Policies of Silvio Berlusconi period because during the Cold War Italy had the strongest communist party in western Europe. Vladimir Putin has many times expressed his appreciation for the respect shown by the Italian Prime Minister towards the leadership of the Russian Federation. Silvio Berlusconi is among the most vocal supporters of closer ties between Russia and the European Union. In an article published to Italian media on 26 May 2002, he said that the next step in Russia's growing integration with the West should be EU membership. On 17 November 2005 he commented in regards to the prospect of such a membership that
Father of the House (New Zealand) Father of the House (New Zealand) Father or Mother of the New Zealand Parliament, often called Father of the House, is an unofficial title applied to the longest continuously serving MP in the house, regardless of their position. The Father of the House has no official role in Parliament. The current Father of the House in the New Zealand Parliament is Nick Smith, a former Cabinet Minister, having served continuously since 1990. While Winston Peters first entered parliament in 1979, he was not in Parliament from 1981 to 1984, or between 2008 and 2011. In New Zealand's first election of