Sex, Lies, and Berlusconi’s political legacy

Berlusconi will go down in history as the politician who legitimized extreme right-wing populist politics

Silvio Berlusconi's impact has been considerable, but for all the wrong reasons. File picture: AP/Gregorio Borgia

In a democracy politicians come and go. The vast majority of them are quickly forgotten, leaving no traces of their actions. Their names and impact being kept alive only by the small army of political scientists and historians who study every move of political figures, big or small. 

But every now and then a politician comes on the scene that becomes immediately recognisable, whose name becomes globally known, someone who is identified with a nation’s political essence. Silvio Berlusconi falls under that category. For many years he was the only politician that anyone outside of Italy could name. His impact has been considerable, but for all the wrong reasons.