This macho-man would not get a single vote in a country like Spain. We are ashamed of our machist past and may be in Italy they shoud also be.

Mario, Madrid, Spain

whilst 64 women have been murdered by there husbands this year in spain, zaperteros iniciatives may only be apluaded in influencing a needed reorientation of the macho populace of spain.
burlusconis, coments only add to the disrespect shown to women in italy and he should not export his machoistic ignorence to other countries.

robert tomlinson, las palmas, canary Islands

Let me thank you, Times, I also say thank you to any European that talked about that. That's because Italian press did forget to tell us about this gaffe.

Claudio, Napoli,

I am ashamed of all these Italians who grovel to foreign media apologising for being Italian! Have you not pride? Do you think the British have been proud of the government they have had to suffer since 1997? Do you see us putting ourselves down and criticising our nation on foreign media?

Andy, Abruzzo, Italy

What about the Royal Family? The Head of State is a Queen, a woman. And it's not like they do anything. Mr Zapatero won the elections and picked a Cabinet which he assumes is the most competent to lead Spain. Voters will decide at the next election whether that was a good choice. Mr Berlusconi should not comment on Mr Zapatero's choice: it's none of his business.

Lawrence, London,

besides mafia's, mr berlusconi happens to be sponsored by the vatican. had you ever seen a woman leading either of the two old fashioned "secret societies" ?

johnnie, Cadiz, Spain

Berlusconi's comments, regardless of their accuracy or whether they were said in jest, were not proper as a head of state in a pollitically correct world.  However, the reaction of Zapartero's people appear to be a bit dramatic, and quite frandly, insincere.

Lewis, Tampa, USA / Florida

Think to your bombastic Royal Family before speaking of Berlusconi.....

elisabetta, florence, italy

I'm ashamed to belong to a country leaded by berlusconi.
Someone said that a country is leaded by whom it deserves. Unfortunately I think that in the Italian case it's true.

Nicoletta, Milano, Italy

Oh come on, Silvio is the man!

max, auckland, NZ

From somebody who hasnt been brainwashed by left winf propoganda and hate campaigns, I think Silvio is brilliant!

Andy, Abruzzo, Italy

Too Pink. What does he mean by too pink. Its a good job he wasn't refering to Tony Blair's first government as the country may have got the wrong impression.

Mark, Gateshead, Tyne Wear

British press is always against Italy, Prodi, Berlusconi...is the same for you...."See the speck in your sibling's eye, but you do not see the beam in your own eyes". Please, think about it.

Alan, Milan, Italy

There is nothing offensive about Berlusconi's remark.

Subramaniam, Paris,

All this brouhaha is just silly, as the meaning of Mr B's remarks was actually regretting the practical impossibility of an Italian cabinet as pink as the Spanish one. Later on he added that, nevertheless, his mainly male government will take up many pink ideas from Zapatero's.

As Bertrand Russell wrote, reading a text with a view to reject it anyway is a sure recipe to misunderstand it. The paranoid attitude of many activists towards Mr B systematically fuels this kind of childish foolishness, contributing to obfuscate the real – if more mundane – grounds to criticise him. Like his past and recent position on Alitalia, to mention just one.

Mario Ferretti, L'Aquila, Italy

All this chat about Berlusconi and corruption in a country wher ecorruption is part of everyday life! Do these people truly beleive that the left are any less guilty of such behaviour?

Mat, Runcorn, UK

Probably a Berluscona will be better for Italy.

Josep Vilaplana, Girona, Spain

Spanish women-ministers lack of sense of humor.

antonio, cagliari, italy

A modest contribution of observation vs. ideology: in Italy center-right politicians have demonstrated sense of humor, while left parties' consistently show a scarce endowment of wit.
I am afraid it happens abroad too.
I observed that is typical of low IQ and psychotic individuals to take any sentence by literal value. On the contrary, sane and healthy individuals have the ability to have fun without damaging anybody. Crazy people like to reduce and suppress creative people, because are afraid of them and have bad conscience. The mockery of fun used by destructive people is always against somebody better than them, did you notice?
Easy enough to understand, isn't it?

Giorgio, Milano, Italy

But the British weren't well-known for the humour? It was clear that it was humour. And in the article it's hidden the sentence that Berlusconi added after the joke, where he has explained that in a modern country is essential to have women in politics and that they can bring a lot of additional skills to the new government.

Luca Zanotti Fragonara, Cardiff, UK

I'm sure if the women in Zapatero's cabinet were attractive and sexy, Berlusconi would have said differently!

Ted, Rome, Italy

This hate campaign against this man is purely political and Italians should be sceptical. It is in the interests of nations like the UK and Spain that Italy remains uncompetitive and unable to take business away from countries like ours. All the time the anti-capitalist left was in charge, Italy has been kept down and treated as a second class citizen. I believe that this may be about to change and hence the hostility!

Mat, Runcorn, UK

This wasnt a gaff, it was humour. Zapateros supported Veltroni in the elections and is simply point scoring! There is nothing diplomatically sensitive in saying that woen in Italy do not get equal opportunities???

Duncan, Kent, UK

Berlusconi is a selfish and unpolite man who thinks democracy is a joke. It is not so.

laura, vicenza, italy

Hi, i'm italian, and for have some news of my Contry, I must serch it in other coutry!!! i have no comment for this.. Berlusconi is a Cancer for the Italy, but the people want him!! no word for this...

I say Sorry to all women, they sure rule my contry better than Berlusconi

Dino, Varallo Sesia, Italy

Berlusconi is all image and no substance as shown when he was last in power - fixing laws to stop further prosecutions. Italy will pay a terrible cost for letting the madman out to play again.

james - london

james, london, uk

Spontaneous or not, I lost count of how many times I felt embaressed after Berlsuconi's outbursts.
It is rather strange that a man that is claimed to be intelligent, capable and smart hasn't yet understood that international diplomacy should be treated with at least some discretion and tact.

Alan, Rome, Italy

Hahahahhaahaha. That must be a world record. How did he manage to get himself into trouble this quickly?

Pookie, Edinburgh,

Italians have chosen who is going to be the Prime Minister for the next 5 years with a sound majority and, as expected, foreign media have immediately started their defamation campaign.

All your blurb about DEMOCRACY and when the outcome of DEMOCRACY doesn't fit your political taste you are ready to label as idiots those who don't agree with your stereotyped black&white views.

It was a joke. Maybe a bad joke, but still a joke! Really, can't you see the instrumental use they're making of it?

As for your habit of defining Fini a "post-Fascist", maybe it would be appropriate to learn about Italian history before writing about Italian politics. Fini is a post-Fascist just like some in the Partito Democratico are post-Communist.

We almost had a civil war in the late 70's because the country was still divided between far left and far right. You can't think that the background of our political ruling class has been totally re-invented since then.

Arf, Milano, Italia

In a government it is important to be higly capable. I don't want a goverment with women simply because they are women. And because is politically correct.
Berlusconi is spontaneous. Our man is great.

Claudia, Viterbo, Italy

Not surprised at all...berlusconi is a real idiot!

Benna, Reggio Emilia, Italy

There is only the first gaffe.......good luck Italy!

Marco Maria, Naples, Italy

The man is a cretin.

It doesn't look good for the Italians that they keep voting for such an imbecile, who also happens to be the richest man in the country (not through changing laws to suit his interests of course), and who was also the subject of many corruption investigations (which he avoided through changing the laws or dragging them on until they had to be dismissed).

Marlinspike, London,

Spain is still "growing up" as a democracy and this is what we had to endure in England in the good old 1970s to get to ensure equality between the sexes. Like then it will be strident, absurd and of dubious value in the long run.

Charles, Barcelona,

Berlusconi is an enigma. Italy just cant get anyone to lead them. Berlusconi is outrageous but thier only hope. He is like sweet and sour chicken they are damned one way if they vote him in do and damned the other if they dont.

Dave B, kelso, borders

It's a shame that Italians decided to vote him and not only cause of his opinion on woman.

He's been found guilty of bribing, but never convicted due to the fact that the crime was expired (something that I guess exists only in Italy, and it happens frequently too!).

He has Media monopoly, conflict of interest.

Weird connection with Sicilian Mafia, he had a for several year a mafioso gardener (coincidence?)

Andreas, Venice, Italy