Basta Bunga Bunga

„Whether or not he is guilty, it is unlikely that Berlusconi will serve the three-year sentence that comes with the crime of paying a minor for sex. (If he had slept with her for nothing, there would be no trial: the age of consent in Italy is fourteen.) But Rubygate could be the scandal that ends his political career. Though his term isn’t up until 2013, his approval rating has dropped to thirty per cent, an all-time low, and he could lose his parliamentary majority if deputies start defecting en masse—which may become politically expedient. »We are living day to day«, Deborah Bergamini told me. Two weeks ago, the P.D.L. suffered historic losses in regional elections. The mayor of Milan, for whom Berlusconi had campaigned vigorously, was forced into a runoff, which she is expected to lose. It would be the first time in more than a decade that Berlusconi’s party had lost control of his home town.

In front of the courthouse, there were several hundred supporters, and the sky was spotted with giant blue P.D.L. balloons. (Police had removed anti-Berlusconi protesters, telling them that they could stand at a different entrance.) Massimo, the mechanic, was back—the front page of that morning’s paper had said that the P.D.L. was bringing a thousand salami sandwiches to distribute—and, as I made my way through the crowd, I ran into Michele Lecce, the cheek-pinching retiree. He put his hands on my shoulders and asked if I would go with him for an espresso. I explained that I had to stay, because I was working. He looked baffled and disappointed, until something occurred to him. He took his hands off me, grinned, and said, »I can change!«”