Quote from antelope:
Il try to answer your 4 questions:
1. Is he a better leader (in numbers and facts)
I believe he is a better leader as he has proved successful in real life. He's become one of the World's richest man starting from scratch. I tend to trust more people that have dealt with business and taking risk on their own, rather than Harvard professors of macro. He also developed some true capitalism in a country where where this word could not be spoken. (Remember that during the 70s most Mediterranean European countries had scoialist/communist parties at 40/50% consensus in the polls).
2. It should make a difference if he is better as history has shown that charismatic presidents/PMs have produced the neccesary structure for growth and wealth in their respective countries.
3. Will he get Italy out of malaise? No, not immediately at least. Berlusconi is now a clear target of IMF and ECB. He is 'out of the system', unpredictable and unreliable. Most of all, he is extremely rich and for this reason unresponsive to IMF corruption and bribery attempts. The ECB will soon stop purchasing Italian bonds, with some silly excuse, to drag him down. Italian default (whether ordarly or not) and full-blown crisis, will be the best therapy for a country that has clearly deranged.
In the long term Berlusconi, has produced some structural, cultural and social changes, that will turn useful to the country.
4. These people project some good qualities, only whem they have the passion that only a great personality has. In most cases politicians represent a category which is a notch below the child molester.
