The now daily revelations about Silvio Berlusconi's sex life suggest to many a leader unfit to govern. Yet in the extensive coverage in the international press and the growing condemnation of the Italian prime minister's behaviour, bigger problems are being missed that go to the heart of Italy's decline and which will not be remedied solely by his removal from office.
The central issue in the background is the extent of corruption at the heart of the government, and the lack of transparency and accountability that bedevils efforts to deal with it. There is a culture of illegality that runs through Italian politics and extends to society, from habitual tax evasion and mafia involvement in building contracts – including, many suspect, ones currently being negotiated in earthquake-ravaged L'Aquila – to the fixing of football matches. Italy has easily the highest proportion of MPs found guilty of criminal offences in Europe. Mr Berlusconi has faced down many court cases of his own, successfully avoiding prosecution merely by virtue of parliamentary immunity legislation introduced by his own government.
There are two main reasons why this situation has been allowed to continue. First, Mr Berlusconi presides over a regime built through his media empire, which includes the ownership or control of almost the entire television network and significant publishing ventures. Even Rai, the public broadcaster – which has faced much political interference from Mr Berlusconi – has refused to carry any coverage of the allegations linking him to the escort girl Patrizia D'Addario on its main news channel.