Italy Has A Ban On Publishing Polls - One Site Has Found A Hilarious Way To Get Around That
As in some other countries, Italy goes into a polling blackout for two weeks leading up to the election.
However, there are still "private" polls that get conducted because obviously politicians and and bankers and other business people don't want to be in the dark this whole time.
And the polls do get talked about and even leaked.
One site, YouTrend.it, has found a particularly hilarious way of reporting the private polling data.
Check out this article, whose English title is: Voices from the Conclave: new data on the papal Room.
At first blush, the article appears to be about the election for the next Pope, although of course that hasn't begun.
And then you get a paragraph like this, talking about the frontrunners (via Google translate):
In head would always be a good-natured Cardinal Piacenza , strong support from 34-35 cardinals, even if the most feared among his opponents, the ' indomitable peeled prelate of Monza and Brianza , it would be up and would reach the psychological threshold of 30 votes in the conclave.
Good natured Cardinal Piacenza? That's code for front runner Pier Luigi Bersani.
The "indomitable peeled prelate of Monza and Brianaza"? Take a guess. It's Berlusconi.
And then her's how the next two candidates are identified:
Out of the two main poles is very strong the hilarious chamberlain of Genoa , that consensus of well 17 cardinals, pulling the troops of the line that leads from the sober and rigorous Cardinal Milan already apostolic nuncio in Brussels , stopped at 10-11 Cardinals ( of these, eight are directly supporting him and 2 prefer the grizzled and devoted Archbishop of Bologna )
Strong and hilarious chamberlain of Genoa? That's of course Beppe Grillo, the comedian, anti-Euro populist.
And the "sober and rigorous Cardinal Milan" the ultra boring Mario Monti, who is a friend of the bankers.