You have to call them barons or you're fired
The more we hear about the Labour Party’s travails, the more we wonder why Michael Falzon didn’t just give the lot of them a reverse salute and walk out with a clear head, peace of mind and his dignity intact.
It is increasingly apparent that the party bosses subjected him to ritual humiliation and to the kind of ostracism most of us last saw happening in the schoolyard. ‘Let’s not tell Michael.’ ‘Let’s leave Michael out.’ ‘Let’s do this before Michael gets to know about it.’ ‘Make sure Michael doesn’t find out.’
How did he stand it? And there he was, standing up at mass meetings to defend the lot of them by saying that they were Labour United. Well, now it’s payback time, apparently. The latest is that he has dismissed the party’s claim that there was general agreement about the election campaign billboards, particularly the ‘corruption’ billboard that won the party 16 libel suits. Michael Falzon has called that a blatant lie.
He said that the only one he saw was the infamous ‘corruption’ one and that he had told his colleagues that it was libellous. They told him that he had a ‘conflict of interest’. How, why and in what? They said they would ask another lawyer for advice (when any journalist or editor could have worked it out, for heaven’s sake). While Michael was still under the impression that they were waiting for this other lawyer’s advice, he was out driving at night when he drove past the billboard. They had it printed and put up behind his back, and didn’t even have the decency to let him know before he saw it for himself.
Michael Falzon also had plenty to say about the Labour Party’s obsession with negative campaigning, and the failure of the ‘why we lost’ reporter-writers to point this out. “I don’t attack my political adversaries by name,” he said. “Why didn’t they mention the correspondence I passed to them dated 29 May 2006 in which I was told off for not using words like ‘barons’ and ‘friends of friends’? Who were the (Labour) journalists who gave us a negative image?”
Michael – and remember that he was and is the party’s deputy leader – wasn’t told either that Michael Woods would be starring at the party conference before the election. Remember that televised scene in which he shouted out ‘Hawn hu!’ from the audience when Sant mentioned his name, and got a round of applause? That really lost them votes, but they couldn’t see it. Sant probably imagined that his intellectual inferiors, for which read the rest of the population, would be too stupid to work out that Woods had turned against the government because his brother, a former health ministry official, was implicated in a bribery scandal.
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Daphne, I agree with most of what you have written in this article. What I tend to disagree with is the fact that at the beginning of the article you wrote ‘The more we hear about the Labour Party’s travails, the more we wonder why Michael Falzon didn’t just give the lot of them a reverse salute and walk out with a clear head, peace of mind and his dignity intact.’
Michael didn’t leave the party even under such circumstances because he was there to stand up for others that were ranked lower in the ladder and were under constant attack by certain factions within the party. Michael is a person that has a constant ‘open-door’ policy and does not turn away anyone. When you have people like Alfred Sant and Jason Micallef attacking you on a nearly daily basis what should you do? Run? Hide? No – you stand up to them and tell them in their face that they are wrong and try to find a person that is willing to really hear out your arguments. Michael Falzon did just that. He listened to everyone without ever taking sides against or in favour of the individual. All he did was to listen to you, and investigate and seek out the truth. If you were in the wrong he would point it out and tell you to repair your wrong doings but if you were right and you were falsly accused he would stand up for you till the very end.
I can say that the MLP is still one single entity today because Michael Falzon was man enough to stay there even when Alfred Sant was attacking one by one the people that used to really work with dedication within the Party. I am speaking out of experience. Maybe at a later stage I will be able to speak out further.
Come on Tomassi, spill the beans.
The more time passes and the MLP is being exposed as a party with no direction the more Michael Falzon grows in stature. He stood his ground facing all odds – to me he has what it takes to lead the party to fresh pastures. Good Luck to him, the MLP and Malta.
I guess the Majkul-Daphne meeting went quite well… gone is the Santa tal-Madonna; and the Lion of Change has changed in the eyes of the begrudged.
There is no telling, but Michael Falzon could yet become the MLP leadership kingmaker. How the 900 MLP delegates will vote may be an open question, and their votes may or may not be represented in the various current popular surveys. If these surveys are representative of the delegates [or if the delegates are representative of public opinion], then there are three candidates with votes, MF being ranked third, but GA and JM both without the 50% + 1 majority needed for a Thursday win, leaving a Friday run-off contest between GA and JM. Where will the delegates for MF put their support in round 2?
The winning MLP formula requires a medium to long-term rational strategy; and immediate gratification will not produce the desired results, if the desired results include seeing the MLP in government in 2013, with prospects for retaining power in the longer-term. After the 1998 election, the MLP lost the support of dissatisfied PN supporters, independents, and many MLP supporters, with a momumental swing of voters from the 1996 standard.
Today, Leo Brincat warns against the rumours of a pending split in the MLP if a certain unnamed candidate should not be elected Party Leader. I surmise that he only can mean one candidate, namely, George Abela [and by implication, as a delagate Leo will be supporting JM]. In the medium term, GA seems to be the only candidate with the potential to win back support from voters. Leo does not have to worry about a split in the party. What he does did to consider is how the voting public will be split away from the MLP if GA is not elected as Party Leader.
JM and instant gratification is too short-sighted. Under GA, the MLP can gain ground and immediate attention, as GA re-builds the credibility of the party. If JM, who seems more to be a follower than a leader, is elected pre-maturely as party leader, his baggage and immaturity and need for further development [Lawrence Gonzi wasn’t built in a day, anymore than Rome] will drag on the party, and certainly loose much public support. In another 10 years, say 2018, JM would be more likely to be ready and capable for a leadership role. If JM is elected now, and also he is defeated in 2013, the MLP don’t have much of an exit strategy for a future victory. The moment for the right decision is now, for any chance of future victory depends upon the present choice being the correct one.
Where will Michael Falzon’s delegate support go? Logic of the internal politics of the MLP suggests that his support would more closely be aligned with GA. If there is a Friday run-off election, delegates may use their heads and reason for the future of the party and of the nation. If the delegates want instant gratification and retribution for their losses, lead by their emotions, then the contest may be over as early as Thursday. If so, the misery of the MLP option will not go away anytime soon. Of course, I stand to be doubly surprised if GA should win outright on Thursday: that would signal to everyone that, indeed, the MLP has chosen a path supported by the national electorate, not the path of unexamined factionalism.
“Tommasi” as in “Mifsud Tommasi ta’ zmien il-Labour”?
Whoever gets to head the party is going to have his/her work cut out – changing the antidiluvian mentality that the party is the whole world and that power within the party is a zero-sum game that can be played without regard to the world outside the glasshouse.
Really, why did Michael Falzon put up with it all?
@ Amanda Mallia .. Are you preparing yourself for the near future … I mean the biblical lamb? Lol
I wonder who is scratching your back?
How can MF present himself as the sacrificial lamb when he has his own clique in there? He played the clique game and lost.
If he really were leadership stuff and he really loved the party more than himself he should not have accepted what was happening in there. He was Deputy Leader for God’s sake. He could have used his authority or speak out. he was elected Deputy Leader by the genral conference and the Leader could not fire him. If he worked diligently he could have averted Labour’s thrid defeat.
But instead he preferred to participate in the mise en scene of Labour United. !!!
@Amanda
I think Tommasi was already asked that question some months ago in this blog, and his answer was a no.
But he has already also said he has some tales to tell. Mind you even that Peter Muscat said something similar ages ago, and to date, he has not ‘spilt the beans’
Tommasi, you seem to be a nice chap, so as is the norm in other blogs, I urge you (politely and half-jokingly, don’t be offended) – TELL ALL OR GTFO!!
Sorry guys, sadly its going to be JM as leader. And by gum, DCG is going to make mincemeat out of him. But it ain’t going be good for local politics……and we will be denied a decent alternative.
@Tommasi
Tommasi as in Damiano, the ex-Roma Player? or the wine makers?
why all the mystery about why Michael Falzon stayed on? Quite simple: Michael Falzon wanted an easy way to Parliament. He used his role as deputy leader to reach that aim. That is one of the reasons why he didn’t give a shoot about the party campaign because what he was interested in was his personal campaign. He used his deputy leader’s office and his clout to have people work for him in his electoral districts. His people (for those who don’t know they wear black shirts; and then he speaks against cliques, oh dear) would make whole day sessions calling his constituents telling them “hudu hsieb id-deputy leader, halli jaqta figura tajba”; “id-deputy leader jixraqlu li ntellghuh bis-sahha”. That is why many people are talking about amending the statute so as to include a clause which says that the deputy leader party affairs shouldn’t stand for parliament because when he is needed most, ie in an election campaign, he is too busy with his own personal campaign. It is a known fact that a deputy leader, no matter how pathetic he is (remember the singing, the pinocchio poster, the support he gave to hunters in the last meeting – a cheap stunt to win personal votes an at the same do untold damage to the party,the labour united, the santa tal-madonna, the list is endless) will be elected. Take Joe Brincat he got elected when he was deputy leader, this time he failed miserably at the polls. So, cut the crap, Michael didn’t leave to stand up for himself and not for others. He was after a seat in parliament and didn’t give a sh** about the party. If he cared about the party he wouldn’t have said publicly that he went to commissioner of police to have his colleagues investigated. Remember that story? And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
@tony borg
You are perfectly right!
Just like Joe Muscat has a clique in there formed over these four years at the cost of the EU ( our) budget offering delegates and friends free trips to Brussels disguised as educational visits. And this clique is headed by the usual puppet masters who used to protect AS some of whom are visible like Jason Micallef & George Vella others less so like Ronnie Pellegrini, Pawlu Lia, Mario Vella, Felic Agius & bella compagnia. Was it one of the latter who dared enticing GA not to contest against a promise for endorsement to become the next President of the Republic?
The only one without a clique in there is in fact GA who had to work for each and every vote he will get against all obstacles of the various cliques.
Let`s take the sincere MLP executives and MPs who knew well enough what was going on and disapproved of it all. I`m sure there were no surprises in the defeat commission report for them.
If they all spoke out they would most probably been taken before the Bord tal-Vigilanza not treated as heroes. If they did a GA resignation the creme de la creme would have been left.
They were all more concerned with keeping the status quo for obvious reasons.
What price Labour United ? ? ?
@Tommasi
when we were young we were told to use “etc.” to imply that we know more than we actually do. Cut the crap man, say what you have to say or say nothing at all.
I am a PN follower, but I strongly believe that this country needs an alternative. The PN shouldn’t be elected merely because better the devil you know, than the one you don’t. The MLP ought to have the decency to their followers and to the whole population to be a strong, ‘good’ opposition. All they have talked about till date is on ‘pairing’.
The country deserves and is in need of strong parties, that govern because the people want them to govern, and they govern as we tell them. Oliver Friggieri’s book ‘Fil Parlament ma jkbrux fjuri’ still stand. Manju Karlu is still the man who looks up at parliament and tell them ‘Gibtuna nivvutaw kuljum’
If Joseph Muscat is elected leader, then by default the PN will remain at the helm. And in 5 years time there will be new elections at the ‘Dar tal hgieg’. The man to change all that is George Abela.
I suspected he’d finally do it.. ‘biblical lamb’?…Ladies and Gentlemen may I present yto you, walking in the fisherman’s footsteps, Peter the Pompous Prognosticating Pope.
PS does anyone really know what he’s on about? Seriously!
I ask all of you bloggers here ‘Would you have stayed in a party which ‘subjected him to ritual humiliation and to the kind of ostracism’? I wonder how much of you would have stayed?
Yesterday evening I had a wonderful, peacful hour watching Dr Abela arguing (calmly, for a change) with Pierre Portelli on ‘…bil-fatti’. Time to go and watch the repeat (at 10am and 11.40pm) for those who have missed it.
So George Abela was on
Net TV huh? As have all the other candidates. But the same Net TV told us that the candidates have been “censored” u ghamlulhom is-sarima”. No further comment, Your Honour.
This morning I read something and I thought I’ll pass it over to our dear Daphne to chew and think about.It isn’t in her favourite language but I am sure Daphne would comprehend well my message.
“Li tiżbalja huwa uman nħobbu nikwotaw u naqbel perfettament. Li taħfer huwa divin u sinċerament nħoss li wieħed biss irnexxilu jagħmel dan l-att erojku kif suppost. Hawn min jaħfer għax jibża’, jew għax hekk jaqbillu, inkella għax jaħseb li b’hekk se jraqqad il-kuxjenza… Il-kuxjenza… din x’inhi eżattament? Forsi s-sinċerità ta’ ġo fina…? Kemm huwa diffiċli nkunu sinċieri magħna nfusna. Elf raġuni nsibu sabiex niġġustifikaw dak li jkun għaddej… biex mingħalina nraqqdu l-kuxjenza. Waħdek, miegħek innifsek, jekk kapaċi ma tqarraqx bik innifsek ukoll, ipprova kun sinċier u ara sa fejn jirnexxilek tasal.”
@ Moderator: I am to give you the first and last of my 101 comments I promised you all here in case :
No1. Incredible but true …
No101. Mai dire mai …
D Day follows Silent Day.
[Moderator – What on earth?]
@Peter Muscat
Under what influence, exactly are you? mate. You are tripping more frequently recently.
I suggest that you start decreasing the dose of whathever you are on slowly.
No drugs, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of society. If we’re looking for the source of our troubles, we shouldn’t test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed and love of power.
(P.J. O’Rourke)
OMG He’s now turned into Peter the Preposterous, Practically impossible, Political Pundit to comprehend
Peter Muscat: Perhaps you should contact Moira Orfei.You’d make an impressive circus act clearing out the drinks cupboard with one hand while writing gibberish with the other, and all without engaging your brain.
Alex and Corinne :: Though I usually ignore your type of creatures, I might make an exception and I am to quote to you something that your ‘cheap responses’ reminded me of:
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
And this too:
“Human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.”
Hope you can read my message!
Moderator : Have you forgotten what I promised you?!
Do I have to remind you?!Geeeeeeeeeee
Has anybody got anything to say about this odd “thank you but no thank you” search for a new General Secretary going on at tal-Pieta? Busuttil won’t touch the position with a ten foot barge pole and prefers to stay far from the fray in Brussels. The little Princeling just turned down his chance at a high profile position. The only contender now appears to be a local councillor with a hallowed family name from Valletta who was rejected the last time. So why are they all running in the other direction and away from the challenging position of steering the P.N. towards victory in the next general elections? Is the hill that insurmountable?
@Daphne,
I’m very curious – did you understand Peter’s message above? ‘Cause to us inferior beings it’s just gibberish.
I was just wondering whether Tony Borg is the same person who used to work for Lorry Sant (actually this Tony Borg was his secretary). If it’s him let me ask him who really wants an easy way to Parliament? Why didn’t he say that the only one who wants an easy way to Parliament is Joseph Muscat. If Tony Borg is in fact the person I referred to, may I inform all the readers that his son is working for Joseph Muscat, and getting a seat in the national parliament would be really easy for him now. Well actually he would be another ZERO. No votes for him. Let me tell him another thing. Michael never had any cliques, as he never dominated anywhere such as the newsroom, like other people at the Headquarters. Michael Falzon got elected on his own steem. During the last few weeks, Mr Borg, Michael Falzon abandoned his campaign and dedicated all the time for the party. You know who did the untold damage to the party, whoever talked about the Nationalists’ DNA being different; those who wanted to reopen the negotiations with the EU, the corruption billboard, etc. No one should be ashamed to show that he or she carries the “santa tal-Madonna”. Are you making fun of that now? May I ask whether you go to church every Sunday? You know who’s not giving a sh**? Persons who prefer their own interests rather than the Party’s!! And you know what Mr Borg? At least Michael never used the delegates for his own achievments. Michael always respected them. (Provided it is the same Tony Borg of course)
Tony Pace – I wonder who’s drowning her tears in her long-awaiting bottle of champagne at the moment:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080604/local/sant-to-resign-opposition-leader-post
“So George Abela was on
Net TV huh? As have all the other candidates. But the same Net TV told us that the candidates have been “censored” u ghamlulhom is-sarima”. No further comment, Your Honour”
@Albert
For your information, the Net TV program was on the 3rd. The candidates were censored for today and tomorrow.
@Amanda
Our Marie has got a new idol “the cuddly, intelligent Joseph Muscat” (in her own words). Cuddly! Who wants a Teddy Bear for a Prime Minister? Perhaps she is thinking of the great American President Teddy Roosvelt of her youth?
Wait, wait…it’s a pun on “poodle”, ooh how clever of her!
I also enjoyed her struggling with the difference between a blog and an e-mail (no she hasn’t got a clue poor dear). She seems to be inundated with emails from her fans, wow!
Well she can at least enjoy some Champagne tomorrow evening with her mate Alfrid as they celebrate the poodle’s famous victory. Well, better than nothing I suppose, make the most of things. Cheers Marie!
http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=70088
….Michael Falzon to pip George Abela and contest run off against the poodle. GA’s votes to bolster MF to the point that he gets the majority….roll on the next election hehehe.
@AMANDA
The problem with our friend is her bitterness and “lanzit”, which has turned her into the person she is. And her type always ends up finding solace in the Sants ( make that Poodles now) of this world. So if she wants to pop the cork, fine by me, but please Marie don’t patronise Sunday Independent readers. You actually offend your readers’ common sense never mind their intelligence.
And she will NEVER see the light.
@Uncle Fester
….and your point is?
Maybe you would like us to appoint a Jason hehehe. It would be near nigh impossible to top the peacock’s performance as Secretary General – you (MLP) really are a motley crew and so pathtetic it is really saaaaaaaaaaaaad even for us Nats. If you want a good shot at the chalice then elect somone who can unite.
Michael Falzon as the new MLP leader would be truly respected by all, irrespective of political creed or colour. He is honest, trustworthy, hardworking ,experienced, ever-ready to listen and to take and give advice, humble, repectable and respected.A good dependable,hourable, sane, normal fellow with a lovely family .He is also one of the few contestants with no conficts of interests. He does the MLP an honour they do not deserve by presenting himself for the leadership bid instead of telling them where to go and ‘eff off in no uncertain words,and then walk off .But not before first dusting his shoes off the detritus from the mouldy glasshouse , and then give them his back and leaving that hell hole of worthless, back-stabbing ,gnat-brained envious, misinformed herd of assorted caprines, simians and bovines once and for all. Mike,you’re the best , and what’s more, they know it,and they hate you for it.That is why you will not be elected tomorrow and MLP will not win the next general election. And it will serve them just right.
@ Eleanora.
No I am not the Tony Borg you mention and it will obviously be pointless telling you – as anyone can say that – that I am and have always been a labour voter and a neutral observer in this leadership race, my only interest being that labour elects the best person suited to lead it to an election victory.
Anyhow Michael Falzon is the least suited for labour leader and it is beyond me to understand how a person can be so conceited as to think, given that now we know what he’s worth, that he can make a good leader. He should actually have resigned his post like Charles Mangion did and Alfred Sant did. That is integrity. But the thirst for power is stronger in some people. Michael Falzon is a case in point. Recently I read a study which shows that incompetent people are not aware of their incompetence ( ie in a certain field; as a person can be competent in one area and incompetent in another) and thus they take on tasks which they are not up to and fail miserably. This is where I see Michael Falzon. He is surrounded by people who keep telling him how good he is (it is in their interest to do so, of course) and he is unaware that his leadership competences are zero. He is incompetent to recognise his incomptence and the people around him reinforce this because they keep pushing him to do things he is unable to do.
Now for your point on Michael being elected on his own steam. I was one of those people who was called three times at home in the election campaign to be told ” hudu hsieb id-deputy leader, halli jaqta figura tajba” and “id-deputy leader jixraqlu li ntellghuh bis-sahha”. I traced the calls and soon realised where the party resources were going. Is this where the money we donate everytime there is a fundraising marathon going?
If you know Michael Falzon, you surely know of his clique of wearers of black shirts. If you don’t then I suggest that you talk with people who do. I think that than you will be less eager to extoll Michael Falzon’s invented virtues then.
It is beyond me how anyone could praise someone who, on direct radio, says that he has asked the commissioner of police to investigate his colleagues.
It is beyond me how anyone could praise someone who when faced with a large crowd gets carried away and starts waving and singing and says nothing, nothing of substance. And I have been to every mass meeting.
It is beyond me how anyone could think of bringng with him a poster of pinocchio to show it to the crowd. incredible.
It is beyond me how anyone could, at the last meeting, say that he will take care of the hunters, to win personal votes and not giving a damn about doing further harm to the party.
It is beyond me how, as his trump card, he uses the fact that he was at the counting hall to concede defeat when it is his job to do so as party affairs leader, and he keeps saying that he was alone there when many candidates and party representatives left much after him. Every time he says this he is hurting the scores of labour people who were in the counting hall. And they are the people who will definitely not be voting for Michael tonight.
It is beyond me to understand how a person who breaks down and starts firing like a loose cannon like Michael did last week, can imagine himself as party leader. Can anyone imagine a leader who when faced with pressue gives in and starts acting like Michael did last week? He even had the gall to mention his colleague’s mistakes of DNA and siegha b’siegha. Is that what leaders do? I thought that leaders take care of their own. He even stooped as low as to use something which the nationaists were saying and which he knows is not true: that labour said that they will open the EU package. He knows that that is nationalist spin because what labour said that in the case of the shipyards they will be putting forward a case and try to convince the commission to extend the subsidies period, just like Poland was doing.
Surely the drydocks workers are furious at Michael as now he is criticising labour for promising to do it’s utmost with the EU regarding their position and he is repeating the pn mantra that labour promised to open up the package. Shame on you Michael Falzon. There are some drydocks workers who are party delegates too and they will show you tonight what they are worth.
As for the santa tal-madonna. Surely Michael is entitled to carry whatever he wants with him. But to talk publicly about it, does make us all cringe. And to use it as evidence of his goodness while at the same time declaring that he asked the commissioner of police to investigate his colleagues, is gross.
Michael is gross in all senses, in his parohial approach, look at the way he’s always going on about hunting and fireworks. He’s parochial in the way he expresses himself, look at the way he behaved under pressure last week….
Michael Falzon for leader? You must be joking. Michael is the nationalist party’s dream leader, I am sure that the majority of the delegates will do everything to keep it like that tonight.
@Toni Borg
“Michael is “gross” in all senses, in his parochial approach, look at the way he’s always going on about hunting and fireworks. He’s parochial in the way he expresses himself, look at the way he behaved under pressure last week.”
“Gross” as in standing ten feet tall above the cowardly chickens that did a quick vanishing act as soon as it was obvious to all that the MLP had lost yet again another election? I am here referring to the one that the “eminence grises” of the party, now busy promoting the anointed one and the saviour, predicted that would be a walk over by Labour through default.
Where were DrGeorgeAbela, DrJoseph Muscat, MrJasonMicallef or indeed DrAlfredSant THAT day? We all know where they WERE NOT though, whilst dependable old Mike was facing the music at the counting hall and doing the gentlemanly and honourable thing !
The last thing this country and the Malta Labour Party need is a proven BAHRI-TAL-BNAZZI or a histrionic Narcissus with an attitude, hiding behind foreign referees as leader.
Good Luck to Michael Falzon.
I am to make 2 bets.
1st bet: If MLP Leader is chosen by first ballot I strongly bet Joseph Muscat : the shining star!
2nd bet: If MLP Leader is chosen by second ballot I strongly bet George Abela : the star that the majority of PN followers thinks wrongly they might reach.
Whoever is chosen is to share a container of drinks with the other four contestants. The rest is public knowledge.
[Moderator – ‘The rest is public knowledge’ – what does that mean?]
@ Tony Borg.
You seem to be one keen supporter of Alfred Sant (our great great leader or ex-leader as of today) and our soon unemployed gardner er Secretary General. You seem to be very knowledgable of various things that happen at the CNL.
Let me tell you what I think about what you just said.
1. Alfred Sant and Charles Mangion did not resign from their posts! Alfred Sant is due to resign today at 6.00pm and Charles Mangion is the current Acting Leader of the MLP. So there you go. Nobody resigned. I remember in 2003 the whole Administration resigned en bloc but this time nobody even dared resigning as though they did nothing wrong. Michael Falzon along with the rest of the leadership did in fact resign as their posts are expiring today and in a weeks time in the case of the deputy leaders. Therefore it would have been unetichal for both Charles Mangion and Michael Falzon to abandon ship before a new leader is elected seeing that Alfred Sant didn’t even dare come at the CNL maybe, but only maybe, thinking that delegates would be ready to jump on him due to his electoral track record. Michael is honest and speaks as a genuine Leader. At least he is not wierd like Alfred Sant or shows off his fake smile like your friend Jason – who is quite incompetent at what he does and is surrounded by other incompetent people that are usually found to be firing microphones at Ministers and Parliamentarians for no apparent reason!
2. Regarding Michael being elected on his own steam. YES HE IS! He was never the Leader’s pet. He was never employed with Maltastar.com and Sunrise Travel (by the way Joseph Muscat was one of the directors at the time that it went bust – only one of the keen similarities with Alfred Sant – Metalfond remember anyone). Michael matured politically on his own and with nobody pushing him. Re: the telephone calls you are saying – calls from the CNL come out as ‘Witheld’ so unless you are a Maltacom employee or a member of the Secret Service you would have no clue of who and from where they called. Substantiate your allegations. The money that is collected during the ‘Gbir ta’ Fondi’ goes for the monthly pay of Jason and his friends. Apart from that they tend to go to a certain contractor that is very keen to see Joseph elected so as to keep on enjoying himself in the future as he did with Alfred.
3. Michael did not ask the police commissioner to investigate his ‘colleagues’. He asked to investigate a person’s allegations in his regard. Now if that is wrong then I don’t know what the police are there for!
4. Re. saying nothing of substance and singing in front of a crowd of 50,000. Alfred Sant never said anything of substance in 16 years my friend! Michael sang but he surely did not invent the DNA story, the ‘siegha – siegha’ overtime fable, the fact that social services will be reduced, that we will be renegotiating the EU Accession Treaty (it goes by name – accession treaty it does not change in the future – it will always be an accession treaty – got the point?). Michael always gave speeches full of courage for Labour supporters as that was his role in the campaign.
5. Re. Hunters. I can see a lot of hunters massed together in sliema and the whole district! You said that he spoke in favour of hunters in the last mass meeting for his personal vote. Unless you are completely gone in the head you wont even dare thinking that the districts on which Michael contested had a lot of hunters! The districts with the largest number of hunters are those with Siggiewi, Rabat, Qormi, etc… not Sliema, Bormla, Birgu, Kalkara, etc… In fact speaking about hunters was a very sensible thing to do as they were the only faction in the Maltese society to be fooled when it came to the Accession Treaty (remember Accession Treaty).
6. Where you at the Counting Hall my friend before speaking your brains out?? I dont think so. Michael left after two days locked in the counting hall. The candidates had long gone home to enjoy their newly found glory or to despere for missing out on a Ministerial job! Michael had to do what Alfred Sant ‘the coward’ had to do. Michael was always very cautious in the way he spoke and he used great maturity when conceeding defeat unlike Jason that nearly caused another Partnership l-ahjar ghazla incident. I was at the counting hall and at around 10.30pm I saw the computer room dismangling, meaning that there were no more samples to be collected. Then imagine my surprise getting home at about 11.15pm and seeing Jason smiling on the TV saying that his samples were different from those of Joe Saliba!!!! Give us a break please!!!! Michael was one of the few gentleman at the counting hall who had to endure the shouting of ‘Spicca l-Labour, Spicca l-Labour, hej, hej’ from PN Staff.
7. Re. the electoral defeat report. What did you expect? You expected Michael to shut up after he was cowardly attacked by this report? The report omitted, whether intentionally or not is beyond me, the testimony given by Michael in front of the board. They omitted evidence of leakages done by one high party official. They omitted several heedings that Michael had given different party administration and leadership members re billboards and cliques within the party. So please let the man speak out the truth that had to be written in the scam report!
8. You also shot yourself in the foot. You said that Michael should be ashamed for criticising the labour leader for promising to open the Accession Treaty because it is something that it can be done. It cannot. What can be done is try to reason things out with the commission but Alfred should have never said ‘Nifthu l-pakkett’. That was suicide!!! He should have said ‘Naghmlu pressjoni fuq il-Kummissjoni biex nfasslu pjan flimkien’, that would have been statesman-like! Surely dock workers are not irate at Michael but they are ireate at Alfred for yet another electoral defeat that could easily mean their livelihood.
I hope that delegates have a bit more analytic capacities that our friend Tony Borg when coming to select the new leader. He is obviously speaking out of personal differences he had with Michael Falzon as his position within the party would be compromised with Michael as leader. He is one of the many ‘status quo’ supporters as they want us to keep on building on the successes of the past!!! Oh sorry did i say successes of the past – well I must have been wrong as that would send me back to 1976!!! Shame on you Tony for speaking about such a Gentleman in that way!
@Moderator
It means that ‘Peter Muscat’ common sense has run away and joined a circus. He may soon follow.
@Insider
Very well said. But I do agree with Tony Borg that MF does not have what it takes to be a leader.
You cannot in your campaign to become a leader go around saying what Michael said, about how no one ever cared of his opinions and how they always did things behind his back when he was one of the vice-leaders. And to make matters worse he claimed that even though he knew all the above, he kept quiet and stayed there, well we all know that he was the one to shout labour united. Now natural leaders do not do that. Natural leaders walk away when they see that their fundamentals are not in line with the rest. They walk away and move on.
I am afraid that Tony was also right in stating that MF has thirst for power. It is obvious to everyone that MF stands no chance to be elected and yet he preferred staying in the race rather than backing one of the contenders that he has more in common with. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realise that MF had the opportunity to be a king maker and really practice what he speaks about the well-being of the party. Without any doubt, we all know who he should have backed if he wanted things to change. Now that MF missed this opportunity he will suffer heavily his consequences, because the same faction will continue to direct the party, the same faction that MF went all out against on TV programs considered to be possessed by the enemy, saying things that should have been kept within the party. So I predict that MF’s political career will start dwindling as from tomorrow to reach its final resting place in 5 years time. Unless of course he is lucky enough to be given a second chance to still be able to be the king maker and back-up a contender if no one manages to achieve an absolute majority.
@Xaghra. My point was not a point at all, it was a question: Why is anybody of any substance within the PN running away from the opportunity of being named General Secretary? PN has always given this position to a heavyweight – Guido Demarco, Louis Galea, Austin Gatt, Joe Saliba. This time around all big names are steering clear and the only names that are being touted are either people nobody has ever heard of or second rate politicians. The PN may just be about to pick someone on a par with Jason Micallef as their General Secretary levelling the playing field in that category of leadership at least. Now if only Labour elects someone with the intelligence and appeal of Gonzi to level the field and give electors a real choice.
@Peter Muscat
Don’t fret. The poodle will win by around 60% tonight. We can all enjoy his smirk of satisfaction. Will Jason give him one of his famous embraces as he had done with Sant? I will be watching with great interest!
@insider
Why is it that one has to be labelled as an admirer of one person or another? The readers of this blog will decide on the merits of the arguments . They surely are intelligent enough to agree or disagree on the contents of a post, whoever writes it. Anyone can say that they are not admirers of Alfred Sant or of Michael Falzon here, especially since ‘insider’ remains anonymous. But that’s not the point. The point is whether on is able to make others see his point and then agree with it or not.
1. If ‘insider’ is really an insider he knows that Alfred Sant and Charles Mangion both said they were resigning from their post irrevocably. Charles Mangion was asked to stay as acting leader until we have a new leader. And Charles Mangion stayed on so that the ship will not be abandoned and be left without a leader. Michael Falzon should have resigned too. Charles Mangion was asked to hold the fort because he must be the trusted person to do so. What is so complicated about this?
2. The ‘allegations’ have already been substaniated in the proper channels and yes one can obtain information about ‘withheld’ numbers, everybody knows this. And thank you for confirming that your mind was at rest because the calls were made ‘withheld’. And it’s not just telephone calls; these are just the tip of the iceberg, but more on this in the proper forum. Regarding contractors; that’s very very rich coming from someone defending Michael Falzon. It was public knowledge on the eve of the election who was supporting Falzon throughout his campaign. If Joseph has a big contractor supporting him, that’s very bad. I don’t know about Joseph’s contractor but I take your word for it, so my appeal to the delegates then is not vote for both Jospeh and Michael as they must be in the same boat. Keep in mind that chickens will come home to roost. I haven’t heard big contractors supporting George Abela , Evarist Bartolo and Louise Coleiro as yet.
3. Michael declared that he had asked the police commissioner to investigate his colleagues. It’s on tape dear Insider.
4. Who said that Alfred sant and Charles Mangion did not produce gaffes a well? That is why the honorable way for them was to resign. Michael Falzon performed his gaffes and instead of resigning, expects to be elected leader; that’s the difference between the three. As for the accession treaty; you are swallowing the nationalists’ spin, hook line and sinker. I repeat, what labour said is that there is a clause in the treaty which allows for the renegotiaon on some aspect or other provided there are exceptional circumstances. Would a labour government not have done that if it means saving the shipyards and some two thousand jobs? Is this what Michael Falzon is saying that Labour shouldn’t have said? Michael should go and tell this to the shipyard workers.
5. Insider conveniently ignores the thousands of hunters in the Xghajra/Zabbar/Kalkara area. Michael Falzon has the data and he knows what he was talking about; these were the voters he was targeting in the last mass meeting.
6. You have confirmed what I have been told i.e. that the nationalists were shouting spicca l-labour spicca l-labour. It was exactly at that moment that a group of candidates and party representatives had to be protected by the police as their faces were squashed in the pespex. Had it not been for the police and a couple of nationlist bodyguards who realised what was happening and protected these people. They recounted how they would have surely eneded up in hospital had it not been for this protection. But Michael Falzon couldn’t see all this as he was too busy hugging and kissing Joe Saliba for the cameras. Incidentally these people left the counting hall much after Michael Falzon and that is why they are hurt everytime they hear him repeat that he remained there on his own.
7. Re the report, what I and other level-headed labourites expect, is that he should control himself and not give the nationalists further grist for their mill. Nobody ever agrees fully with a report , but did we hear anyone react in the hysterical manner which Michael did? No. Last week Michael digged his hole even deeper. If one can’t take the heat one must stay out of the kitchen. Do you know what many people were saying “Imagine this guy if there’s a national crisis and he’s prime minister, what would he do? jump off Dingli cliffs?”
8. Regarding point no.8, I have already answered in no. 4.
One final note. Sorry to disappoint you, but like Michael, you come to conclusions which are far off the mark. Paranoia must be contagious. I do not support the status quo. I support what is best for the Party, what is the best probability for Labour to win the next general election. And this can be scientifically deduced from the polls we have been analysing.
Let’s hope that tonight the delegates have more sense and do not repeat the same mistake twice when they voted to go for the polls in the 1998 against the better judgment of Dr Abela, with the results – 3 electoral defeats. Tonight, they have a golden opportunity to make a better MLP, a better Opposition, which can result to an alternative government.
@Uncle Fester
I would tend to agree with you that no heavyweights are being mentioned for the post of PN Secretary General. But recent history has shown us that PN have a knack of always picking the right person for the various posts (well, almost always…), and if I’m not mistaken, Joe Saliba was not actually a household name with all before he was chosen, no?
To lighten the atmosphere …
LEJBER FEXIN PEREJD (Forget the contents of the article for a second, and take a look at the line-up):
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080605/local/mlp-delegates-voting-for-new-leader
(Incidentally, the poodle may be too big for his boots, but he’s definitely far too short for his trousers! I’ll refrain from commenting about the flip-flops and the rest, because I’m sure that a couple of you will chip in to do so …)
@Uncle Fester – Joe Saliba was just the University Precint’s Officer before he took the post of Sec. General – HE had also unsuccessfully contested under the PN banner in 1996 (if I am not mistaken).
Even Austin Gatt was an unknown entity back in the early eighties.
So please be patient – you shall see that the highly organised PN shall have a worthy Sec General in a few weeks time – quietly but surely.
@ Amanda… er… Mrs Mallia – must admit that was a good comment – had a good laugh. The whole spectacle is hilarious actually. It’s a real case of “kemm Alla gabna sew!”
Those kaxxi tal-voti look like Vanni Pule’s magician boxes.
@Uncle Fester
Oh so now I gettit! The PN should appoint a dimwit, phoney to the post of General Secretary to ‘level the playing field’ and give the MLP a chance at governing the country! I love the inferiority complex ……
A question for you Uncle, as I am riveted to Super Once watching the incompetence of the MLP during the vote tallying process (does it have to take that loooooooong!). Do the rubber stamps on each of the ballot papers for the Mexxej represent each of the factions within the MLP?
I’m just curious – yawwwwwwwwwn!
Couldn’t they afford a new wire cutter? “Le m’hemmx ghalfejn – ghandi il plajer fil vann!!”
JM fails to make it by TWO votes!
The delegates have spoken……but not the people. Shame.
Ah well Daphne, over to you. He’s all yours ! :)
@Chris S and amrio. Hopefully we will be pleasantly surprised with the P.N.’s choice. Just strange that Busuttil should have turned down the post after the pivotal role he played in getting the P.N. reelected to power in 2008.
@Xaghra. I can’t answer your question I wasn’t watching the counting, I would much rather count sheep! I didn’t realize that life in Gozo was that boring that you were riveted to your screen watching Super One T.V. as the tedious counting process went on. You poor thing!
In my humble opinion i think that the best man for PN gen.sec.is JOHN ZAMMIT,ex editor and presently head of programmes for net tv/radio.