Michela Brambilla, rumoured to be the favourite of Silvio Berlusconi
to be saviour of the Italian Right
Posted on 08/22/2007 10:26:17 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
To the consternation of many of his allies, Silvio Berlusconi is promoting a striking 39-year-old redhead with sparse political experience as the future “saviour” of the Italian Right.
Michela Brambilla, rumoured to be the favourite of Silvio Berlusconi
to be saviour of the Italian Right
Italy was consumed by the news yesterday that after months of rumours Michela Vittoria Brambilla, known as “La Rossa”, had registered the name and logo of the “Party of Freedom” (Partito della Liberta) with a notary, at Mr Berlusconi’s behest.
The Party of Freedom is seen as a new umbrella organisation to revital-ise Mr Berlusconi’s centre-right alliance, which lost elections to Romano Prodi’s centre-left coalition a year and a half ago. However, the involvement of Ms Brambilla – a former Miss Italy finalist with a philosophy degree – has been called widely into question.
The former Prime Minister played down the uproar over the party as “much ado about nothing” yesterday, saying he had merely asked Ms Brambilla to register the name to ensure that no one else could use it.
Publicly, Mr Berlusconi has back-tracked over his reported suggestion to aides this spring that Ms Brambilla could one day replace him as centre-right leader, saying he simply meant that the next right-of-centre prime minister could be a woman.
However, reports that Mr Berlusconi, 70, intends to be only a figurehead president of the new party, with Ms Brambilla as its secretary and main driving force, have caused ructions on the Right, where many regard her as overly ambitious and abrasive.
A dynamic and vocal businesswom-an from Lecco in northern Italy and daughter of a steel magnate, Ms Brambilla runs a fish import business and is head of the Italian young entrepreneurs association. She has a two-year-old son, Vittorio, by her partner, Eros Maggioni, also a businessman. She caught Mr Berlusconi’s eye two years ago as a fervent activist for his Forza Italia party. After his 2006 election loss she suggested that she establish a network of 5,000 “Freedom Clubs” to rally grassroots support for his drive to oust Mr Prodi and return to power.
This year she founded “Freedom TV” and a propaganda sheet, Giornale della Liberta, which is given away weekly with Il Giornale, the paper owned by the Berlusconi family. “She does not exactly pass unobserved,” Il Giornale said in an admiring profile, noting that she was always impeccably turned out in high heels and suits.
Ms Brambilla herself is open about her outspoken manner, saying this week: “No one can shut my mouth.” However, Sandro Bondi, the Forza Italia spokesman, said yesterday that while he admired Ms Brambilla for her drive, she knew little about politics, which required “humility, culture and respect for one’s adversaries”.
Senior figures in the centre Right joined him in deriding the move. Mar-cello dell’Utri, co-founder with Mr Berlusconi of Forza Italia, said the party was a “marketing ploy”, while Stefania Prestigiacomo, a minister in the last Berlusconi Government, said that Ms Brambilla’s movement could play a “supporting role” in elections, but Forza Italia “cannot be dismantled”.
The Party of Freedom may be a response to plans by centre-left factions to unite in October as the Democratic Party, almost certainly headed by Walter Veltroni, the Mayor of Rome, regarded as Mr Prodi’s successor.
Mr Berlusconi said the future of the centre-right alliance would be decided in November. He added that Ms Brambilla was head of the “Freedom Clubs”, “and for now that is enough”.
La Rossa
— Born in 1968 Michela Brambilla entered the Miss Italy pageant at 18 and won the title Miss Elegance
— Her father was surprised and horrified when she studied philosophy instead of the business and economics course he supported
— She describes her passions as listening to classical music and playing the piano
I am 10 years older than she is, and I wouldn’t trade my looks for hers. So sue me for noticing she looks hard and fake.
“Rough complexion and not a natural redhead.”
And your point being?
Now cut that out!
I couldn’t see that far up her skirt to come to such a definitive conclusion, ma’am.
Catfight.
Although “Xanadu” is about as gay as they come (and sue me, but it’s one of my guilty pleasures — I like disco), I wonder if McGloryhole married Dina because of her resemblence to ONJ. She apparently is a lesser icon in the gay community because of “X.”
Political expediency. Why did Hillary have Web's baby? Kucinich marry the May Pole Tongue With Hole? FDR his cousin? Arianna Konstantinos the Huffington Homo?
yitbos
Well, that, or Liza Minelli was unavailable.
As for that moonbat Arianna, the only reason she turned rodent was out of spite. Her Republican husband preferred to pack fudge to having a go at her in the sack. I can’t say as I blame him one iota. If Dina turned Republican, think she’d get newspaper columns that couldn’t be more incoherent if a monkey were to write them ?
Word!
Is that a rough complexion, or just bad lighting?
I’m not looking too closely. Those legs can crack walnuts, y’know.
She reminds me somewhat of Ann.
Miss Coulter’s legs are more coltish. This lady’s are more thoroughbred. You could run her at Churchill Downs. Giddyup.
Well, she likes cats. Can’t be all that bad.
*Sniff* But why won't you let me represent you in Italy?
I'm going, and that's final.."
All Italian women get rough at about 35. Could be worse though.
Reminds me a little bit of Ann Coulter
Just sayin’.
My wife is Italian and at 38 she can still stop traffic.
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