Posts Tagged ‘Silvio Berlusconi’

Topless ministers and teenage prostitutes: don’t go there, Dave.

17/03/2011, 11:45:48 AM

by Victoria Williams

Hopefully, last week’s international women’s day prompted David Cameron to think, if only briefly, about the disappointing dearth of women in his government. Ideally, he will have thought about how he might improve it. Perhaps he will have sought advice. Let us hope he did not turn to that nice Mr Berlusconi.

The grass is not always greener dall’altro lato. The Italian premier, recently labelled the “world’s shadiest politician” by humour site Cracked.com, may currently only have four women in his 22 seat cabinet, but, by God, he is intent on changing that. As one might gather from the near-constant barrage of articles about the 74-year-old prime minister in the run up to his, ahem, impending trial on charges of using underage prostitutes, among other things, Silvio Berlusconi is a man who likes to surround himself with women.

In 2009, he fielded a string of female candidates as potential MEPs in the European elections. His minister for equal opportunities, Mara Carfagna, is a houshold name, as is his education secretary, Mariastella Gelmini and his recently list-appointed councillor for the Lombardy region, Nicole Minetti. (more…)

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