Nicholas Burgess Farrell

Nicholas Burgess Farrell (October 2, 1958) is a journalist, columnist and author of a controversial biography of Benito Mussolini, Mussolini: A New Life, which presented a played-down version of the crimes of the dictator.

His most famous article was an interview with Silvio Berlusconi for The Spectator, where the Italian prime minister outed some controversial statements.

Nowadays he writes mostly on Libero, a right-wing conservative newspaper supportive of Berlusconi's politics. In 2010 edited for Libero the publishing of a collection of Mussolini diaries published with the newspaper, despite those diaries being a well known fake since 2007.

Biographical notes

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 from April 1996 to July 1998; Farrell later 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".

Interview with Berlusconi

In August 2003 Farrell, along with Boris Johnson, interviewed Silvio Berlusconi in Porto Rotondo. The interview included many alleged statement 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 about the complete innocence of the ex-president of Sicily Marcello Dell'Utri (who was sentenced for collusion with the Mafia) on the basis of him 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 form the two-parts 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" for 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 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".

Controversies about his work

Farrell is well known for writing provocative, politically incorrect, ranting columns.

On homosexuality

In a column Farrell pleaded his son Francesco Winston not to be gay. The article was apologetic toward a statement of Berlusconi, "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" went with a transvestite prostitute thinking she was a real woman.

On smoking and drinking

Farrell is a vocally in favor 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 Jews were prosecuted in the Shoah.

Farrell had his driving license suspended two times (on April 18, 2009 and on February 2, 2011), both due to DUI infractions while driving his "anticommunist black" Land Rover Defender. According to Ferrell, police agents halted him only after allegedly identifying his car due to an obsession against him . The car, formally owned by the wife, escaped seizing. The driving license was not retired being an English license, but his permit to drive in Italy was revoked. According to what is reported in the article, Farrell's alcohol rate was higher than 1,5 g/l (else, no seizing could be possible).

On terrorism

After the 7 July 2005 London bombings Nicholas Farrell on "La Voce di Romagna" wrote about Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, two UNICEF volunteers kidnapped in 2004 by Shia militants while in Iraq. In an article 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 4 months of jail (suspended sentence) and 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 Stalin) 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. http://nonleggerlo.blogspot.com/2011/02/se-vabbe-ci-manca-solo-che-dicano-che-i.html</ref>

On politics

Farrell usually keep a paternal and admiring stance toward Berlusconi , sometimes slightly criticizing his actions but still being adherent 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 journalist "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. Obviously, the article received widespread criticism from other newspapers and was thoroughly mocked in many online news outlet.

On Berlusconi's sex scandals

In his article "La vera vittima del bunga bunga? È il Cavaliere" Farrell ranted against a demonstration held in many Italian cities in February 2011 where women from many political parties and civil right associations protested 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 wifes", but when Berlusconi is involved everything becomes despicable; he says he coud 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 having sex with multiple women, sometimes minors and sometimes after payment, in order to downplay the seriousness of Berlusconi's sexual behaviors.

Works

• “A Chip off the Old Block?”, the Independent, 25 June 2003.
• Mussolini: A New Life (2003) ISBN 0297819658 (cloth) ISBN 1842121235 (paper)