«Dear Marcello, dear Fedele, it was a really beautiful morning in which some ‘” sprightly old men “, like those of Cocoon, have rediscovered the taste of dreams». Thus began the secret letter that Denis Verdini would have sent to Dell’Utri and Confalonieri to illustrate the strategy to bring Berlusconi to the Quirinale, as reported by the Tyrrhenian who anticipated it. The message, written by the house arresters, appears to be “a lucid analysis” with which Verdini suggests to Berlusconi’s advisers the strategy for facing the Colle game, as the Tuscan newspaper writes.
For Berlusconi it is a “legitimate ambition”
«So far we have played on the exclusive level of communication – he puts pen to paper – but in 12 days what is communicated will have to be followed by what is done. Otherwise it will be a disaster ». Berlusconi’s, he continues, “is a legitimate ambition” and “none of the center-right can deny him this opportunity.” But, with the hunt for peons, the Knight “informally – wrote Verdini in his letter – certainties about the presumed availability of votes” outside the center-right and his candidacy “still only hypothesized” has “dug a pit” with the center-left , which will now be tempted “by the Aventine solution” just as the center-right did with Prodi.
Protecting Salvini and his role as king maker
Verdini then winks at the “son-in-law” Matteo Salvini (the daughter is the companion of the leader of the League): “What you cannot expect” from the leader of the League is that “he renounces the attempt to exercise a role as king maker” . In other words, “he can be asked for loyalty but not absolute loyalty. A possible defeat on the Quirinale would jeopardize his political career ». What to do then? Meanwhile, Berlusconi guarantees that Forza Italia will still be in the center-right: “No pacts with Letta and Renzi”, via “the chatter” from the newspapers on the possibility that he can support, in the event of his failure, “Draghi, Amato or who knows who else, splitting the center-right “. Because “if Salvini or Meloni understood that ‘Ours’ has second cards or plans B, the entire center-right would be blown up”.
The 10 points to elect Silvio
Verdini lists 10 points with which to try to elect Berlusconi, including the fact that Silvio does not leak negative judgments on possible center-right candidates, and that he recognizes Salvini “the political viability of the result”. But if “unfortunately” the dream does not come true, “Silvio must allow Salvini (the largest group of large voters) to fulfill the goal of electing a center-right president, giving him all his support”. After all, Verdini concludes, if at the fourth call the Cavaliere was not elected but had all the votes of the center-right, he could “retire with dignity”. But if he didn’t get those, either, ‘it would be a disaster. And even worse for those who brought him to this point ».