GERMAN EMPIRE DEFEATED BY ITALIAN POPULISTS

Matteo Salvini, the leader of Lega

The "German Empire" that is the EU has been defeated in its initial attempt to reverse the decision of this year's Italian general election, in which Lega and the 5 Star Movement -- two anti-EU, anti-immigrant, populist parties -- won the majority of the seats in the Italian Parliament.

After the two parties agreed to form a coalition government and appointed Paolo Savona, a hard-line Eurosceptic, to the important post of  Economy Minister, the EU intervened. Through their local stooge Sergio Mattarella, the President of Italy, the EU vetoed the choice of the Italian people with a view to sparking a constitutional crisis leading to fresh elections. 

The move backfired, however, when Lega and 5 Star exposed the move as German inspired. For example, soon after President Mattarella blocked Savona's appointment, Matteo Salvini, the leader of Lega said to reporters: 

"I ask myself, are we a democracy? In Italy, is it the Italians who decide or is it the Germans or the French who decide? It's absolutely incredible from my point of view. I'm sorry I wasted so much time, they could have told us earlier. In a democracy, if we are still in democracy, there's only one thing to do, let the Italians have their say."

Under these circumstances, any election forced on the country by the EU would only have led to a bigger majority for the two populist parties. 

Instead, a face-saving compromise has been worked out that basically gives the populists all they want, while giving the EU elites almost nothing. Savona will become European Affairs Minister, while another hard-line Euroskeptic, Giovanni Tria, will become Economy Minister.

Salvini, the head of Lega, whose main focus in the election campaign was the repatriation of illegal immigrants and fake refugees, is likely to become Interior Minister with control of the police and immigration departments. This will enable him to implement his campaign pledge to expel half a million migrants from Italy, which will give both parties the much-needed funds they need to carry out their other election promises.

Salvini has called for repatriations of migrants to be dramatically stepped up. 

A few hours before the latest agreement he tweeted a video of a migrant plucking a pigeon on the side of a road.

"Final hours of work to form a government, we're putting everything into it. Meanwhile the news takes us back to harsh reality, with an immigrant plucking the feathers of pigeons in broad daylight and in the middle of the street...Go home!"

That message it seems is aimed both at the migrants and the Germans. Italy for the Italians!