It Could Be Worse

It Could be Worse: Where we put our situation into a global context. This time it's Bertie Ahern v Slivio Berlusconi.

By Conor Hogan

Who didn’t shudder with embarrassment witnessing Bertie Ahern sitting in a cupboard, drinking tea and trying to sell us copies of the News of the World? What’s next – Gerhard Schroder selling Cif while rolling down a hill dressed in a clown costume, Jacque Chirac telling us to eat more Kellogs Frosties while wrestling a tiger on a tricycle?

Bertie’s was an act not befitting a former Taoiseach, and it was incredible he couldn’t understand how ridiculous he was going to look before he did it. Amazingly, however, he is far from the most embarrassing politician in the world.

Silvio Berlusconi is Italy's second longest serving prime minister and the elder statesman has amassed a personal fortune of €9 billion. He is, however, a man prone to gaffes. For instance, when Barrack Obama was elected he said, “I'm paler than Mr Obama, because it's been so long since I went sunbathing. He's more handsome, younger and taller,” and on meeting an African priest after the 2009 L’Aquila Earthquake said, “You have a nice tan . . . hold me tight and call me Papa.”

Dodgy

He has made various sexist and anti-Islamic remarks too. He repeatedly chooses young attractive females with little political experience to run as candidates for Italian European Parliament elections, has links with the Italian Mafia and has been brought to trial accused of crimes including bribery, embezzlement, false testimony, false accounting and tax fraud. Happily, he has a controlling interest in 90 per cent of the Italian Media so bad press isn't so much of a problem.

He is most notable, however, for his love of women – particularly highlighted by the 2009 sex scandal. It emerged that several young escorts were paid to attend private parties at his Rome and Sardinia homes. Barbara Montereale told The Times that she was given €10,000 as a present by the 72-year-old Italian, and an attendance fee of €1,000.

Another escort, Patrizia D’Addario, was recorded in conversation with the organiser Gianpaolo Tarantini, who told her that Berlusconi would be “taking you like an escort, he will be taking you as a friend of mine that I brought along. I have already given you a thousand and if you stay with him he will give you a gift on his own.. ah.. you will also see that he doesn’t use condoms.”

So there you have it – as bad as Bertie is, there is always someone worse.