Applying lipstick in the back benches and drinking coffee in the aisles, Italy's left-wing lawmakers forged on with a two-day-old filibustering protest against Mr Silvio Berlusconi's government tonight.
Dozens of politicians held parliament hostage to vent their fury about a law that helps a TV channel part-owned by media-mogul Mr Berlusconi, more than 48 hours after the Italian government sped through the legislation.
"We've got absolutely no hope of changing anything...but we've given the government a really big stomach ache," said Mr Alfredo Grande, of the opposition Democrats of the Left.
The obstruction started after Mr Berlusconi's government rushed through a decree that prevents the transfer of the Rete 4 TV channel onto satellite broadcasts which would cut its revenues.
Rete 4 is run by Mediaset, the TV network controlled by the Berlusconi family.
The decree, which also stopped one state-TV channel from losing its right to sell commercial space, raced through parliament on the back of a government confidence vote.
The do-or-die vote, which Berlusconi's government has never failed to win because of its hefty majority, automatically wrenches away the opposition's right to debate.
So the usually splintered left decided to take up arms in another way - blocking parliament work and stalling the final vote on the decree that turns it into law.