How wonderful it is to be part of a truly free society, rather than living among people who just don’t get it
Judy Garland’s song from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, Ding Dong the Witch is Dead, had soared to No.27 in the UK iTunes chart by early yesterday, riding on the back of a Facebook campaign to make it hit No.1 after the death of Margaret Thatcher.
Compare and contrast this, and the parties taking place all over Britain, with the po-faced, mealy-mouthed, smarmy and hypocritical reactions to any criticism of Mintoff when he died last August. People ended up too scared to speak a word of disapproval, let alone pour scorn on his Venezuelan-style funeral.
When one older man, who thinks himself more British than the British, emailed me furiously to take me apart (he thought) for celebrating Mintoff’s death and saying with heartfelt conviction which remains exactly the same today, may God rot his soul, I emailed back that for all his posturing about British mores and his refusal to speak Maltese, his sentiments on this matter showed him to be a true son of the Middle East (as well as closet Mintoffian who almost certainly voted Labour in 1971 and is now trying to salve his conscience about that single act that helped bring ruin to Malta).
Much as I admired Margaret Thatcher – and she truly deserved admiration in a way that that petty, vile, vengeful and bitter scum Dom Mintoff certainly did not – I feel no anger towards those celebrating her death, still less any urge to shut them up forcibly or insult them personally in rude emails.
I celebrate the fact that they do it, and think them very fortunate to live in a truly free society, the living, breathing historical home of democracy and free speech.
It is the last, and not tea-time and posturing, that is the essence of Britishness. On this matter, prick almost any Maltese who is ‘izjed Ingliz mill-Inglizi’ and you will generally find a true son of Syria beneath the skin.
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In other, very important news:
“He said the Cabinet is considering but has not taken a decision on whether or not to grant an amnesty to mark the change of government after the general election.”
I amn’t dreaming, am I?
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130410/local/prison-dogs-fed-by-the-prisoners.464894
An amnesty wasn’t in the “Manifest”, it was in the whispering campaign only.
To tell you the truth I’m starting to like this Manuel Mallia’s talk and action, but an amnesty is where I draw the line.
If it is done , next time round the PN will whisper the same electoral promise like Labour did.
Hear, hear!
How true. In Malta last August, The Times celebrated Mintoff’s life without any objective criticism.
In the UK, the newspapers celbrate and recall Maggie’s achievements yet they do it with objective criticism, openness, clarity and a balanced expositiion of the why she was detested by many.
In Malta, in August, we were in the same situation when the North Korean Dictator died (good riddance): sshhhh! Now he’s dead. Forget about what he did in the past. And The Times – burnt down by Mintoffian thugs – led the way.
Imagine this happening in Malta last August
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkTzj0hiSng
True.
But, they get away with the celebrating and the partying because they are socialist and the conservatives cherish freedom of speech and democracy.
Try doing the same when John Prescott kicks the bucket and you will have the TUC on you before you can blink and say “Jack Robinson”.
Socialism is unequal and dastardly in every place it has contaminated.
Very well said.
Because true democracy and freedom are not words but terms that carry concepts that need to be nurtured. They are not automatic as the existence of air. They do not exist because elections are held and ‘legitimate’ governments are elected – it goes much beyond and further than that.
As regards Mrs Thatcher, she was superlative as opposed to (perhaps) the most negative person in Maltese political history.
Speaking of true freedom. Will somebody with a legal mind answer the article by Kevin Aquilina on The Times, yesterday.
He is throwing too many mixed issues into the fray.
Why would a lack of resignation culture demand a change in the constitution?
And what exactly has the following to do with changing a tried and tested constitution:
“Moreover, being MPs, ministers have also to take care of their constituents’ needs, thereby introducing a system of political patronage and clientelism, especially when the minister, to serve his constituents, uses his office to exert pressure on public officers, persons and bodies assigned to his ministry to take certain decisions that might not necessarily be in full compliance with the law or in the public interest, thereby putting undue pressure on such public officers, persons and bodies and placing them in an untenable situation.
This is nothing but abuse of power that goes unpunished.”
Thank you for posting this, Daphne – this from a lad born and raised in an (ex) coal mining town in NE England. Thatcher really meant ‘a lot’ to our community back in the day!
Excerpt from the Daily Mail below:
Garland’s version is also at number 16 in the iTunes chart today.
It comes as violence erupted on the streets at special ‘death parties’ held to celebrate the passing of Baroness Thatcher.
It has raised security concerns about next week’s funeral, with increasing fears that militant groups, anti-austerity protesters or even dissident Irish Republicans might try to disrupt the occasion.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2306655/The-Witch-Dead-hit-40-singles-chart-Baroness-Thatchers-death.html#ixzz2Q3Fa4maF
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I did try to draw comparisons between the highly controversial and divisive Thatcher and Mintoff. Whilst the latter left a nation on the brink of a civil war, Thatcher left a reformed country on the path to exponential growth economic growth.
I am sure that Lady Thatcher would have revelled in it. She loved a good tussle with those who could answer back.
Come to think of it, someone should really write an article comparing Thatcher and Mintoff and their funerals and/or reactions to their deaths.
One one hand, you have a great leader who stood against the totalitarianism of Communism. She caused great division at home because her policies were a double-edged sword for many, but ultimately beneficial. In the wake of her death, the (rather understandable) celebrations were allowed thanks to the free society Thatcher herself defended.
On the other hand, you have a powerful leader who embraced the totalitarianism of Communism. He caused great division at home as his policies were a double-edged sword for most and ultimately poisonous to the country. In the wake of his death, the completely understandable celebrations were shut up as stating facts became taboo lest people speak ill of the dead Mintoff.
Just makes you wonder what went wrong in the latter case, doesn’t it?
With you 100%. Well done for drawing this parallel and the lesson we should all learn from it. It exposes the double standards and contradictions ingrained in our mindset. Let’s hope more (Maltese) people learn from this experience.
Daphne, may God rot your soul for all your mudslinging and bile you sprout out of your mouth against labour. God may damn you eternally. You bastard witch. I will surely celebrate with pure champagne on your death.
What is “pure champagne”? Uncut with Ribena?
Pure champagne must be the stuff Benoit passes.
Marie Benoit! Whatever happened to her? And her splendid daughter?
Daphne, naf li l-kumment tieghi hawn fuq mhux se jgibu ghax int demel.
Sub-literate ignoramus. Great advert for Labour and your namesake.
You simply do not understand Daphne’s line of thought and her resepct for freedom of expression. You are truly a MIntoffian, like your namesake, Joseph Muscat.
And I presume this is not your real name, but simply to convey to us the message that you are part of the Moviment Gdid Liberali u Progressiv ta’ Muscat. Oh the irony of it all. Liberai u progressiv and then you desire Daphne’s death because you do not agree with her comments.
What a stark contrast to the sorry form of freedom of expression we say we have here in Malta. Even petitions/ FB groups were launched last year as a form of protest for your comment which I believe voiced many people’s opinion on Dom Mintoff’s passing away. Liberty of speech indeed.
We thought exactly the same thing as we saw people pop the cork on their champagne in open view of tv cameras. They could do so openly and freely. Not so here. We could only express our pleasure in the privacy of our homes or on your blog. Your blog seems to be the one true outlet for freedom of expression in this country.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/apr/08/margaret-thatcher-death-etiquette
To this day all I still hear from Mintoffjani is, children’s allowance, social services and nothing else – truly stagnant minds.
What the Nationalist Party did for Malta means nothing, being part of the European Union means nothing, so no surprise that they reason this way.
I am not sure if you read this.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/apr/08/margaret-thatcher-death-etiquette
If we could not speak ill of the dead when they are public figures, we would never have known the truth about Jimmy Savile, and Joseph Carmel Chetcuti’s revelations about Agatha Barbara.
It is interesting to see how, while in the 1980s Thatcher was busy dismantling the excessive control of the State over the economy and people’s lives, while breaking the power of the unions, here Mintoff and his puppet KMB were clinging to power against the will of the people to suffocate us with more nationalisation and centralisation of the State.
What Thatcher did to the UK, the PN governments of Fenech Adami and Gonzi did to Malta.