who was nominally in charge in Italy — everything was decided by EU cronies. So no wonder the Italians have voted for Five Star, a party that wants to abolish politics altogether and replace it with ‘the internet’ (whatever that means).

It’s just another example of the disillusionment felt by voters towards over-entitled, establishment politicians all across Europe. And it’s spreading.