And the Bafta for the Most Ridiculous Political Scandal goes to...

Oh Silvio, you just couldn't make this up...

For those who haven't heard, that bastion of political correctness and shining example of democracy in action, Silvio Berlusconi, is to stand trial. For sleeping with a prostitute. Who was underage. And then allegedly attempted to get her out of police custody for a separate offence. Because he thought she was the grand-daughter of another world leader.

Wait, it gets better... His trial is to be presided over by three female judges, and if convicted, he could face up to fifteen years in prison. Now, it is obviously not my place to say whether he's guilty or not - let's leave that decision to what is clearly an unbiased legal panel. But we need only consider his previous record, which includes allegations (proven?) of fraud, and a wealth of testimony from women young enough to be his grandchildren about his frequently successful attempts to seduce them, to get the impression that there may be some factual basis to these current accusations.

Oh, the benefits of high office... Image taken from the Daily Telegraph, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/2971255/Silvio-Berlusconi-keeps-an-eye-on-the-new-Miss-Italy.html

To be honest, part of me wishes Berlusconi was British. I mean, don't get me wrong, our politicians aren't exactly saints, and they've produced many an amusing story in the last few years, but none manage to defy moral and political boundaries on such a frequent basis as Berlusconi. The closest we've got is a clip of Boris Johnson discovering live on camera that his wife had changed the locks to their house, moments after having told reporters gathered outside that, despite allegations of him having an affair, their relationship was as good as ever. Yet even Boris knows when he's done wrong, and is smart enough to concede this publically when evidence of his errors emerge. Compare that to Berlusconi who, when this story initially broke, replied to a packed conference hall with something along the lines of "Well, yes, but it's better than being gay, eh?!" What. A. Moron. Then again, if he was British, we'd probably be complaining less about the fact that he'd slept with an underage prostitute and more about the fact that he'd attempted to claim it on expenses.

While many Italians will hope that, even if he's not convicted, the media frenzy surrounding the trial might at least force Berlusconi to resign and allow Italian politics to regain some sort of respect and dignity (not that it ever really had any to begin with...), comedians around the globe will be praying that he survives intact, because if he does go, satire will have lost a loyal and devoted friend...