Any of this sound familiar?

Silvio Berlusconi, like any person, is undoubtedly a lot of things. But three of them stand out:

- He is the Prime Minister of Italy.

- He is also the richest man in the country.

- He is a media mogul who owns three TV channels. Through a holding company he has interests in two major Italian newspapers, a publishing house, and certain movie rights.

A court ruling would have forced him to sell one of his three TV stations by January 1. Instead, Berlusconi successfully pushed a bill through the Italian legislature which not only overturns that ruling but lifts a ban on cross-ownership of broadcast and print media in 2009 and allows more advertising. The bill, that is, not only protects Berlusconi's interests, it increases his profits and allows even more media concentration.

Thousands of people across Italy have protested the new law, arguing it will reduce both the variety and freedom of the media.

The government, on the other hand, says the bill will increase competition, keep pace with technology and provide greater choice.

So Big Media and Big Government, ignoring the wishes of the public, combine to increase the profit of the former and the power of both while arguing that greater economic concentration is the source of greater choice.

And War is Peace. And Freedom is Slavery.