Clown takes centre stage but Italy’s rotten political system is not funny

HIS colour is canary yellow. Not red, not blue, not green. That’s the first thing that hits you when you log on to beppegrillo.it.

The 64-year-old whose Movimento 5 Stelle has just made history by becoming the largest single party in Italy, is described all over the press as an “ex-comedian”, a “populist” with “no political experience.”

But what he has is the ability to communicate and his message is coherent and convincing. His manifesto begins with “Energia” and provides a multi-step pathway to a low-carbon future. But it is significant that he headlines with energy, not carbon. By giving people the chance to use cleaner energy and less of it he is giving them the sense that they can control their own destinies. If he had harped on about how much carbon we must take out of the atmosphere if we are to survive on this planet, they would have shut down fearing they would lose something.