It's time for Berlusconi to go

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is facing a series of confidence votes in the upper and lower houses of parliament on December 14. The political crisis stems from a rift in the ruling coalition, largely as a result of Berlusconi's involvement in a number of scandals.

Throughout his tenure as prime minister, Berlusconi has attracted publicity of the negative kind in much the same way as a cow patty attracts flies.

He has faced court cases over tax evasion and influence peddling, and his control of a media conglomerate has skewed coverage and stymied criticism of him. His romances and philandering have become the stuff of tabloid press annals.

Sadly, though, like most of Europe, Italy is under economic pressure.

With a loose cannon such as Berlusconi at the helm, it is difficult to adopt austerity measures to reduce the size of the Italian public sector and rein in its deficit.

It's time for him to go.