Recently, much fluff has been made about the new Berlusconi government in Italy, and that the new Minister of Equal Opportunities over there is 34-year old Mara Carfagna, a former Miss Italy finalist and also a former showgirl, who also happens to have earned a law degree, thus making her at least nominally qualified. Lately, comparisons between Italy and Hungary have been unavoidable, and not just because those Italians once raised a sideways Hungarian flag and took it as their own (just kidding…). Italy, is in many respects, just a bit ahead of Hungary in how the political situation is playing out. Both countries have abysmal economic growth rates and corruption is endemic in both systems, to the point that you sometimes wonder if there isn't an unspoken competition going on between the two nations.

Where Italy is ahead, is that an unpopular government of the Left that was shown to be powerless in light of the Naples garbage disposal crisis resigned after the prime minister there lost a vote of confidence, thus forcing early elections. In Hungary, an unpopular government of the Left which has been left powerless following the collapse of their governing coalition is trying to stay in power for as long as possible, despite most observers commenting on the futility of their situation.

In Italy, a much more streamlined parliament with fewer political parties emerged, led by Silvio Berlusconi, frequently described as a populist and one of Italy's richest men. If new elections were held in Hungary, one if not both of the smaller parties would likely fall out of parliament, and the Right would assume power led by Viktor Orbán, a man frequently described as a populist, albeit not one of the nation's richest, (that would be the party chairmen of the Left).

Considering that many more painful economic measures are most likely necessary for Italy and Hungary, Berlusconi figured he'd add some spice to the cabinet in the form of attractive women. While it's uncertain who Orbán would appoint to his new cabinet, assuming he wins the next elections, whenever they are held, it might be to his advantage to appoint qualified, but attractive people of both genders to high-exposure government positions. That was the whole point of former-future-government spokeswoman Zsuzsa Demcsák, was it not?

"Oh my God! The economy is going down the toilet, this country will take a generation to recover—my my, would you look at our new minister?"