Barbara Berlusconi

I have always been fascinated by Italy, it's beauty; it's cuisine; it's family oriented culture. I remember being on holiday in Marbella a few years ago and in a fit of complete boredom decided to go to the local news stall to see if they had any books that were NOT written by Catherine Cookson or Stephen King (love Stephen King but I wasn't in the mood for nympho zombies or cell phones that blow your head up). I came across a book called the Dark heart of Italy and couldn't wait to get back to the villa to read it.

It mostly went on to discuss the infamous Italian bill payment system which usually required hours of waiting in post office queues as well as the length of time it takes for foreigners to find work and accomodation etc but for the first time I read about Silvio Berlusconi and the massive hold he had (and still has) over the country.

You may have heard of Berlusconi, he was recently voted in as Prime Minister for his third term amidst allegations of him having close ties with the Italian mafia as well as his unashamed attempts at changing laws which coincidentally benefited himself (one being the decriminalization of false account statements which he was arrested for on a previous occasion). In this country Silvio Berlusconi would have been locked up a long time ago but for some reason the Italians seem to see him as some kind of Robin Hood character, and those that dont idolise him, still respect him because of the money and the power he has managed to obtain.

Anyway, the reason I decided to talk about this topic was not to recount Mr Berlusconi's wrong-doings but to say how much I have come to respect and admire his daughter Barbara. She recently set tongues wagging when she was pictured coming out of a debate on "the role of business ethics in economic systems and the management of enterprises", the main point being 'what is the daughter of Silvio Berlusconi doing at a debate about ethics?' She has also revealed her opposition to her father's right wing views by talking about the need for ethics and social responsibility in business. Rather than reverting to name-calling she did this with dignity and pride by saying:

“It is true that I am Berlusconi's daughter, but this does not stop me being an independent person with a mind of my own. The Berlusconi name is esteemed by many, many people. A lot believe in him, many others feel a certain perplexity. I cannot deny my family origins. But I go my own way.”

I just can't get over how many obstacles this girl will have had to get across (mainly the shadow of her father) to show that she is her own person and should be respected in her own right.

Okay that's the Barbara Berlusconi fan club message over with, back to thinking about halloween outfit ideas for those going to Club Noir at the end of this month.

:)