Leave it to Berlusconi...

[Dreamer128]

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finns should boycott Italian produce after Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi insulted both their cuisine and their president this week, farming officials said Friday.

Representatives of Finland's union of agricultural producers (MTK) said they would avoid products such as Italian olive oil and wine after Berlusconi said he'd had to "endure" Finnish food and said Italian ham was better than Finnish herrings.

He made the comments when he inaugurated the European Food Safety Agency in Parma, and compounded the damage by saying he had used all his "playboy tactics" to persuade President Tarja Halonen to give up her country's claim to host the agency.

"There will be none of these (Italian) products on my table during the midsummer festivities. (The comments) were deeply hurtful," the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat quoted Paula Viertola-Jern, a senior MTK official, as saying.

"He has insulted Finland and above all the president," she added.

Helsingin Sanomat said MTK officials discussed the boycott at a meeting but, while the organization had not launched an organized campaign, it wanted people to take a stand against Berlusconi's comments.

"When I buy the sparkling wine for midsummer, I'll pass the Italian bottles by," MTK head Esa Harmala told the paper.

Halonen, Finland's first female president, enjoys high rates of popularity and the Italian ambassador was summoned by the government which wanted to express its surprise at Berlusconi's comments.

Finland began its midsummer holiday Friday, with most Finns leaving the cities to grill sausages over open fires, eat pickled herrings and drink beer and vodka.

© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.

[mad=dog]

Berlusconi is a political disaster waiting to happen. He should stay clear of European politics as he cannot manipulate the media or the legal system to the same degree as he can in Italy.

[wellard]

Berlusconi is one of many reasons why there should be truly independent media. No cross ownership of TV or newspapers ECT. He would never have been voted in without all his media lap dogs papering (?) over his lack of class and colourful business dealings.

This is also fresh from his German insults... (BBC)

"Mr Berlusconi told the president of the European Parliament that he regretted his own comments last week, when he told a heckling German MEP that he would be perfectly cast as a Nazi concentration camp guard."

[Iron Greasel]

He's right, you know. Italian ham is better than finnish herrings. He should try mämmi.

[wellard]

Jacques Chirac has joined into the debate by poking fun at British food ... and Finnish food.


from the BBC...
Tony Blair has refused to be drawn into a diplomatic row after the French president reportedly made insulting remarks about British food.

Jacques Chirac joked with German and Russian leaders: "One cannot trust people whose cuisine is so bad."

As the G8 summit nears, Mr Blair said: "The G8 is going to focus on really important issues and to be quite honest I'm not going to disparage anybody."

Mr Chirac also reportedly said Britain had the worst food after Finland.

[Azred]

I never thought food would start WWIII. [img]graemlins/laugh3.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/petard.gif[/img]

[shamrock_uk]

Also "the only thing [the British] have given to European farming is mad cow"

Funny yes, but really not very diplomatic.

Still, we've got the olympics, so I'll console myself with the thought of Chirac's face when he heard the verdict.

[wellard]

Originally posted by shamrock_uk: Also "the only thing [the British] have given to European farming is mad cow" Funny yes, but really not very diplomatic. Still, we've got the olympics, so I'll console myself with the thought of Chirac's face when he heard the verdict.

I hope he did not choke on his freedom fries [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img]