I am British, living in Italy for 10 years now and can say with some certainty that the whole of Italian Politics is rotten. Underneat that smiley, unctuous exterior Mr Berlusconi is an arrogant, self-serving individual. He makes himself sound like a martyr because it detracts from self serving purpose. He sits on top of this rotten Political system, having capitalised on the Political incompetence of his predecessors and and he is a disgrace to the country and certainly to any idea of democracy. Everything he does is out of self interest. Everything that goes wrong, according to him is someone else's fault. This is the man who virtually controls the media in Italy (because he owns Mediaset and the Government is allowed to make Political appointments to the State broadcaster RAI – unheard of and forbidden in other Western democracies). His family also own a couple of daily national newspapers. Now his Government are trying to control the Internet in Italy because they can't bear the idea of freedom of information and freedom of thought.
Berlusconi has a record of changing the law to suit himself and to protect himself, and "justifies" it by saying it allows him to get on with the job of running the Country. In any other civilised Country he wouldn't be allowed to stand for any Political office because of all his conflicts of interest.
Italy is in a mess and at the mercy of corrupt officials and Political institutions, not to mention all the Mafia organisations who couldn't possibly have the power they do without Political collusion. The West should fear for the future of Italy.

I am Italian:
a 72 years old man being entertained by underage girls is sick, however good he might be telling jokes…

It is sad to be represented by a clown who is starting loosing his mind and is always blaiming someone else for his mistakes.
it is frustrating to have a P.M. who does not know about basic good manners and respect for women.
he only promotes lows to escape jail: note this: he has NEVER been cleared by the justice, just released for time constraints!!!

he is trained and skiller as advertiser and marketing man, and this is what it does best. …meanwhile, my country is going down the drain.

sad italian girl

I absolutely agree with the comment from the British Expat. Berlusconi is the perfect expression of the worst qualities of the Italian people, and that's why he's so admired and even worshipped by the majority of our citizens. Italy is losing its democratic and moral values very rapidly now because there are no good examples from this leader and his sidekicks in the whole country. His power is based on lies, hypocrisy, arrogance, the help of the Catholic hierarchies (for material and power advantages), and the only value reigning now in Italy is money and success, even if that means cheating, stealing, damaging the environment and other beings. The only course of action open to some of us now is to resist, resist and resist.

A former teacher

Dear British Expat,
before knowing italian politics, you should know italian criminal history, the very real threat to any italian.
In britain you don't have the mafia, you don't have departments of the state that shape olygarchies that serve their own interests.

Berlusconi is the only one who could confront. for how controversial he actually is in terms of british standards, it is absolutely an italian necessity to have a strong man. the alternative is to finish in the end of a gang of criminals, and a country possibly divided in three...

ah and yes,,,, i forgot to mention: we also have the vatican.

(ii am an italina expat living in england since 2000)
ciao

please Obama invade us, and free Italy from Berlusconi.

I like to add a couple of comments, although no one would deny Berlusconi the business man, as a politician is becoming a liability. And NO NOT all Italians will continue to support him. This latest interlude with a "velina" or young girl is one of many showing off that at the "tender age of 73" he can still "pull". His office demands that he must show a certain amount of decor and etiquette. This he has failed to do on many occasions all of which are well documented by the media.
Because of him Italians are been mocked, When he come to talk he is able to flow like the Mississippi, yet when it come to policies and getting down to passing laws, unless they benefit him or his cronies, the times are biblical. Yet people are aghast by his aura, maybe because all the other politicians in Italy are far worst than him. May be because Italians do not know the fairy tail of the Kings’ new clothes, and they still believes he is riding around in a shining armour. Mr. Berlusconi, instead of protecting himself behind a screen of law created “at persona, as he opponents said” came out and faced the music in courts on the Mills trial, stopped chasing young girls (who only see him as a vehicle to further their career), and really governed Italy. May be he does not like the responsibility of high office but just the kudos it brings him if that was the case, then she should retire in his one of his many houses and let Italy folow its destiny, and may be a real leader of people would come through and really lead from the front not like a 3rd rate general from the back.

I am Italian, lived abroad for some years, and returned recently because of family reasons. I couldn't agree more with the British expat who wrote before. The worse of all is that Italians voted for this PM, that there isn't an opposition in Parliament, that newspapers and TV keep on talking about this PM instead than the great problems this country faces, from public debt – already 110% of GDP! – to increasing jobless rate, from lack of investments in technology development and research, to a bureaucracy and public system that's killing this country (we have 2 millions public employees and 57 millions population including retired and kids!), from a school system that's going downhill to spreading corruption at any level, even in small towns. This is the country where one gets things done if knows the right people, where one gets a job or a contract if is friend of politicians -even at low political levels -, where we can't choose a candidate but just put a cross on a political party, where people got so used to accept that absence of meritocracy is normal, where so much attention is put on gossips that even a guy like Berlusconi can get elected, make approve laws for his own interests, control all the media, fire journalists who speak not in agreement with him, slander publicly his wife and mother of three of his five kids after she files for divorce and get attention for every gaffe he makes. We can't be surprise that many bright graduated people leave Italy and move abroad and that Italian companies invest abroad but no foreign companies come to Italy. In few years there won't be any Berlusconi to talk about but Italy will keep and face all the big social, economical and ethical problems caused by this PM and the whole political class.

I would trust Berlusconi's wife Veronica. She waited a long time before criticing her husband immoral behaviour. And tried uselessly to help him.
Veronica warned us how dangerous is for our freedom and democracy all this. When we have to face a criminal offence and so an extended corruption we really would need a person like Barack Obama for a big change. Lucky americans !
No matter that any intelligent person would thank anyone who warns you
about the danger for Italy.
We Italians should have more selfesteem and love for our country as Veronica bravely showed to us.

@Mio Nome: you can have a strong man (like Obama, just to make an example), and still having a man who is not chasing teens, sending them to the european parlament and corrupting judges.

strong man doesn't mean thief, sex addicted or corruptor.

and on top of it, I hope one day we'll become a normal democracy, without needing strong man like mussolini or berlusconi

I don't think Americans are lucky in having Obama, I think Americans have enough values and will to change the brainwashing and plutocracy and to support Obama and make him win. In Italy most of people don't want to change but prefer to keep the current situation and try to get some advantage out of it. In L'Aquila, there are 100.000 requests of public money to build a new house, but 70,000 inhabitants. Is this honest? How many are filing 2,3,4 ... who knows how many requests for public money? A honest guy like Obama could not even become mayor of a village in Italy. An honest person in Italy can survive, but not become a leading politician or a rich person. We don't have to wait for a savior or think that who's better off is just more lucky. We have to act, not shut up, support who's honest, not who cheats, promises favors and lies, spread words and acts of merit, honesty and moral, pretend transparency, not care for image but for facts, remember that politicians are our employees and are paid to serve the country and its people, not themselves. Now this is a country for old people, for retired, for vacation, not for opportunity. Unless Italian people want to change .

Its very funny to me, in these days, to ear a brit cricticizes "corrupt behaviour" of another country: i call him an Hypocrite...but thats my 2 cents: from a guy who spent so many time in my country i expected a deeper analisys...IE 2 cents about political influenced magistrature (not under political control like France or UK), IE 2 cents about ex-commies, 2 cents about financial & media cartel...

being a non-voter since early '90 i judge the italian parliament a circus but i cant see other' nation so "clean"...all these trash-talkin from other's nation medias about Italy is only a weapon of mass-distraction, more than other about anglo-saxons nations..on the verge of bankruptcy.
Last words are to italians: We are in the worst crisys from '29 and all that matter is gossip? And maybe u are still wondering why the right is in power? CHEERS

His 'story' with the underage girl is only a little, little problem compared to his life full of corruption (mills is only the last discovered of his long list of 'friends' that gives him some contract, some favour, or simply leave him doing unconstitutional laws). Descrition gave by British Expat is the better possible : self-serving and arrogant. If we have patience to wait some week i'm sure Berlusconi will deny everything also about his wife. It's now a sort of tradition in Italy that PM can do and say everything (also the worst things, also in international meetings) on condition that day after him or his dignityless spokesmen deny everything. All of this made in front of people (italian, european or of the whole world) that have watched him doing or saying this things. This is the most clear demonstration of arrogance that i have ever saw. I'm pessimist about this man, i have saw him out of deserved jail for too long time.

have a good day, you all. (sorry my rough english)

So, the interview lasted more than an hour, and the CNN video is less than 4 minute long... Is it possible to see a transcript of the whole interview?

It is interesting that all the comments about Mr. Berlusconi are so negative. According to them at least 70% of the Italians are stupid or corrupt as well, as they continue to support him despite all the media attacks by the national and foreign media.
The reality is that the Italians are smarts enough to look at the facts, so they recognize that he is the only Italian politician able to stir the country out of the mess created by his predecessors.
About the various corruption charges and personal attacks, nothing has ever been proved true, but it is sure that his opponents are no better qualified. At least he is still working hard at 73 fixing things instead of just talking and promising, as his opponents do.

The real problem in Italy is that the left is made by ex-communist leaders..
The new Democratic Party is only a propaganda. The truth is that the Italian left is the only one in the west which has a communist background.
Now, if we look at the history there is nothing that makes a communist different from a nazi. I wonder why CNN and others media networks never talk about how bad the Italian left is..
Berlusconi is not the best PM, but the Italian left is shameful.

I'm italian and once again I have to say: sorry for Berlusconi. we're much better than our politicians :-)

Hard to believe that all the rottenness is because of Berlusconi. Italy has always been like that: corruption, terrorism, mafia etc.
Those against Berlusconi are mostly the same people who wanted Italy to join the communist side of the world after WWII. There are still parties who run for election and have their roots into Communism. They believe the fight is not over yet. They even got money from the USSR during the cold war. Problably not everybody have had the chance to read newspaper denying that Italy was freeded from Fascism by the Allied Forces.
I do not know if Berlusconi is the best we could have , but the danger of getting worse is high.

How can you be surprised that he has 60% approval rate knowing that he controls directly newspapers and TVs, and has also the power to intimidate the newspaper he does not own, because one of his companies has amost the monopoly over ads whose money is desperately needed by any newspaper?

For more than 15 years he has been using his control over the media, Italian people have been living in a Truman Show.

"Clowns are comical performers, stereotypically characterized by their grotesque appearance: colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes."

You have 2 choices currently to choose from:

a)Berlusconi_ Italy

b)Lula da Silva- Brazil

now aren't we lucky?

I am Italian, i lived in the US for several years, and now back in my Country.
I am kind of surprised to see so many fierce comments on Mr Berlusconi. These people almost give the impression of being hastened folks, without even setting up real constructs on ideas, facts, real people's needs.
No politician is perfect. However, many politicians sit idle and make ends meet by pulling out only critics, yet are too afraid to present real ideas.
I wouldn't blame those who have ideas and then put them at work, regardless of their political color. Quite the opposite, those are the ones who get listened to the most.
Getting a lot of votes probably reflects being very much listened to.
The natural rule should be that the better ones routinely overturn each other to the Country's benefit.
The bitter moods do not pay back and definitely do not help anyone.

In Italy we are going to end up as in George Orwell's 1984. Berlusconi owns the whole comunication system, so he can say what he wants and deny it two days after. the worst thing is that Italians forget and Berlusconi knows it! By two months this fuss will be finished and forgotten but "Berlusca" will still keep his power. In a recent interview he asked, RETHORICALLY, "what do they (the left wing party) want me to do? To resign?". I reckon this is one of the clevest thing he has never said, but unfortunately it's another joke of his.

Yes Berlusconi has his bad sides but what is the alternative? The opposition in Italy has done absolutely nothing to make Italy progress, they fight all the time and can't unite behind a leader, so they should blame themselves and not Berlusconi. He disturbs because he's not a career politician, he's unorthodox and tries to be see the lighter side of things. The opposition should do constructive opposition and not destroy anything he says/does while focussing on this pathetic story of the 18 year old (who cares if it's his daughter, Mitterand had at least one "illicit" daughter". And although Berlusconi owns SOME media, the opposition can and do vent their criticism all the time on many newspapers. To British expat and others who point to the US as a model I can say WAKE UP! first, Italy has lived and prospered with 50+ governments in the last 60 years, many of which were much worse than Berlusconi. Second, Britain and the US are practically bankrupt and in much worse shape than Italy. They have huge social problems of their own with millions of citizens (not immigrants) living at/below the poverty line, obesity, teenage pregnancies, gun problems in the US, etc... Third, the US is one of the most corrupt countries in the world if you include the lobbies, and they go killing people for oil and for their own self interest. Maybe Obama will change this but let's wait and see. So I say it's up to the opposition to come up with a good/strong candidate for the next election, and it's up to Italians to want to change things from the bottom up. And to foreigners criticising/making fun of Italy/Berlusconi I repeat: look at your own country's problems first!

@Garibaldino,

If you are a non-voter, you should be ashamed of yourself. I've lived in Italy for 9 years and my friends here vote, even if they are not thrilled with the options. There is always one worse than the other and Berlusconi is that one. He is ruining this country. He uses it as a big playground for himself and the hell with Italians, from his point of view. Italians deserve better and I hope a leader will come forward, but Italians will have to save themselves by becoming outraged instead of resigned, getting involved in government and, as a minimum, VOTING. I love this country and most people I know here in Rome are ashamed and outraged by Berlusconi. I hope that change will come. We made a drastic change in the U.S. Why not in Italy?

Just one example: the evening news of the first channel of italian public television (TG1) aired today the interview registered by CNN,

In the original video (available on your site) the symbol of Mr Berlusconi's party was not present, while it magically appeared in the version aired in Italy. To appreciate the finesse, you should consider that in Italy in the weeks before elections political ads in TV are strictly ruled.