Mussolini - One of our chaps, apparently

[MrMark]

Paid £100 a week by MI5 linky thingy

[sasguru]

Seems the "real-politik", pragmatic, non-integrity based approach to politics doesn't work in the long run as we always end up fighting our ex-friends who we've made powerful and who then turn against us:

Mussolini
Mujaheddin-Taliban

[xoggoth]

£100 a week in 1917! That was pretty good money.

[AtW]

It was about 100000000000 Italian liras per hour at the time. An offer he could not refuse.

[MrMark]

So Benny was really a contractor of those days!

[EternalOptimist]

he made an additional £50 at weekends doing Alexi Sayle impressions

[Churchill]

It was about 100000000000 Italian liras per hour at the time. An offer he could not refuse.

Now that was funny!

[shaunbhoy]

Not that great a coup though having old Benito on the payroll though was it?
A bit like assembling a gang of hard men and getting an offer of support from Dale Winton.
On the subject of Italian Military prowess, allegedly the Italian contingent in Afghanistan had bribed the local Taliban to keep the peace until they left, and now the French have taken over that sector, all hell is breaking loose.

[Churchill]

Not that great a coup though having old Benito on the payroll though was it?
A bit like assembling a gang of hard men and getting an offer of support from Dale Winton.
On the subject of Italian Military prowess, allegedly the Italian contingent in Afghanistan had bribed the local Taliban to keep the peace until they left, and now the French have taken over that sector, all hell is breaking loose.

All the French did was screw up the deal. Full marks to the Italians, hearts and minds 'n all that.

[shaunbhoy]

Full marks to the Italians, hearts and minds 'n all that.

S'pose. Playing to their strengths.

What's that you say? The French messing up the deal? Shirley shome mishtake?