Berlusconi

Ben Ali went, Mubarak went, it seems (almost unbelievably) that Gaddafi will go. But one person who will stick it out until the bitter, pitiful end is Italy's criminal-in-chief, the contemptible Silvio Berlusconi. As an Italian I am ashamed of him. And as a European too. What possible moral authority is left to us with a bloated crook like Berlusconi at the helm of one of our nations? Just to recap:

- Berlusconi has never made clear where his money comes from despite parliamentary questions on the topic and suspicions of Mafia collusion. If he has nothing to hide then why not simply come out with the truth?

-He enjoys a near monopoly on the Italian media, a situation that renders open debate and scrutiny (a sine qua non of a democratic society) all but impossible.

-He has repeatedly changed Italian law to protect his own personal interests. How can any citizens respect the rule of law if they see that the law exists to serve the interests of the most powerful of its citizens?

-He abused diplomatic privilege to release an underage prostitute he is alleged to have slept with from police custody, claiming she was a niece of the now deposed Egyptian despot Hosni Mubarak.

-He has fostered close ties with regimes the rest of the world wisely keeps at arm's length. As recently as this Saturday he was refusing to comment on the uprisings in Libya, saying that he did not want to "disturb" his friend, Gaddafi.

The man is a disgrace and must go so that Italy, a country that has given so much to the world, can recover a modicum of pride. And also in the interests of European and even global security. If we, as Europeans, want to avoid the spread of islamism in these newly liberated countries it is vital, now more than ever, that we present a valid and admirable alternative. A Europe that has Silvio Berlusconi in it is precisely what these people have just turned their backs on.