By Tamsin Smith BBC, Rome

The Italian prime minister does not believe in spin doctors

The tycoon politician recently apologised to Italy's Jewish community after saying in an interview that former fascist dictator Benito Mussolini never killed anyone.

Why can no-one influence what Mr Berlusconi says?

"An image consultant for Mr Berlusconi is not the same as for other people. He is a very special man," says Miti Simonetto, who has worked as his image consultant for 10 years.

"At the most I can tell him what kind of shirt to wear, and what colour tie, but I can never tell him what to say", she says.

No culture of spin

Italy does not have a culture of image building and spin for its politicians.

Journalists trying to explain the UK inquiry into the death of a weapons inspector and Tony Blair's press secretary Alistair Campbell's resignation to Italian readers found that most people associate the idea of spin with washing machines.

Mr Berlusconi is less manufactured that Mr Blair or Mr Bush Dario Rivolta, Italian MP

It is the same within the government.

There are no permanent staff working closely with the prime minister preparing and honing his message and certainly no Alistair Campbell-like figure, said Dario Rivolta, MP with Mr Berlusconi's Forza Italia party.

"There are no teams preparing everything for the prime minister. He has some advisors on different issues. But when speaks he prepares absolutely by himself," says Mr Rivolta.

"I would say that Mr Berlusconi is less manufactured that Mr Blair or Mr Bush," he adds.

Mr Rivolta says Mr Berlusconi's lack of political correctness is, in fact, an advantage. "He speaks from the heart and people appreciate him. They think he is more natural," he says.

Damaging

It was Mr Berlusconi's talent for straight-talking that got him elected in the first place.

Mr Berlusconi angered Mr Schroeder (l) with his remarks about a German MP

Even the opposition parties are often confused about how respond to him.

Many voters think Mr Berlusconi's outspoken comments simply means he speaks their language.

When he recently described Italy's judges as mentally disturbed, he defended it by saying that it was what the people on the street thought.

But with Italy in charge of the European Union presidency, Mr Berlusconi's homespun spontaneity can also be very damaging.

The prime minister is an institution Giuliano Ferrara Editor, Il Foglio

Earlier this year, he kicked up a row with a comment that a German member of the European Parliament would be "perfect" for the role of a guard in a film about a Nazi concentration camp.

Giuliano Ferrara, a close personal friend of the prime minister and editor of Il Foglio newspaper, says that Mr Berlusconi should be controlled.

"He should be outspoken but he should speak professionally. The prime minister is an institution, not just an individual," says Mr Ferrara.

But Mr Berlusconi's associates and friends feel that even employing a top spin doctor would serve little purpose.

"It is not possible to interfere with what Mr Berlusconi decides to say in a press conference. A spin doctor would not have an easy life," says Lucio Malan, senator and director of communications for Forza Italia.

"Working with Mr Berlusconi you will never be bored. It is absolutely impossible to predict what he is going to do next," says Mr Malan.