Alfred Grixti challenges Jason Micallef to a duel at dawn
Published:
April 2, 2008 at 1:45pm
People are cheering because Alfred Grixti has crawled out of the woodwork to challenge Jason for the post of secretary-general. I think they’re just glad to see that Jason given a run for his money. If they thought about it, they’d see that though this other Grixti has more brains than Micallef, he’s hardly the new face that Labour needs. The best thing that I can say about him is that at least he has the guts to face the world without a wig, which is more than can be said for the Irrevocably Resigned.
Check this out for starters.
114 Comments Comment
Leave a Comment
you don’t need guts to face the world without a wig…. the converse is probably truer…. :)
VERY WELL PUT BOCCA.
All this talk about ‘new faces’ and ‘old faces’…
Did you honestly think that all the MLP henchmen and hangers-on would simply exit stage left? Did you really think that they’d say “It’s time to go now folks, let’s pack our bags and wander off peacefully into the sunset…”
Musical chairs more like it and the same old song in 5 years time: You can’t trust Labour, these guys have been there forever.
DF you are right. MLP needs a totally new face. (well new to MLP leadership, that is – one shouldn’t discriminate by age..ahem). I happen to possess such a face.
And ABC, is also right…so, I am totally wig-less. Yes indeed…I’m very brave. Not being bald helps in my case, but that’s not the point. My point is that I am a LION of bravery and of change!
But to also present my case, I solemnly declare that I do not gel my hair and I’m better looking than Jason (at least that’s what my totally superior half said when I tearfully asked her). Of course my gnashers need some whitening up, but that’s nothing that a good dentist can’t help me with.
Why am I saying all this?
Because I want you all to support the “team tar-Rebha” led by me of course:
http://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/?p=303#comment-5361
How can Labour present itself as a good alternative to the pn if its best people like Dominic Fenech, Lino Spiteri or George Abela are sidelined and given the cold shoulder? If the new team is going to be made up of these people, I am almost feeling sorry that Sant resigned. For goodness’ sake can we imagine a country run by Joseph Muscat, who thinks he can be prime minister just because it will be difficult for pn to win a 4th election on the trot? And with Toni Abela (!) and Varist as deputies? Varist is the same person who misread the situation completely and told Sant to call Mintoff’s bluff and we all know the consequences. Surely even Labour cannot concoct such a suicidal remedy. Or can they?
Do labour understand that this country needs a viable alternative?
@ daphne
All this hullaballoo about mlp musical chairs and ad are sitting pretty in post electoral oblivion. What happened to the person who said he would resign if he did not manage to get 4 seats in parliament? And what about the report on ad’s performance in the election that ad commissioned to be written by cacopardo?
To use JM’s language, it’s very ‘interesting’ that ad have gone into protracted hibernation.
Daphne, please keep us informed. What’s going on?
Marie for MLP Leader. In the last election, she has garnered the biggest amount of votes after Sant. Does that give her a good chance?
The DOI statement proves where Alfred Sant’s zero tolerance to corruption has always been.
@ amrio
‘Marie for MLP Leader’
Is that the one who told her followers that “Ahna familja’ dawk (meaning the PN-ers)m’ghndhomx j’jaqsmu maghna’?
Or was it what’s-her-name from Gozo?
in reply to phaedra giuliani. if you want some information about marie louise coleiro, go where lay people know her best: at her home town. they will tell you that she is a humane person, always ready to listen and to help out where possible. that is who marie louise coleiro is and a comment like that would never cross her mind let alone out of her lips
@Phaedra – that was Justyne Caruana from Gozo
@ mary agius
Granted. But she was Secretary General during the worst times of the eighties. She might have mellowed but I will never trust anyone who was active in MLP hierarchy during those times. The same goes to Lino Spiteri. Much as I think that he is one of the sanest voices on the islands, a small voice keeps reminding me that he was in the Cabinet during those terrible times. To me, such people have no moral kudos.
a person like her does not need any mellowing. she is a woman of high principles who never forgot where she comes from and that is why people accept her as she is. she speaks the truth coming from the needs of the people who trust her with their problems in everyday life. she never let them down. she will neither do that with the labourites nor the country
Meerkat – It’s also worth remembering that some were also active in the police force during the worst part of the ’80s. One such person is also running for MLP leader … Not a very comforting thought
Above all, you know how I remember a certain Lino Spiter? – Not during the 1996 – 1998 period, when he resigned. But I remember him during the 80’s as Finance Minister – (during the time when the ‘regime’ use to name ‘the budgets’ – the last 2 were;
1) ‘The Rainbow-Budget’ (Tal-Qawsalla – tiftakru – kienu semmewh u hlief shab iswed ma deherx!!)
2) Then there was the famous one ‘The Labour-Budget’ (Budget tax-Xoghol semmewh – u hlief QAGHAD m’ghola s-smewwiet fil-gzejjer Maltin ma kienx hawn).
How ?fortunate? are those who do not remember all this!
http://www.di-ve.com/Default.aspx?ID=72&Action=1&NewsId=50535&newscategory=33
@Phaedra (what a name!)
That was Justyne ‘faccia d’angelo, lingua di vipera’ Caruana.
BTW, sincere congrats to her and her husband for their baby!
Did you see the news about PN casual elections? Seems like that, with the likes of Stephen Spiteri, Philip Mifsud, Charlo Bonnici, Shirley Farrugia,and Robert Cutajar being in pole position to be elected, more and more PN rejuvenation will take place…. Good, good.
@ mary Agius
What a lovely eulogy about Mrs Coleiro Preca. How wish she spoke up for the downtrodden too way back when! She would definitely be more credible now.
Catherine,
I remember (just) Lino Spiteri in those times and am glad he is out of politics for good.
I personally always thought he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Lino Spiteri was the minister in charge of BULK BUYING scheme…..Enough said
A. Attard – Bulk buying, per se, is not bad. Bulk buying is used to gain from the advantages of economies of scale. A company buying in bulk can get cheaper prices, and therefore be more competitive …
Economics is not static. What worked (or was supposed to work) 20-25 years ago does not work today! No one argues that! However, today’s market economy would not have worked 20-25 years ago – at least that was Lino Spiteri’s thought, which I agree to.
Malta was still in its infancy, economy-wise.
We were still heavily dependent on the shipyards, and it was “normal” for the Government to intervene to kick-off Malta-bred trades and industries. I understand that it wasn’t easy to see 1 brand of chocolate in shops … I understand that perfectly. But the local industry needed help.
Prior to EU Membership, SMEs and other larger companies were “warned” by the Government that now that the economic barriers were open, competition would also come from abroad. So schemes and incentives were created to aid these companies to face the tough environment. I consider Lino Spiteri’s policies at those times the “predecessors” of these “modern” schemes. Nothing more, nothing less!
@A. Attard
If you are a regular visitor to this blog, you’ll have surely noticed that mentioning and reminding me of Labour in the 70’s and 80’s makes my blood boil and age-old anger re-surfaces.
Having said that, to be fair to Lino Spiteri (1) I don’t think that those budget titles and all the stupid Commie schemes were actually his work of art, rather, the brainwaves of his middle-ages style leaders. (2) I don’t think I have ever heard his name crop up in any corruption scandals, nor did he keep himself busy bullying and violently assualting fellow opposition MP’s and ordinary fellows who dared protest against the draconian measure being taken, (3) Reading his articles and hearing him speak shows him to be one of the most intelligent and articulate political speakers in this island.
If someone can correct me on this, please oblige…
re M Brincats’s comment…what a load of bull. Malta NEVER needed bulk buying. Mintoff had brought Malta to its knees economically. Its true economics is not static, and just as much Malta start attracting labour intensive industries in the sixties (Cut Make Trim) because of low labour costs, with the right economic environment we would have attracted more high tech industries, financial services and tourism, which Malta is finally achieving after 20 years. No we NEVER needed bulk buying , Red China docks for 300,000 ton tankers that dont ply the med, ship building yards that built 3 russian ships and gave away 2 for free, and leaking grain silos . This is the legacy of Dom Mintoff’s white elephants that ran our economy to the ground. So NO BULK BUYING was not necesary !!
@M. Brincat
Are you speaking from theory or in practice?Because in reality version 1980s the only ones who benefited from the scheme were the privileged importers who were allowed to import. To get an importation licence you had to be one of the Klikka and allegedly huge sums were paid to acquire such licences.
On the other hand the population had to consume products which were of very low quality and not enough quantity was imported to go round.
I remember queuing into the night at Birkirkara next to the Stazzjon for apples. And the police distributing door to door sugar rations. This was 1984 not 1934. So please M.Brincat cut the economic theory crap because in practice we know what happened.
@amrio
Lino Spiteri was in the labour cabinet in the worst period in maltese political history. There is nowhere on record pre 1987 where he stated PUBLICLY that the did not agree with what was happening.
He can continue writing on the Times till kingdom comes he will never exonerate himself.
David S … talking about white elephants … hum … you remind me of AirMalta! (who brought AirMalta to its knees?)
And of Mid Med that was sold for peanuts … ehm … elephants … peanuts … you know … (under which Government was Mid Med introduced?)
[Moderator – Tit for tat? I think we can all agree that bulk-buying allows purchasers to benefit from economies of scale. The question is whether it is or was right for the state to monopolise purchasing, and the weaknesses of that situation in practice.]
@ M.Brincat
What you said is very true; however I feel that in the 80’s the market model was already in full swing in the western world. So, I would say that Malta wasted some vital years to start the shift to a market economy. Adding insult to injury, these wasted years are the high of labour supporters, because one of the few things they amazingly brag about is how full the borza ta Malta was under Mintoff.
It is the envisioning of what is to come and adapting to it that distinguishes a talented manager/politician from others.
Regarding Lino Spiteri, I think he is one of the few from the MLP camp that ever regretted some of his actions publicly and to some extent apologized, have a look at this interview with Saviour Balzan some months ago – http://youtube.com/watch?v=6FjbtQ7Vgio – you can skip to around 07:30, to hear the regrets part, although I suggest to see all the interview.
I believe Spiteri is serving a very important role today, and I admit I am a big fan to his commentaries!!
The Moderator (sycophant? Who – Moi?) has hit the proverbial nail on the head with the hammer.
It’s the way the system was implimented and the state monopoly.
BUT let’s get things straight. The issue was not just bulk buying.
The problem was the WHOLE import substitution policy and quota rackets. Good money had to be exchanged to get that “blessed” quota and permission to import. This was evident particularly in textile imports.
That’s where the common sense in protection of nascent industries (then a perfectly legitimate economic tool if used for a limited period of time) got thrown out and made way to the “hniezrijiet” and to the deprivations.
Here’s a list:
Chocolate
Toothpaste
Colour TVs
Japanese products
Computers
Pasta
Wine
Shoes (yes these especially….anyone can say Atlam?)
So many other items. All to be had if one was willing to pay, but otherwise restricted importation.
So let’s put it to rest. If there was any economic sense in the policies chosen then, this was turned on its head by the greed of the ones with a finger in the pie.
Been there, done that, rejected it, suffered for it, but forgave it (life’s too short).
And before someone says that I am a PN Diehard, let me just say that the greed (covert or otherwise) made many people rich from all sides of the political divide.
@ amrio
‘Phaedra (what a name!)’
My Dad liked Greek mythology! ;-)
@ Zeppi Grech … great … so you see the bulk buying era as making “many people rich from all sides of the political divide” … well … I consider it to have been successful then!
Making MANY PEOPLE RICH
and FROM ALL SIDES OF THE POLITICAL DIVIDE
Gonzi would be envious of such a feat ;)
M @. Brincat
OK..sorry..I should have said SOME people rich.
My mistake, I stand corrected.
Good one!
But the local industry needed help
Let’s take chocolate. The Deserta was the only choc legally available on the island. (Mind you there were certain hbieb tal hbieb who could provide mars, kitkat etc, but let’s not walk down that particular alley.) So as it had no competition, the producers never exerted themselves in providing a good quality. People were forced to make do with a poor product (Dak hareg mil-kunvent). The idea of protectionism was understandable, but instead of helping a fledgling industry, it forced consumers to make do with inferior and sub standard products.
Meerkat – was just wondering if she was involved in getting beggars off the street because let us face it: the labour party (70’s 80’s) made a lot of mistakes but no one can say anything about the welfare state which was created back then.
The reality for mlp is that they have already chosen their leader. Even George Abela knows this and has spoken of a tigrija taparsi. With all the warnings that have been given, even from inside their party, they will still go for JM. Why am I saying this? History is repeating itself once again and we will end up with all the shenanigans we have grown used to whenever the mlp is either in opposition or in government. I think we have to be realistic and accept that we shall be seeing JM’s smirk every evening on tv for a good number of years. And I agree with Daphne (Excellent article on TMI today) that he is tad-daqqiet ta’ harta.
Should we laugh or should we cry?
Romegas … I read Daphne’s article on TMI and I agree that it was an excellent article.
However, I repeat myself on this subject – luckily, for the MLP and for the nation, there are a number of excellent candidates that are running for the post of MLP Leader.
I, for one, place George Abela, Michael Falzon, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca and Joseph Muscat on the same level when talking about credibility, credentials, political competence, honesty and ability to attract floating voters. Each of them is as Valid as the others. And the “V” was put there on purpose.
Personally, though, I wouldn’t like to see Joseph Muscat at the helm of MLP at his age. Simply because this would burn his political career too early.
@No one in particular: let’s bring back some fond memories from the past. Does anyone here remember Tower Tea, Spider Jeans, Sanga sports shoes, Red Devil jackets? I’m not going to mention Desserta, because you all remember that. What was the one and only toothpaste? Racking my brains to remember….And those tights, full of loose threads even before you put them on? And the ‘jam’? And the bulk-bought rice full of worms? And the rationed sugar?
@M.Brincat
I do not agree with you about issues around competence and credibility. Competence in leadership still needs to be tested, whilst credibility, especially with regard to EU… perhaps only George Abela can say something about that because he was on MEUSAC. All the rest are Allahares nidhlu fl-Ewropa vintage. But it is very ‘interesting’ that you omit Varist and Anglu Farrugia. Isn’t Varist Valid? And what about Anglu?
Daphne … you enjoy such fiendish moments don’t you?
I’m undecided between what’s the worse opponent – whether your writing or … those “brands” you mentioned!!! Madoff!
However … better fight your posts than … something gooey and creepy!
uhm … although … some of your posts … *ARE* gooey and creepy too!!!! ;)
Jokes apart … I’m really appreciating your articles more and more, and although I don’t agree on a number of issues, I believe that what you’re saying should be … at “least” … analysed by every Laburist.
How wonderful it woulh have been had Lino Spiteri used his “wisdom” and intelligence!! during his term as minister (1981-1987).Less articles of his in the times is less wasted print.
@ Romegas … I left those guys out on purpose. One for his lack of ability to attract floating voters, the other for his lack of leadership and vision. I let you stick the labels on the respective contestant ;)
With regards to credibility, you mentioned the EU issue … well, I don’t think that the EU issue impinged on the credibility of these persons. It was the MLP’s decision – whether right or wrong is not the issue here – that the outcome of the election should have decided whether Malta was to join the EU or not. We all know the outcome of that election. From then on, MLP looked forward to “obtain the best for the country in this new circumstance”. And that was it. No u-turns there. No tbażwir. No regrets …
@ M. Brincat
I don’t think it’s the poodle’s career that would be burnt. Much more likely it would be this ill-fated country if, Heaven forbid, he were to be elected PM at age 39 (as he so fervently aspires)!
@ Daphne. If my memory serves me well I
think it was a poor imitation of the Pasta
del Capitano brand of toothpaste still on sale today. It was renowned for sticking to the teeth and tasting like anything but toothpaste!
Your comments brought back vivid memories of day-trips to Sicily on the ferry-boat. We would stock up on chocolate and toothpaste in Catania. However, once the ferry reached Siracusa there was also the opportunity to use up any remaining cash, which had been duly hidden in shoes, underwear,etc, on the way out of Malta. In fact some hawkers used to hastily set up impromptu stalls selling these two precious comodities while the ferry was loading at Siracusa. I can still hear the words “Sono arrivati i Maltesi” for all and sundry to hear. Talk about living in a Third World country!
BTW ghadkom tiftakruha l-fabbrika tat-tapiti tac-Cinizi? I think it was the largest industry on the Island in those dreadful years.
Well … it seems that now a number of posters here are blaming Lino Spiteri for MLP’s performance (or lack of) in the various Labour governments!
Seems that one major common factor in all those lackluster tenures was not Alfred Sant after all … but Lino Spiteri …
M. Brincat: Let me chip in with a story I’ve dined out on for ages. Three friends went to the Catania market and were impressed at the illsorted junk that was set out on a Thursday, in stark contrast to what was available the day before. The vendors’ explanation? “Perche’ giovedi’ vengono i Maltesi.”
Eve, please explain *why* “it would be this ill-fated country if, Heaven forbid, he were to be elected PM at age 39”.
Maybe you know something about Joseph Muscat that we don’t know? If this is the case, then please tell us so that we change the fate of this ill-fated country!
Otherwise, please, refrain from throwing mud … after all, it is the MLP who was is supposed to do that … right?
M. Brincat: I am enjoying what you’re doing! Hoisting everyone with their own petard.
However, my friend in ideology, there are some things we should accept, the sooner the better.
Some like, for example, the quality of the MLP administration and the “Le ghas-Shubija Shieh” imposed philosophy.
Let me be the one to start first. Let the healing begin.
For example, I regret ever doubting that I’d be better off as a citizen of the European Union with Malta as a full member state. Why?
Because I would have lost out. I didn’t know it then, but I do now. So thank you Nationalists and Pro-EU people who fought and won the battle to join the EU. I am grateful to you.
Cutting to the chase: EU = Get Out of Jail Free Card.
Let them eat cake!!
Dear M. Brincat
The reasons, as you well know, have been exhausted over and over again, especially in this blog. Do you honestly feel that JM is ‘prime minister material’? Just remember his colossal u-turn on the EU issue, to mention just one reason. Now we all know that the MLP is renowned for its u-turns but I had the impression that these were a prerogative of…. certain persons at the very top of the party. Marelli dan ga beda jaghmilhom…u ghadu ma lahaqx….ahseb w ara la jilhaq kemm se jaghmel kuntrumbajsi! ha ha
Ġużeppi, I was against EU Membership. Not because the MLP said so, but because I read, and I read, and I read! And I couldn’t accept the fact that things were wrong just coz the EU said they were wrong! And things had to change just coz the EU thought so.
And something else – I thought, and to some extent still do – that Malta, I mean, the general public, was not prepared for this challenge. It’s not a question of education, but a question of mentality. Don’t tell me that, yes, the University students and the more erudite were prepared, coz … these are the minority. The majority voted according to what their respective parties instructed.
However, I agree. EU is not hell. Not at all.
Eve, that’s your opinion, and even though a number of others are of your same opinion, that doesn’t make your opinion truer or better than opposing opinions.
An opinion is not made better than an opposing one just by counting who’s in favour and those against.
I repeat – in my opinion, that was no u-turn. That was a clear decision taken by the MLP.
Let me ask you this, Eve – how do you rate Joseph Muscat’s performance as a MEP?
M. Brincat.
Of course it was a u-turn. First, being a poodle, he echoed his master’s voice, and was all out in favour of partnerxipp and when it was convenient he forgot all about it and had the cheek to present himself as a candidate for the MEP elections. Being backed by his master and the Santian clan, he obviously got the highest number of MLP votes.
The following link says it all:
http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=66890
As regards to his performance as MEP I sincerely don’t think that his star shone more brightly than the others’. Cheers
@M. Brincat
JM’s performance as an MEP (however admirable it might be) is not the issue here.
Let me explain.
JM’s record as an MEP shows only that he is doing his job well. HIS JOB! MEP’s are remunarated quite substantially – so I hope that he, along with the others, are doing a good job, and giving us a good return for taxpayers’ money .
The question really was, and still is, was JM’s anti-EU stance before 2003 a result of toeing the party line or personal conviction?
From the newspaper articles he wrote at that time (some of which were mentioned in this blog), I am ‘moralment konvint’ that it was the latter.
I repeat what I said some days ago. JM is an opportunist with a capital O!
Daphne – And what about the insect-infested local pasta (Angelus?). It was taken for granted that you had to “wash” the pasta, skimming off the black insects in the process, prior to cooking it.
Sqaure Deal was the only shop that sold decent (as in “cool”) clothes when we were teenagers – Try explaining that to today’s people of that age group!
Socks – They usually came in three colours: white, fawn and grey. Coloured ones were a treat, brought back from abroad.
Rationed sugar? – I remember getting rationed cooking oil in used glass bottles (from Muse’)!
TV entertainment – We could either watch the testcard, or else be entertained by “Bixkilla Ward u Zahar” or similar ….
BB (no, not the lady) was Mintoff’s baby. For a time it fell under the responsibility of Wistin Abela. Then in a September 1983 Cabinet re-shuffle (while Mintoff was still Prime Minister), Abela was promoted Minister of Finance in lieu of Spiteri while the latter was lumped with Trade and bulk buying. I’ve always found Lino Spiteri’s articles to contain well-reasoned arguments, plus he knows how to make a point without flogging the issue to death. In fact I have a problem connecting this Lino Spiteri with the one who back in 1983 accepted to shuffle and take up BB.
@ mary aguis
You wrote:
“the labour party (70’s 80’s) made a lot of mistakes”
To pass the happenings of the darkest period in recent Maltese History as “mistakes” takes a lot of courage. I salute the greatest understatement in the history of this blog (OK, at least from posts I have read).
Dear Daphne,
Why are you always looking for the fly in Labour’s soup? Frans Ghirxi does not represent Labour and L-Orizzont is not Labour’s newspaper. Pity after 16 years of Harvard leadership Labour dont even have a daily newspaper! Yet you disregard Mifsud’s performance on my namesake’s show on NET TV on Tuesday. Come on give Labour its due!
I remember George Abela speaking at Labour’S General Conference in 1998 imploring delegates that they knew before the 1996 election what Mintoff is all about so they have(labourites) to live with that situation. The delegates discarded that idea and some deputies and party officials were ‘Kollha dahq’. From then on it was all doom for Labour.George Abela was right. He is the best choice now.
The writing is on the wall for all to see. Mlp do not want George Abela. They want Joseph Muscat. They will have Joseph Muscat come what may. They will not be subtle about it, they will just see it is done. It is so obvious because we’ve seen this situation again and again and perhaps we try to believe that things change. Things change only when people change. And people change only when they decide to change. This is history repeating itself. MLP’s declaration this evening confirms this.
M. Brincat can you see that everything has been pre ordained and all that is happening is just a smokescreen so that everything appears ‘normal’ when everything is mucked up.
Hey come on!! let JM be!!! it’s not often we come across the calibre of such people. He has already made a 15 yr plan all that whilst busily tending to our needs in the EU. Ofcorss he is not against the EU! But let’s face it the man does have a plan … please remember his post is up for election next year if he manages to be seen as OUR man in Europe the publicity he is attracting whilst in the leadership battle will also serve for re-election as an MEP. so there see the man does have a plan …. his own
@ M
a plan to advance himself at all cost
You’re right M. In fact JM has not ruled out that he would still be interested in retaining his MEP chair even if he were to be elected KAP TAL-PARTIT. Heqq xi trid taghmel! Irid jiekol b’hafna hluq dan!
@ amrio …
“JM’s record as an MEP shows only that he is doing his job well. HIS JOB! MEP’s are remunarated quite substantially – so I hope that he, along with the others, are doing a good job, and giving us a good return for taxpayers’ money.”
Quite substantially you say? I beg you to specify this in financial terms, either in Lm or €.
(For your information, up to today, MEPs are get the same remuneration as their country’s Parliamentarians do.)
With regards to you bunch saying that JM is an opportunist “with a capital O!”, let me just tell you this – we only have one life, and we owe it to ourselves to take all the opportunities that come before us, both if these opportunities were brought about by our abilities, but even if they just seem to “fall from the skies”.
Let me put in front of you two scenarios:
1. Your mother tells you that their neighbour, a 78 year old spinster, is selling her majestic house since she feels the need to settle in an old people’s home. She confides with your mother that now at an advanced age and with no one to inherit her, she is only asking for a small amount that will allow her to buy herself a “ticket” to get a room in such a home. After that, her pension will be more than enough. She tells your mother that she will put up the FOR SALE sign the day after. Your mother tells you that buying that property would be the “OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME!”
What would you do? Take the opportunity or allow the lady to put up the sign so that you would be on “even ground” with all the others who would be interested?
[Moderator – I think you can make a distinction between an opportunity and an opportunist. The latter is defined as a ‘self-seeker… a person who places expediency above principal’.]
Scenarion 2:
Your manager asks you in his office, and tells you that he is in a position to offer you, one of his most faithful and capable subordinates, a promotion that would raise you some €5,000 more a year. He tells you that he can “organise” things to look like a re-structuring exercise.
However, he also says that the position is needed in the company, whether or not you accept. So, if you don’t, an internal recruitment process would be initiated, and interested persons would be asked to apply. Then, it would be difficult for you to get that job, since there would be a number of persons who would be more experienced than you.
What would you do? Be opportunist with a capital O? Or accept to fight it like a man/woman against all the others who would apply?
[Moderator – Again: an opportunist is someone who places expediency above principle. In none of your novellas have you forced the protagonist to choose between the two.]
@ Moderator, please see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opportunist as well, especially the last part, where it talks about dilemmas …
I wonder what pushes some people to talk the way they do … MLP took a particular stand re. EU membership. And MLP stuck to that stand – even though it made more sense (politically and strategically) to act on the Referendum’s result. Many say that the MLP would have won the following election …
Was that a u-turn then? That was a clear decision, not a u-turn. It was stated before the referendum was taken that the MLP would only recognise the result of the election. And so it was! The electorate decided! And sealed the fate of MLP’s (wrong) political decision!
Would you have preferred that the MLP remained in its (original) stance of opposing EU? Would you have wanted MLP to repeat the “Svizzera fil-Mediterran” ideology after 2003? And threatening to take Malta out of the EU right after winning the election?
I don’t know, you people hawwadate me!
[Moderator – I have looked at the article, and here are the definitions:
As for your second question: no, that is not the issue. Alfred Sant was acting as demagogue to the masses who knew absolutely nothing about the European Union. He put many intelligent supporters of the Labour Party in a very awkward position, because they agreed with membership of the European Union. The less intelligent among them chose expediency above principal, and continued to bake Partnership pies in the sky while being secretly in favour of membership. The question is, is Joseph Muscat one of those people, or was he always against membership? You see, right now he’s between the devil and the deep blue sea.]
Well, the way you put it, dear Moderator, Joseph Muscat is and was in favour of membership … since you said that some “chose expediency above principal, and continued to bake Partnership pies in the sky while being secretly in favour of membership”, where, earlier on, the same term was coined for the same mentioned person …
People … this is a major concern for me.
You bunch claim that Joseph Muscat is a twerp. You bunch claim that Joseph Muscat is less intelligent.
You bunch claim that Joseph Muscat is an opportunist.
You bunch first claim that he is against the EU then you just say the opposite.
You bunch call Joseph Muscat poodle, coz he’s by his leader’s side. Isn’t it normal for everyone who is not the leader to FOLLOW the leader? That’s what leaders do – they lead! Everyone else in the same organisation – follows!!!
Mud slinging and silt flinging … GALORE!
Lili għiduli – isma’ – Joseph Muscat mhux tajjeb għal mexxej għax per eżempju għandu politika Komunista. Jew għax bi ħsiebu joħroġ lil Malta mill-UE meta jkun Prim Ministru. Jew għax p.e. hu korrott għax għamel hekk, hekk u hekk meta kien jaf li hu kontra l-liġi …
Jekk ma tagħmlux dan, tkunu kredibbli daqs kemm intom għidtu li kien kredibbli l-MLP qabel l-elezzjoni bit-tfigħ ta’ tajn. Almenu l-MLP ħareġ bi *PROVI*. Intom xi provi qed iġġibu???
@ M.Brincat
Would you be so kind then, as to illuminate us why you voted against Eu? And also what you “read and read and read” that influenced your ‘No’ vote? Judging from the results they do not seem to be reputable sources.
Incidentally i wonder whether JM did the same thing, now that he has been on the road to Damascus.
Although I’m a Laburist, Romegas, I took an open-mind stance with regards to the EU.
I read about how the EU operates, about the EU Parliament, about the power of the Member States, or lack of.
What I read made me believe that certain decisions (especially economical) would not be taken by our Government, but directly from Brussels. Now that we are in the Eurozone, this is more valid than ever. We are “not allowed” to control our deficit as best suits US, but we are OBLIGED to control our deficits to SUIT the strength of the Single Currency! But what if we have to go through a temporary crisis? Can’t we do that? No, of course not! Or else … sanctions! Yes, really … please sanction us … that would really help us to come out of our crisis!
The opinion I made through reading was this – why should the EU tell ME what to do? Doesn’t my Government have the “dangling attributes” to do it himself? Yes? No?
[Moderator – The European Central Bank controls interest rates and monetary policy, and it is based in Frankfurt. Membership of the European Union is possible without membership of the Eurozone. Now this is an interesting point of debate: was the Labour Party ideologically opposed to membership of the EU but not opposed to membership of the Eurozone?]
I believe you are wrong in this one dear Moderator … there was NO option for Malta to stay out of Eurozone. The only option was WHEN, not WHETHER.
[Moderator – Why was there no option?]
@ M. Brincat
In which case you are still against EU and only accept it la x-xitan irid hekk. Which was AS’ way of seeing things. Which is why MLP is not credible about EU. Which is why any future MLP leader bar GA will still not be credible in the future.
Yes EU has its obligations but the advantages far outweigh them. And at least we are no longer at the whims of grandiose politicians and their oovernight quirky decisions. Don’t you now think that with Malta safely inside the EU, Malta is now a better place?
Mod – there was no option, not for Malta, and not for the other countries that joined the EU together with Malta. You should be ashamed of yourself for not knowing this!!!!! Mela ma qrajtx x’kien fih il-“pakkett”? ;)
Moderator:
Entry into the Economic and Monetary Union (after following the appropriate amount of time in Exchange Rate Mechanism i.e. ERM II) was non-negotiable and thus part of the acquis and eventually in the accession treaty.
So all the new members states joining after 1992 have that as part of their accession treaty.
So the only countries opting out are Denmark and UK, obviously they could do so because they joined before the 1992 Maastricht Treaty and negotiated said opt-outs.
Sweden does NOT have an opt-out. But they have managed to not fulfill the ERM II conditions (in which a country has to spend at least 2 years and match the convergence criteria). So they will not join the Eurozone by simply not qualifying!
The only thing we could was postpone entry into the Eurozone, like Sweden has done. Because technically joining ERM II although obligatory, it is not specified when to do so, and it is done according to economic ability to do so, and a country can make sure it does not fulfill the critera :).
Its complicated (or not) but certainly cannot be explained in a couple of sentences.
Anyway, the point is we were “obliged” to join, but not “forced” in terms of time frame.
Sorry if I didn’t explain well….It was just off the top of my head, so I’m sure someone more technical can explain it better.
Cheers
[Moderator – You did explain it well, because the point is, as you said, that we were obliged to join, but not forced to do so by threat or sanction.]
@ Romegas – I answer you straight on what you’re asking.
No I’m not AGAINST EU now. I’m at home. Completely and totally. And whatever you say – WHATEVER you say – would not be true and fair if it does not align itself with what I’m stating.
Why should I lie to you? I don’t know you. You don’t know me. I owe you nothing. You owe me nothing. So by lying to you I would not be in a better position.
“Don’t you now think that with Malta safely inside the EU, Malta is now a better place?” To confirm what I stated above – yes, we are. And we can improve. A lot.
@ Romegas
Another reason why I was against EU membership was this. Malta, prior to 2004, was the only (civil and stable) European country in the Mediterranean that was not in the EU.
My idea was simple – why be in the EU when we could offer something different? We could have gained competitive advantage just from not being part of the EU! I believe that this point was not stressed out much by the “No2EU” campaigners.
[Moderator – How would that competitive advantage work, and in what economic sectors? Perhaps the No2EU campaigners didn’t stress that point because they saw a future workforce outside the manufacture of Abanderado underpants.]
Guzeppi, thanks for your intervention my friend :)
However, I couldn’t remember the details. But I recall reading (years ago) that we had to join the Eurozone “as soon as possible”. However I do believe that we WERE given a timeframe … 10 years or something?
Mod … I never mentioned that we were forced or sanctioned to join Eurozone … but joining Eurozone was not debatable. Joining EU meant adopting the €.
[Moderator – This is the thing – was it not debatable because you were bound and gagged? It was always debatable, but it was not debated because you had the Leader of the Opposition failing to create intelligent opposition, and because membership was widely assumed to be ‘a good thing’.]
Ah! Mod! If that’s what competitive advantage of not being in the EU means … than … jien se nagħmel bħal Pilatu u naħsel idejja.
Let’s be objective please and stop jumping down M. Brincat’s throat!
Do we have to argue each and every one of his view points?
Is it so totally wrong that there were different viewing angles in each issue and one’s perspective might be different from another’s?
Does one point of view have to be necessarily wrong if the other is correct? Can’t they both have their good points?
That too narrow minded an approach and is just arguing for argument’s sake. Treating a fellow poster like that is just slightly short of:
na na na na na, we won, you lost, na na na.
I think M. Brincat deserves better than that.
Mod – it was not debatable not because of the (silly!!!!) reasons you mentioned, but simply because it was part and parcel with the … parcel! No option! Either both membership & €, or nothing!
What kind of reasoning is yours eh?
M. Brincat & Moderator
The only thing to debate about the Euro in Malta’s case post 2004 is the timing.
I happen to agree with the government about the timing. Unlike Sweden we could not afford to “play around” and stay ineligible.
I remember Alfred Sant did argue that we should have waited. I did not agree. Like I did not agree with him about the exchange rate of the Maltese Lira to the Euro upon joining
I believe the convergence criteria were reached against all odds and I was sceptical we would reach them. But we did and we joined. These same criteria now FORCES us to behave in a sensible fiscal manner once we are now in the Eurozone. Its something to boast about, and I am very proud to have the Euro in my pocket.
I experienced at first hand the process of a country that wanted to join EMU and geared its economy towards that end. The disappointment and set-back suffered by that country when they did not manage (for a measly 0.1 per cent inflation above required)was not something that I wished Malta to go through.
Guzeppi, I was, in fact, against the timing of € adoption.
And in your post, you mentioned the reason why I was against this hasty move – “I believe the convergence criteria were reached against all odds and I was sceptical we would reach them. But we did and we joined.”
Yes, we reached them against all odds. And after that “battikata”, the least thing that the economy wants is … inflation! Faced with increasing fuel and cereal costs, plus rises in prices (let’s call them simply rounding from the Lira to the € …), we are going to face another “battikata”. We could have taken a less steep climb, whilst at the same time strengthening the base economy.
M. Brincat
I disagree, let’s leave it at that. Otherwise, the alternative will require a whole essay which would include debating about the long-term versus the short term amongst many other issues.
Let me just make this one point: Not being in the Eurozone did not mean that we are excluded from EU enforced requirements such as fiscal discipline, budget balancing, deficit control and Gross debt servicing and reduction. We would have been still been obliged to acquiesce by ECOFIN (Economic and Financial Council of Ministers) and the Commission. BUT, not being in the Eurozone would mean not having a member in the European Central Bank and not having a vote/voice in its policies.
Not to mention whether succeeding against the odds is something to be proud of or not :) SMILEY :) I choose to be proud instead of pessimistic. I could be proved wrong, but in that case I’ll just blame the government (a dry attempt at humour)
Guzeppi, your opinion is also very valid. Very.
@M. Brincat – the essence of all our arguments against Joseph Muscat here on this blog can be explained in just four words: we don’t trust him. It is sometimes difficult to explain why we instinctively do not trust certain people; we know only that we don’t. It is not a matter of disliking Joseph Muscat, but of mistrusting him, in the same way that we mistrusted Alfred Sant. We don’t trust his judgement, and above all, we don’t trust his motivation.
@M. Brincat – if there is inflation over the next year or so, it will not be because of the introduction of the euro, but because we are nearing full employment.
Our economy is still some way from being a ‘full employment’ economy. The female participation rate remains poor and this must at least reach average EU standards before we can talk about full-employment scenarios.
Daphne, I’m married … I know that women have … this gut feeling thingy. And it gives me the creeps! She seems to know what should or shouldn’t be done. Like foresight.
Moi, on the other hand, am a logical person. Very logical. And practical. Things like 6th sense don’t fit into my frame of mind.
All I can tell you is this – I accept that you don’t trust JM. Over and above this, I accept that you can’t explain why you don’t trust him.
Yours is a very interesting point. I don’t have figures at hand … but I believe that the vast majority of MLP delegates are males, with little, if at all, foresight. Maybe, and I’m not joking here, we just need to put in more female delegates … and … voilà! We’re done! These shall elect for us the “crème de la crème”, the bestest of the bunch.
With regards to your second point, well, having studied economics, there’s full employment in the equation, too. You’re right. But please do not shove aside the effect of the € on prices.
[Moderator – That ‘gut feeling’ is called emotional intelligence. Once a fad and now an established psychological theory, that phrase is a misnomer because there’s nothing emotional or irrational about this intelligence – it is just normal, practical intelligence applied to a particular domain of life: emotions. Here’s a good definition from AskMen.com:
It’s not really a ‘sixth sense’ because there’s nothing supernatural about it. It’s an important life skill that enhances logical thought.]
AH! The (in)famous Philips curve theory. Whilst I agree that Inflation is not caused by the introduction of the euro (in fact, one can argue that the Euro will save us from the real ravages of international prices – but that’s another can of worms), I nonetheless disagree that full employment is the reason either.
I tend to think that its a lot more complicated then that, in a microeconomy (with regards to employment that is).
And here I kick start another debate (lightly touched upon with Daphne in a different context, courtesy of “The Times” boards):
The main reason, in my humble opinion, is the lack of real competivity in the market. Supply and demand curves are rendered superfluous through, again in my humble opinion, local cartels and collusion. When a weeks grocery and non-brand clothes shopping in (insert name of non-scandinavian EU country here) is more expensive than Malta, then I will cease to hold that opinion.
@ M. Brincat
Good. Now you’ve said it loud and clear. If only MLP were to do the same. On another note, have you heard that we’ve witnessed another colossal u turn today,in that the media ban on candidates has now been lifted. Can’t the people at MLP realise that they make perfect fools of themselves sometimes. Why do they have to muck up everything and then spend years desperately trying to clean up the mess? AS’ election, Local Councils, Jew b’xejn jew xejn, EU, Majority rule, Zejtun, Dom Mintoff and AS etc.
M. Brincat, now that you’ve come clean, please involve yourself in the party. We need a good MLP alternative government. And I’m not joking.
@ M. Brincat
and @ Romegas
What a good suggestion. I hereby invite M. Brincat to join me in the real “team Rebbieh”
http://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/?p=303#comment-5361
Let’s get involved!!
I don’t know whether the ban was lifted temporarily to allow Marie-Louise to make the press conference announcing her bid, or whether it was totally removed.
I wish I could my friend. I would love to start at Local Council level. I do believe I have loads of ideas to give.
[Moderator – I heard Charles Sacco on the radio this morning, arguing that MLCP is exploiting a loophole: the ban applies to candidates, and she is not yet a candidate, therefore she can hold the press conference. Once she does, it will be the last.]
@PN Diehards
This is the reason Jason Micallef got his numbers wrong and assumed a victory for the MLP. This is what he did not take into consideration:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080404/local/cattle-population-grows
To quote:
The cattle population in December 2007 amounted to 19,442 heads, an increase of 1.1 per cent over the comparative period in 2006.
End Quote
Good. With Guzeppi Grech Leader and M.Brincat Deputy, we’re ok for the next decade. Who will replace Jason?
@Guzeppi
You’re the man! I agree perfectly with your analysis in the last paragraph. Being an ex-economics student myself, I just hope that your (our) analysis is not steeped only into theory.
Taking this argument one step further, there is one big issue with rising inflation (excepting, of course, the ‘cost of living’ per se). If this leads to a rise in the cost of labour, we would quickly lose any competitive advantage we currently have with other EU countries in this respect.
Investing in Malta would lose its solarity. Currently, foreign investors come to Malta for two equal reasons: labour cost and skill level. As an example, HSBC decided to host its UK Call Centre here in Malta as the cost of hiring agents in Malta is less than that in the UK or other countries plus the fact that Maltese are more adaptable and can speak much better English than their counterparts in India; thus this Call Centre was shifted from India to Malta. (There were other factors in favour of Malta, when comparing us with India, like staff turnover levels)
If inflation brings about a higher labour cost, then skills’ level benefits would be outweighed, and we will simply not compete.
So Mod, that was *NOT* a total lift-off of the ban. Rather it was a very clever solution by Marie Louise, whom I believe to be one of the most valid contenders for the post of leader. Any male politician would be at a disadvantage (in my opinion) when debating against a female …
Why didn’t she drop the “Coleiro” by the way when she got married? She would have had a wonderful set of initials!
[Moderator – I’m not really sure about it – I think it was just the presenter speculating on a report. But this situation is so frustrating and ridiculous – the party controls the flow of information in such a terrible way that it makes you wonder about the transparency of its decisions. About her initials: the same thing occurred to me.]
I don’t think that with Guzi as a leader PN would be ok for the next decade. He seems to be a very valid debateur.
There’s a nude Carla Bruni photo on Maltastar. I agree with one thing Alfred Sant has said: that infamous quote before his operation…
@Amrio
Thanks mate :)
Interesting point re: inflation and its correlation to wages. Its a tough “bir tas-skieken” to wade through.
Defenders of COLA (cost of living adjustment) would say that it is necessary to remove hardship. Detractors would say it makes us uncompetitive and threatens closures. Yet another viewpoint is that it’s grossly inadequate and its just a sop used by the government (any government) to abdicate its role in maintaining good standards of living.
How can one refute all these stand points? Totally free labour market, one that is regulated solely by collective agreements with minimum legislation in order to safeguard the non-unionised? I think that’s the current model, but with the COLA.
I don’t know what is the best way to proceed, to be honest, and many will have perfectly valid opinions about how to do this.
But to round up my hedge-sitting session, preferably without getting skewered, I would just point out that it is not possible for Malta to compete with China and India and such other places with regards to labour costs. We have to do it in other ways as you yourself so rightly pointed out.
And let’s face it, socio-political considerations will always take precedence over economic ones in this case, as they should. God save the party that suggests lowering wages to compete with vietnamese levels.
One theory is in fact the other way round. With increasing investment and employment in these “cheap” countries, their costs of labour will rise until they themselves become uncompetitive. But I believe that’s disillusionary. Its too long term, and unfortunately, there is always “somewhere cheaper”. Comparative advantage theories be damned.
So, we must embrace value added. Such as in services. Better education, better jobs. So who will do the dirty work which needs to be done anyway. No, not the laburisti (another dry joke). So who? One answer, unfortunately. Imported workers, imigrants etc. This is what’s happening all over the EU.
So many issues :) :) Smileys all round!
Guzeppi. I like your reasoning, and the way kif id-diskors jigi bhac-cirasa :)
COLA, standard of living, inflation … *wage freezes* (let’s bring back Lino Spiteri into this interesting debate …)
I believe that the only logic step would be to move towards a knowledge-based society, with more intelligent jobs.
@Guzeppi
Agreed again. In this race, my opinion is that China have the greatest chance of becoming even more of an economic superpower as (1) their resource base is HUGE and (2) theirs being a command economy, it’s simpler to control poeple’s wages and expectations.
Should Malta restrain wage increases? NO. That is what Gonzi has been proposing for some time now: gain an extreme technical competitive advantage in certain sectors of the economy so that Malta will remain technically in the forefront in these sectors. I.e. investors still come to Malta, even if resource cost is higher, because the ‘brains’ and the skills here are of world-class level.
The downside of this? As you mentioned, the grave danger is that the ‘poor become poorer’, that those who don’t catch up will be worse off. And that, more than the Vizjoni 2015, is the real challenge, for Gonzi and co.
Iva, Flimkien Kollox Possibli! LOL!!!!
My worries are:
1. We’re not investing in R&D.
2. Tertiary education is not preparing enough students, both in quantities and qualities.
These two factors, I’m afraid, will not help Malta to fill the 5,000 plus knowledge-based jobs that Smart Island is promising with local people.
This is my field. I know what I’m talking about.
@M. Brincat and Moderator
I also wondered why MLCP didn’t drop the ‘C’. However, on second thoughts, I realised that she won’t do such a thing, as those appearing in the upper part of the list on the ballot paper are slightly advantaged!
Very good point SB
Its actually an unfair advantage in bye- elections. Probably more to Labour candidates than PN (I stand to be corrected, but I’m just using my recollections/experience as evidence)
The reason stems from the way people vote in general. They have a favourite candidate and they give him 1. Then maybe they give the 2 or 3 according to personal choice. However, once they allocate the numbers they are sure about they just start filling in the boxes from top to bottom. So, the first on the list (alphabetically) inherit more votes.
So much for enlightened choice :) Smiley :)
@Amrio and M. Brincat
This is very interesting, an EU court decision regarding wages and the issue of social dumping.
Very Very Very relevent for those who are interested in an evolving citizen’s EU
http://euobserver.com/9/25920
@M.Brincat
What do you exactly mean by we are not investing in R&D??? To my knowledge R&D nowadays is entirely made by the private sector, except the biggest countries that still heavily invest in military research!!
@Alex
Our University totally lacks investment in R&D. Even Ibn Campusino on the ToM states so! Student projects are usually self-funded so you can imagine their limitations!
I would also like to add that the most competitive countries in the world are not the ones where labour is cheap. In fact if one had to look at the list compiled by Forbes, Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland are amongst the countries who consistently place in the top 10.
Should Malta restrain wages? Definitely not, but it should not also artificially raise wages by giving automatic COLA adjustments to unproductive sectors of the economy which are not linked to productivity increases.
With regards to R&D, yes you are right it is the private sector which makes the bulk of the investment in this field, but Government policy and incentives can definitely be a driver to increase this. It is also interesting to note that the countries who consistently rank high in competitiveness are the ones who spend most on R&D as a percentage of GDP.
I guess the way forward is;
investing in education (which we already do), decrease the tax burden, create a more business friendly environment.
@ amrio
re carla bruni comment.
Now who’s dragging this blog down ej?
PS @ Daphne I am not flirting. I am just making a valid observation.
@ Daphne
I don’t agree with you totally that inflation is caused only by Malta approaching full employment and NOT the introduction of the Euro. I think inflation in Malta is being caused by a number of different things, such as low unemployment, a growing economy, relatively low interest rates and international factors such as the rising price of oil and cereals. However I do think that a part of the inflation can be attributed to the introduction of the Euro due to the rounding up effect. This happens with most currency changeovers. How much of the actual inflation figure can be attributed to Euro changeover is hard to tell.
Nevertheless I am still a very firm beleiver that adopting the Euro will be a very positive experience. What one really needs to consider though is the average inflation over a 5 or 10 year period. I’m positive that the 5 or 10 year average with the Euro will be lower than if the Lira were still in place.
This might be very interesting…a PBS ‘MLP’ Journalist expresses his pre and post-election emotions on Hi5
http://www.hi5.com/friend/profile/displayScrapbook.do?userid=44586040
@Meerkat
As far as I know, that’s 2 nice women mentioned in this blogas opposed to about 50, largely olden men!
Anyway… myself, Guzeppi, and M Brincat were having some heavy discussions about economics while you were out… and I just put in a Carla Bruni note to alleviate the atmosphere.
Romegas – “Who will replace Jason?” – Gerald Fenech, possibly!
@ amrio
Who said I was out?
My, you are touchy
@ Amanda Mallia
Just read your post about the local TV in the good old days. Don’t you remember the countless Russian and animal documentaries.
Its nice to be proved right….no less by Eurostat
Quote:
Eurostat’s calculations confirms earlier statements by the EU in its Quarterly Report On The Euro Area that Malta’s inflation is being fuelled not only by the high prices of energy and food on the international markets but also by the lack of effective competition on the island due to “a few food importers dominating the market”.
Unquote
Open to debate LOL :) SMILEY :)
@Don Mangion: I wouldn’t bother quoting Peter of PBS. The man was a TVM reporter by day and a stripper by night. He had these special cargo pants with Velcro all down the sides, so that he could rip them off with one snatch – oops, sorry – of his hand. One of his TVM colleagues (a woman) was mortified when she turned up for a hen night, a stripper was announced, and her workmate Peter from the newsroom sashayed in shaking his booty. She left immediately, saying that she didn’t know how she would be able to face him the next day. I told her that was his problem, not hers. I would have stayed, taken plenty of pictures, and passed them round the office.