the grandfather friend of Berlusconi – Corriere.it

“I like Elly Schlein.” And this is how Fedele Confalonieri amazed everyone the other night during a dinner. They say that the diners were left speechless, the cutlery suspended in the air, their gaze turned towards the patron of the Biscione. That she let a few moments pass with theatrical tempos before explaining herself: «The mere fact that she is Agostino Viviani’s niece makes me like her». The reference to the maternal grandfather of the new secretary of the Democratic Party was an opportunity for Confalonieri to tell the story of «a wonderful character, a mirrored and worthy man. A great lawyer, guarantor and socialist ». But that’s not all, because at the end of the narrative, the president of Mediaset recalled that “when Forza Italia was born, Silvio wanted it with him”.

In fact Viviani, who had been a PSI senator twice, he was elected to the Superior Council of the Judiciary as a lay member in blue quota in 1994, during the XII legislature: that of the first Berlusconi government. «And then everyone spoke ill of him», commented Confalonieri, referring to his lifelong friend: «Is it possible that nobody wants to acknowledge what he has done? Because he did this too ». Thus in his family tree Schlein finds a Berlusconian, albeit atypical, and who had previously challenged the flag of the Radicals in the name of the battles for civil rights and for a profound revision of the judicial system: in fact, he theorized the separation of functions and careers of the magistrates. The eternal dot of the Knight.

Probably these memories influenced the note with which Berlusconi greeted the advent of the young leader on the national political stage: «I hope that the confrontation, even between opponents, is correct, constructive, respectful and oriented towards the good of the country. The Democratic Party represents the major opposition force and in a mature democracy the quality of the work of the opposition is just as important as that of the majority. Congratulations and good luck.” It is not known whether Confalonieri spoke of Schlein with the Cavaliere, he did not mention it at the table. But he made an opinion. And as much as he screens himself whenever he is asked about questions of the Palace (“I don’t understand, I’m just a lobbyist”), everyone listened to his analysis with interest.

“Whether Schlein is a communist, I don’t know. But it’s enough for it to appear like this and it’s good for everyone else», that is, for those in his field: «Just see who voted for it in the primaries. A good percentage comes from supporters of the Cinquestelle and also from small groups of the extreme left». And the new secretary of the Democratic Party – in Confalonieri’s opinion – «revives the left»: «She says new things to those voters, unlike her predecessor. When he talks about inequalities, for example … ». Let me be clear, the owner of Mediaset is not politically infatuated with Schlein, he remains “a Northern League supporter of the Bossian rite” and has never changed his mind.

However, it records the “novelty” and the “shock” that it produced “on the other side”. As for Schlein’s beliefs and lifestyle, «she interprets everything that is different from previous generations. To me then… For us, Lgbtq+ were science fiction stuff. Today they are real”. It is an acknowledgment, without any judgment: whoever thought that she would have indulged in a comment on the fact that Schlein has a partner, thought wrong. After all, Confalonieri had already expressed himself on the subject and publicly: “I’m from my era, but I’m not a bigot”.

And he doesn’t seem passionate about the story either of the dualism between the dem leader and the current prime minister: «Just because they are two women? And what is the point in politics?». Rather “I really don’t think” – so you said – that Schlein could be Meloni’s antagonist. She may even be “nice” to her because of her maternal grandfather, but she doesn’t see a match. It is not clear whether Confalonieri’s prediction is the result of a weighted conviction or if it is influenced by her support for «Giorgia». And when at the table a diner pointed this out to him, the friend of the Knight replied: «And anyway who am I to be able to judge? Not even the Pope does.”