I don't know. I'm Italian, so what I do know is how the "5 stars movement" was started by activists following a politically active comedian who was heavily ostracized by both the government's and private TVs and media in general for saying politicians were thieves (in fact they were all arrested a few years later).
As soon as the 5SM started, the media ignored them. There was a large event in a large city with hundred of thousand of people, and it barely made the news. Then, when the political elections were getting close a few years later, pollsters gave them no more than 15% while the media started talking about them a little more but only in a dismissing way: they're ignorant, they're ridicule, they're populists, they have no chances.
Then the election happens. 25%. A little less than the first, biggest Italian party. They fucking panicked. Not only the media was going batshit crazy about the movement, all of the sudden, but politicians had to play against the law to ri-elect the previous President (against the spirit of the Constitution) and ally with each other no matter if they pretended to fight for years, Democrats vs Republicans style; of course it's always been a fraud because as soon as they felt threatened they put down the masks (something that IMO would happen happen in the US too if only a third party could actually get that close to winning).
Then a year of hostile media happens. Now they're not only incompetent and silly, they're fascists, xenophobic, racists, conspiracy theorists, homophobic, mysogynists, potential rapists, nazis and communists; if you think I'm exaggerating, those are the exact words used against them by the media and politicians. The barrage of insults was so strong that the movement lost traction for a while, also because they were refusing to go on TV like any other politician always did, so journalists and politicians were already celebrating their narrow escape, they said the "populists" were not here to stay.
After that horrible year, they start going on TV while the other parties are hit multiple times by investigations and arrests, not only the usual mix of theft and fraud, but mafia; the Capital itself is stormed by an inquiry showing how most of the administration is in bed with a right-wing terrorist mafia started by an old gang of robbers and killers. The media hit the leading parties as little as they could but the pile of shit was so big they just couldn't ignore it, while the 5SM not only comes out of it completely clean, but one of his mayors was said to be "incorruptible" by the leader of the whole gang (his phones were tapped).
The results are polls heavily punishing the leading parties and giving the 5SM even an higher result than the first, lucky elections. Now that the mayor or Rome was forced to resign for completely unrelated trivial matters (a clear sign our democracy is a joke), everyone says they could even win the Capital.
I don't know what will happen but what I see is "elites" being completely incapable of stopping it. This is not like Greece or Spain, everybody knew both Syriza and Podemos were pro-EU and that they would have bend the knee as soon as they would get any position of power.
view the rest of the comments →
Wedhro ago
I don't know. I'm Italian, so what I do know is how the "5 stars movement" was started by activists following a politically active comedian who was heavily ostracized by both the government's and private TVs and media in general for saying politicians were thieves (in fact they were all arrested a few years later).
As soon as the 5SM started, the media ignored them. There was a large event in a large city with hundred of thousand of people, and it barely made the news. Then, when the political elections were getting close a few years later, pollsters gave them no more than 15% while the media started talking about them a little more but only in a dismissing way: they're ignorant, they're ridicule, they're populists, they have no chances.
Then the election happens. 25%. A little less than the first, biggest Italian party. They fucking panicked. Not only the media was going batshit crazy about the movement, all of the sudden, but politicians had to play against the law to ri-elect the previous President (against the spirit of the Constitution) and ally with each other no matter if they pretended to fight for years, Democrats vs Republicans style; of course it's always been a fraud because as soon as they felt threatened they put down the masks (something that IMO would happen happen in the US too if only a third party could actually get that close to winning).
Then a year of hostile media happens. Now they're not only incompetent and silly, they're fascists, xenophobic, racists, conspiracy theorists, homophobic, mysogynists, potential rapists, nazis and communists; if you think I'm exaggerating, those are the exact words used against them by the media and politicians. The barrage of insults was so strong that the movement lost traction for a while, also because they were refusing to go on TV like any other politician always did, so journalists and politicians were already celebrating their narrow escape, they said the "populists" were not here to stay.
After that horrible year, they start going on TV while the other parties are hit multiple times by investigations and arrests, not only the usual mix of theft and fraud, but mafia; the Capital itself is stormed by an inquiry showing how most of the administration is in bed with a right-wing terrorist mafia started by an old gang of robbers and killers. The media hit the leading parties as little as they could but the pile of shit was so big they just couldn't ignore it, while the 5SM not only comes out of it completely clean, but one of his mayors was said to be "incorruptible" by the leader of the whole gang (his phones were tapped).
The results are polls heavily punishing the leading parties and giving the 5SM even an higher result than the first, lucky elections. Now that the mayor or Rome was forced to resign for completely unrelated trivial matters (a clear sign our democracy is a joke), everyone says they could even win the Capital.
I don't know what will happen but what I see is "elites" being completely incapable of stopping it. This is not like Greece or Spain, everybody knew both Syriza and Podemos were pro-EU and that they would have bend the knee as soon as they would get any position of power.