Italian politicians are thieves - says Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi

In a stunning statement made to journalists last week, Silvio Berlusconi accused Italian politicians of stealing money from the Italian taxpayers to buy themselves holiday homes and yachts.

Berlusconi made the bold statement in front of Italian TV news cameras, when it seemed he just could not contain his (big) mouth, expressing an opinion of Italian MPs that is probably shared by most of the Italian population. Media analysts suggest that he may have made the comments to gain popularity among Italians that will go to the polls for the European elections shortly. But one thing is for sure, his words have upset more than one MP and have astonished Italians.

PM Silvio Berlusconi is one of the richest men in Italy and has built his media and consumer goods empire in shady circumstances that several trials for tax evasion and bribery have failed to clear up. In one of the highlights of his political career Silvio has passed a law that gives him immunity from further trials as the Prime Minister of Italy.

Italian politicians are in the midst of the campaign for the European parliamentary elections. While attempting to explain that his government's tax cuts for high income earners were justified because the 50% tax rate far outweighs the level of services that the Italian state provides its citizens, Berlusconi let it slip that the career politicians that criticise his policy have no experience of the job market and therefore are not in a position to say how to run the economy.

Gearing up his argument, Berlusconi asked: "How come lots of the Italian MPS own many properties - city apartments, houses at the seaside, in the mountains, and a yacht? Where have they found that money to buy all those properties?" His answer - they have been stealing from taxpayers.

The opposition leader - left Democrat Secretary, Piero Fassino - replied promptly by asking Berlusconi to name names. And he added: "I own an apartment in Rome that I pay a mortgage on. I also have a second home in Tuscany I'm paying for with a mortgage. I believe that the Premier, instead of saying vulgar things, should explain to Italians how he made his money. The truth is that Berlusconi is desperate. If he's a man of honour he'd give us the names".

More worried than the Opposition were the 38% of the MPs Berlusconi's right-wing coalition who are career politicians. Vice President Gianfranco Fini and Speaker of the Lower House Ferdinando Casini have both worked exclusively in politics - and there is a long list of MPs who were involved in bribery scandals before Berlusconi entered politics in 1994.

The next day, in a typically "Teflon" about turn Berlusconi reassured his MPs that he had not been talking about them, but instead the professional politicians of the opposition. Perhaps in this case Berlusconi could take some advice from his "career politician" colleagues.

Felix Petrelli c2004