It’s always educational to hear from former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who looks… erm… well, with any other octogenarian, I’d hesitate to comment on their appearance, but Berlusconi was always so generous with his views on female politicians (Angela Merkel: “Unfuckable lard-arse”) that I think he’d be fine with my observation that his skin is now so tortuously stretched that he resembles a sous-vide Boris Karloff.

However, it’s what Berlusconi has to say that matters and he’s waded into the Catherine Deneuve “randy men should be able to make passes” row. Thanking the “blessed” Deneuve, he believes women should be “pleased” when a man tries to seduce them (of course they should – every single time!), though he wasn’t an expert on the theme as women usually chased him (what, always in the same direction, Silvio?). He added that none of it mattered, so long as the courtship was “elegant”.

Quite. When Berlusconi comes out with such gems of wisdom, it seems negative to dwell on his chequered past (or present or probable future?). All that unfortunate tittle-tattle about the underage escort (Berlusconi was convicted, then acquitted) or the fact that, even now, as leader of a centre-right coalition, he’s barred from public office because of a conviction for tax fraud.

Instead, let’s reminisce about Berlusconi’s “bunga bunga” parties and concede that the very first word that springs to mind is “elegant”. All those powerful intoxicated older men, in tiny shorts, frugging next to swimming pools, music pumping, bits of barbecued chicken stuck in their chest hairs, surrounded by young beauties, some of whom may have actually wanted to be there. That whole scene was just too “elegant” for words. The Harvey Weinstein allegations made 2017 a difficult year – thank God there’s Berlusconi to put us straight.