Nicholas Burgess Farrell
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Burgess Farrell (October 2, 1958) is an English journalist and the author of Mussolini: A New Life, accused by some of playing down the crimes of Benito Mussolini
, a former Italian dictator.
Farrel's most famous article is an interview with Silvio Berlusconi
for The Spectator
, where the Italian
prime minister made some statements which sparked criticism in Italy.
Nowadays he writes mostly for Libero
, a right-wing newspaper supportive of Berlusconi's politics. In 2010 Farrell edited a collection of Mussolini's diaries published by the newspaper, despite those diaries being well-known fakes since 2007.
He worked as journalist for the Telegraph Publishing Limited from 1987 to 1996, later moving to The Spectator
from April 1996 to July 1998; Farrell then moved to Forlì
, Italy, married an Italian woman and joined the Italian journalist association, at first working for the local newspaper "La voce di Romagna" and later for "Libero".
According to Farrell, Berlusconi stated that "Mussolini never killed anyone. He just had some people sent on holiday in exile", and that "Mussolini was a 'benevolent dictator".
In the interview, Berlusconi publicly swore the innocence of the ex-president of Sicily Marcello Dell'Utri
(who was sentenced for collusion with the Mafia
) describing him as being a "catholic, a believer and a man of culture, with an outstanding family and a well-off father". He said that Dell'Utri was a victim of the "crazy communist judges", and that his only fault was of trusting people he did not know were notorious mafiosi.
When the first excerpts from the two-part interview were published on the Italian newspaper "La Voce", Berlusconi stated that his words had been manipulated by the "criminal" Farrell, that the interview had been just a bunch of small talk with some friends and that he was "a little tipsy" from drinking two bottles of champagne.
Farrell denied the accusations and gave a summary of the conditions of the interview, stating that Berlusconi himself asked when and where the article was expected to be published, that the interview set-up took several weeks and that the talk was recorded on tape. He denied any drinking of alcohol at the interview, since only lemon tea was served at their table. He ended his rebuttal with the menace of publishing a third part of the interview if Berlusconi would not "be good".
. The article was apologetic toward a statement of Berlusconi's, "better be fond of nice girls than homosexuals". In the article Farrell repeatedly stated that anyone would prefer a "normal" son to a "fag", that he does not believe homosexuality is a sin but surely it is not real love, and that he would like people who choose to be homosexuals to stay away from him. Ultimately, he admits he was tricked himself when, "in his dark times", he went with a transvestite prostitute thinking she was a real woman.
were prosecuted in the Shoah.
Farrell had his driving license suspended twice (on April 18, 2009 and on February 2, 2011), for driving his "anticommunist black" Land Rover
Defender
under the influence of alcohol. According to Farrell, police agents halted him only after allegedly identifying his car due to an obsession against him. The car, formally owned by the wife, escaped confiscation. His English driving license was not revoked, but his permit to drive in Italy was. According to what is reported in the article, Farrell's alcohol rate was higher than 1,5 g/l, passing the limit for seizure.
Nicholas Farrell on "La Voce di Romagna" wrote about Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, two UNICEF volunteers kidnapped in 2004 by Shia militants in Iraq
. He described them as "viscid sewer bugs", "accomplices to terrorists", and "traitors". Farrell was sued for the defamatory comments by Simona Pari, and later sentenced to four months' jail time (a suspended sentence) and fined 25000 euro in punitive damages. Farrell announced an appeal.
) that in Soviet Russia children were killed and eaten to feed starving families. In the article Farrell, instead of discussing the new insights brought by the book to inter-wars history, focused on only three pages of the book about cannibalism and used those to accuse the Italian left parties of being supportive to the practice of man-eating.
In his first-page column, Farrell often calls Berlusconi "The Magnific", "The only one who can govern this country", "Genius", and in at least one occurrence dubbed his adversaries and opposing journalists "those shitty Italians".
When Gianfranco Fini
, then leader of the neo-fascist party Alleanza Nazionale and second in command in Berlusconi's party, became critical about his leader Farrell wrote that Fini was a traitor, a leftist and a nazist
, keeping Berlusconi away from creating a true "modern, anglosaxon and liberal right party". According to Farrell, Fascism was in may aspects a leftist movement, and the Shoah
was a result of this leftist politic. The article received widespread criticism from other newspapers and was mocked on many websites.
In a separate article Ferrell boasted about having sex with multiple women, sometimes minors and sometimes after payment, in order to downplay the seriousness of Berlusconi's sexual behaviours.
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
, a former Italian dictator.
Farrel's most famous article is an interview with Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
for The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
, where the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
prime minister made some statements which sparked criticism in Italy.
Nowadays he writes mostly for Libero
Libero (newspaper)
Libero is an Italian Right-wing newspaper, published in Milan, Italy, founded by the journalist Vittorio Feltri and edited by Maurizio Belpietro....
, a right-wing newspaper supportive of Berlusconi's politics. In 2010 Farrell edited a collection of Mussolini's diaries published by the newspaper, despite those diaries being well-known fakes since 2007.
Early life
Farrell was born in London, on October 2, 1958. He studied journalism at the University of Cambridge, earning his bachelor on June 20, 1980. He completed his apprenticeship and his National Certificate Examination exam in October 1984.He worked as journalist for the Telegraph Publishing Limited from 1987 to 1996, later moving to The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
from April 1996 to July 1998; Farrell then moved to Forlì
Forlì
Forlì is a comune and city in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, and is the capital of the province of Forlì-Cesena. The city is situated along the Via Emilia, to the right of the Montone river, and is an important agricultural centre...
, Italy, married an Italian woman and joined the Italian journalist association, at first working for the local newspaper "La voce di Romagna" and later for "Libero".
Interview with Berlusconi
In August 2003 Farrell, along with Boris Johnson, interviewed Silvio Berlusconi in Porto Rotondo. The interview included many alleged statements by the Italian premier that caused scandal in public opinion.According to Farrell, Berlusconi stated that "Mussolini never killed anyone. He just had some people sent on holiday in exile", and that "Mussolini was a 'benevolent dictator".
In the interview, Berlusconi publicly swore the innocence of the ex-president of Sicily Marcello Dell'Utri
Marcello Dell'Utri
Marcello Dell'Utri is an influential Italian politician and senior advisor to Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi...
(who was sentenced for collusion with the Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
) describing him as being a "catholic, a believer and a man of culture, with an outstanding family and a well-off father". He said that Dell'Utri was a victim of the "crazy communist judges", and that his only fault was of trusting people he did not know were notorious mafiosi.
When the first excerpts from the two-part interview were published on the Italian newspaper "La Voce", Berlusconi stated that his words had been manipulated by the "criminal" Farrell, that the interview had been just a bunch of small talk with some friends and that he was "a little tipsy" from drinking two bottles of champagne.
Farrell denied the accusations and gave a summary of the conditions of the interview, stating that Berlusconi himself asked when and where the article was expected to be published, that the interview set-up took several weeks and that the talk was recorded on tape. He denied any drinking of alcohol at the interview, since only lemon tea was served at their table. He ended his rebuttal with the menace of publishing a third part of the interview if Berlusconi would not "be good".
On homosexuality
In a column Farrell pleaded his son Francesco Winston not to be gayGay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
. The article was apologetic toward a statement of Berlusconi's, "better be fond of nice girls than homosexuals". In the article Farrell repeatedly stated that anyone would prefer a "normal" son to a "fag", that he does not believe homosexuality is a sin but surely it is not real love, and that he would like people who choose to be homosexuals to stay away from him. Ultimately, he admits he was tricked himself when, "in his dark times", he went with a transvestite prostitute thinking she was a real woman.
On smoking and drinking
Farrell is a vocally in favour of smoking and drinking, stating in one of his articles that heavy smokers and drinkers like him are prosecuted by the left-wing "health fascists" just like the JewsJews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
were prosecuted in the Shoah.
Farrell had his driving license suspended twice (on April 18, 2009 and on February 2, 2011), for driving his "anticommunist black" Land Rover
Land Rover
Land Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
Defender
Defender
Defender usually refers to a position in association football .Defender or The Defender may also refer to:-Film and television:* The Defender or The Bodyguard from Beijing, a film starring Jet Li...
under the influence of alcohol. According to Farrell, police agents halted him only after allegedly identifying his car due to an obsession against him. The car, formally owned by the wife, escaped confiscation. His English driving license was not revoked, but his permit to drive in Italy was. According to what is reported in the article, Farrell's alcohol rate was higher than 1,5 g/l, passing the limit for seizure.
On terrorism
After the 7 July 2005 London bombings7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
Nicholas Farrell on "La Voce di Romagna" wrote about Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, two UNICEF volunteers kidnapped in 2004 by Shia militants in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. He described them as "viscid sewer bugs", "accomplices to terrorists", and "traitors". Farrell was sued for the defamatory comments by Simona Pari, and later sentenced to four months' jail time (a suspended sentence) and fined 25000 euro in punitive damages. Farrell announced an appeal.
On communism
On 11 February 2011 Farrell wrote an article for Libero, titled "Sovietic cuisine" and published on page 32, commenting the alleged "definitive proof" (in Timothy D. Snyder's book Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and StalinBloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin
Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin is a book written by Timothy D. Snyder, first published by Basic Books on October 28, 2010. The book is about the mass killing of an estimated 14 million non-combatants by the regimes of Joseph Stalin's Soviet Union and Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany...
) that in Soviet Russia children were killed and eaten to feed starving families. In the article Farrell, instead of discussing the new insights brought by the book to inter-wars history, focused on only three pages of the book about cannibalism and used those to accuse the Italian left parties of being supportive to the practice of man-eating.
On politics
Farrell usually keeps a paternal and admiring stance toward Berlusconi, sometimes slightly criticising his actions but still adhering to the pro-Berlusconi editorial line of the newspaper he writes for.In his first-page column, Farrell often calls Berlusconi "The Magnific", "The only one who can govern this country", "Genius", and in at least one occurrence dubbed his adversaries and opposing journalists "those shitty Italians".
When Gianfranco Fini
Gianfranco Fini
Gianfranco Fini is an Italian politician, President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, leader of the center-right Future and Freedom party, and the former leader of the conservative National Alliance and the post-fascist Italian Social Movement...
, then leader of the neo-fascist party Alleanza Nazionale and second in command in Berlusconi's party, became critical about his leader Farrell wrote that Fini was a traitor, a leftist and a nazist
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
, keeping Berlusconi away from creating a true "modern, anglosaxon and liberal right party". According to Farrell, Fascism was in may aspects a leftist movement, and the Shoah
Shoah
Shoah may refer to:*The Holocaust*Shoah , documentary directed by Claude Lanzmann * A Shoah Foundation...
was a result of this leftist politic. The article received widespread criticism from other newspapers and was mocked on many websites.
On Berlusconi's sex scandals
In his article "La vera vittima del bunga bunga? È il Cavaliere" Farrell wrote against a demonstration held in many Italian cities in February 2011 asking Berlusconi to resign after the emerging sex scandals involving sex with minors and prostitutes. According to Farrell, leftists always agreed with "easy abortions, assisted suicides, transvestites, fags , whores, partner-swappers and Muslims with four wives", but when Berlusconi is involved everything becomes despicable; he says he could not understand why feminists who were all about self-determination now object to girls using their sex appeal to advance their careers.In a separate article Ferrell boasted about having sex with multiple women, sometimes minors and sometimes after payment, in order to downplay the seriousness of Berlusconi's sexual behaviours.
Works
- “A Chip off the Old Block?”, the IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, 25 June 2003. - Mussolini: A New Life (2003) ISBN 0297819658 (cloth) ISBN 1842121235 (paper)