You read it here first
Don’t wait for the opinion polls, honey….just ask Daphne. Three days into the leadership of Joseph! Joseph! and I can pick up already that this is the profile of the person (from outside the traditional Labour fold) who is favourably predisposed towards him:
- male
- 30s-40s
- never married/separated/cohabiting/single
- childless or ‘detached’ from his children; either way, not a family man
- thinks of himself as liberal and ‘special’
- has an impractical approach to politics, i.e. politics is not the art of the possible, but of ‘what should be’
- supported AD in the last election campaign, though might have pulled out of voting for the party at the 11th hour
- is attracted to Joseph! Joseph! for precisely the same reasons he was attracted to AD (not necessarily the policies)
Change category (1) to female, keep the rest intact, and you’ll have somebody who is not favourably predisposed to Joseph! Joseph!
You read this here first, too: Joseph Muscat is not attractive to women unless they are the traditional diehard sort, who would root for a Martian if he were MLP leader. Women really don’t like Joseph Muscat. The reason, I suspect, is that we tend to use our in-built mating ‘search and destroy’ radar when analysing any man in any situation. Our brain, consciously or subconsciously, asks this question: would I pick him for a mate? With most women, the analysis is made instantaneously, our brain amassing and assessing in a nano-second a whole raft of visual and other clues. The most important of these clues, and this reflects the biological programming, is trust. When a woman assesses a man, any man in any situation, the first thing she registers is not his physical appearance but whether she can trust him or not. Sometimes it’s conscious, sometimes it’s subconscious. If the message she picks up is ‘not sure/unreliable/not trustworthy’ she doesn’t even bother checking out the other details.
Women see Joseph! Joseph! on the stage, on television, prancing and prating and preening and grinning, and we assess him in exactly the same way as we would if we saw him, as a non-politician, in a bar or at a party. The alarm bells go off, and one word, beginning with ‘w’ and ending in ‘r’, passes through our mind. We know that it is only a matter of time before he comes up to us with a self-assured grin and a swagger, holds out his hand, and saya ‘Hi, call me Joseph! Come here often?’ Then he’ll spend the next 30 minutes bending our ear about his car/job/new watch/skiing trip until we excuse ourselves to go to the lavatory.
Incidentally, the mating ‘clue-reading’ that is hard-wired into the female brain (though there are some unfortunate exceptions) is also the reason why so many of the ladies ran after Gonzi with their vote and stuck his picture to their fridge. The hard-wiring was screaming out ‘Good mate! Good mate! You can trust this guy! You can marry him! He’s not a cheat!’
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Does anyone think that JM acted a bit like the President of the Students’ Union meeting the Headmaster when he met the PM yesterday? And wasn’t that aside interrupting the PM to ask him if he was going to watch the match that night a bit rude? Gonzi tried hard not to appear patronising, but I don;t think he managed fully, and who can blame him! JM needs to grow up fast!
But I’m 20! :D
Jesus, it’s sounding like a cross between the Discovery Channel and The SCUM (Society for the Cutting Up of Men) Manifesto around here.
A bit of profiling of the type of woman who IS attracted by Joseph-types is required to round off the picture… Michelle Muscat, Marie Benoit. Are they a different breed of woman? Mutants maybe?
[Moderator – Marie Benoit was attracted to Alfred Sant. Enough said.]
My 9 year old kid, who just give a damn about politics, Dottore Joseph Joseph! and all the rest, yesterday intrigued me with a comment he passed whilst watching TV. When he was searching for an intersting children program, a shot of the newly ‘elected’, (or should I say annointed), appeared on a local station.
My kid told me: “Dad this funny guy has a very funny smile on his face. I prefer the previous one!” – referring to Alfred Sant, I suppose. When I asked him what’s wrong with this smile, he answered: “‘Cause he seems to be making fun of me!”.
Imbghad jghidu li -tfal tal-lum mhux intelligenti!!!
I just love Daphne’s pseudo psychology of the type that had her explaining to the rest of us about the pseudo-scientific importance of the fact that Alfred Sant wore a hair piece! No, Daphne was not taking a cheap shot, her comments were based on some undefined science! The woman is entertaining in a devilish sort of way. I have to hand her that much.
I think Joseph Muscat’s appeal is wider than Daphne’s “scientific” analysis allows. Malta Today’s favorable poll ratings for JM did not come from the narrow group Daphne describes. It is much wider than that and that is why JM’s election may represent a sea change in Maltese politics – a generational handover that was needed to make Labour electable.
As for hardcore PN supporters, the fact is that JM is not intimidating. He does not have them quivering at the prospect of another Labour government. One side of my family is Nationalist going back at least four generations and the comments from them have been favourable. The worst they could come up with was “nice words, let’s see if he keeps them”. They reluctantly concede that JM is “a vast improvement on their (Labour’s) last leader”. These people may never vote Labour but could abstain if they are disgusted with the PN in government.
We need to remember that Joseph Muscat was 13 years old when the PN came to government in 1987 and cannot be associated with the dark Mintoff/KMB years so he is not susceptible to attack on that front. He has already apologized for Labour’s “mistakes” which just proves the point. The boogey man tactics may not work this time around with the 40 plus crowd.
As for the Labour supporters in my family, they are just over the moon with joy. Finally, someone that has a chance of leading the MLP to victory. They will come out in droves to vote their party into office.
The key voting blocs here are the young and the floating voters who are usually liberal on social issues – will they feel more comortable with someone with their more liberal values as opposed to the values of their buznanniet as represented by Gonzi – essentially Catholic Action and tal-Muzew wrapped into one. Labour needs to subtley differentiate itself from the PN on social issues with selective targeted audiences and using carefully vetted neutral language to interest these two groups of voters. It needs to do this while remaining conservative on fiscal issues and pro-Europe.
Labour needs to highlight the plight of people living in irregular relationships because they have no right to remarry. These people should not remain as nameless statistics but should come forward and put faces to their plight. All that Labour has to do on this is to say that they will study the issue and follow the opinions of experts as to whether to allow a limited “right to remarry”. The PN is boxed in on this issue and other social issues and can be attacked successfully.
The PN can be made to look backward looking, grey and old fashioned. They have a leader that is the great nephew of Malta’s last medieval prince-archbishop and who is committed to fight divorce and other progressive legislation. Don’t forget this is a man who before he was elected leader told an interviewer that he would never allow a “homosexual” to serve on his team! His mentor was someone who went on the record against divorce in all circumstances. Then Gonzi was elected leader and his handlers got him to shut up on social issues and even got him to use the services of a brilliant gay political strategist.
Labour needs to groom Michelle Muscat to take a central role in their marketing of new Labour. She appears to be a decent, articulate and intelligent young woman who is real and down to earth. Joseph the family man with two toddler children will help alleviate the fears of the “mating instinct” woman that Daphne describes.
We are in for an interesting five years.
Alxander, is that story true?
Really, really true, cross your heart and hope to die?
:)
sorry Daphne, you got this one wrong,
I am all of the above male (30s-40s , never married/separated/cohabiting/single
childless or ‘detached’ from my children; not a family man
thinks of myself as liberal and ‘special’
and have an impractical approach to politics,I supported AD in the last election campaign, though i DIDNT pull out of voting for the party at the 11th hour)
so i fit right into your sterotype but i DONT trust Joseph Muscat , and would much prefer George Abela was elected,
,
for nothing I never trust anyone who says “call me … WHATEVER” , because one should be free to call him whatever they want, who does he think he is ??
Pride comes before a fall and Joseph Muscat’s false modesty is sickening, an no doubt he will fall badly and very quickly.
@ Alexander the not so great. You really are not so great, I bet your nine year old followed the last election at least on Net, maybe even went to the meetings. As long as he’s not in the Brigata, you realize that a nine year old who is following a political party is being brainwashed. In ten years time he will be at university booing the MLP leader, like Daphne’s son. Do you also have the guts to say you are democratic. Brainwashing your children to support your party. Your son will not be one of the floating voters. Now I know young people who were not brainwashed and voted AD in the last election, who approved the MLP choice of a leader, they are the once who count not a brainwashed child of 9.
@ Lino Cert So in the last electiion you knew AD was a better choice to PN but at the 11th hour voted PN. I bet you are an older version of Alex’s son. Poor devil Poor Malta a country where people vote according to their parents believes. You certainly can’t claim of having a mind of your own.
Uncle Fester you made a very huge assumption in your analysis above. Age has nothing to do with vision. You can be 16 and think like a 60-year old and vice-versa, please all JM fanatics do bear this in mind, the pompous style of JM is very old style. The typical bright succesful and young person never brags about, actually quite the opposite, because the surprise effect is much more rewarding, it is more in fashion to seem common and then surprise everyone with your skills.
In my opinion the recepie to success of Gonzi with the young generation is that he went down to the level of a first-year uni or 6th form student, and talked their language using their vision. That is why all the enthusiasm and not simply favouring him over Sant. Since he managed to do that LG age will only serve as an advantage, because we, the young generation, also need a healthy portion of trust in order to trust someone with our future.
The difference between a 30/40 yr old man who is never married/separated/cohabiting/single, and a 30/40yr old woman who is never married/separated/cohabiting/single, is that the former is usually happier than the latter. The latter usually has had a series of bad relationshps with men whom she is attracted to but have often used her. Unfortunately she will still remain attracted to the same men even though nicer men may be at hand.
@xeka
what should we say about DR HARRY then, the untouchable leader of AD. He went with all his family, well after bed-time, to play the victim on Super one . Will his kids ever be floaters???
Yes, Caphenni, but if you are you I think you are, then you’re very grown up for 20.
@ Alex Dr Harry only took his kids with him that one time, we don’t usually see politicians taking their kids with them for meetings. It’s only stupid people who carry their kids wrapped up in their party’s flags and hold them up for their leader to kiss or pat. Please don’t tell me MLP supporters do the same, I know and I have the same opinion about all parents who brainwash their children into supporting one party or the other.
@ Alexander the Not so Great: children are body-language experts; it’s a survival mechanism.
@Uncle Fester – you missed an important point. My description of those who find him attractive is restricted to those outside the traditional Labour fold. Those within the traditional Labour fold will find anything attractive as long as it comes under the name of party leader.
If you really want to know how your leader is perceived, don’t ask Labour supporters – in fact, don’t ask anyone. Do what I do and listen to people speak. Hear what they imply between the lines. Women really don’t like this man (and I mean women outside the Labour Party, who are not preconditioned to like him). I also detect, among women, a miskina jahasra sentiment towards Michelle Muscat. Why? For the reason I explained somewhere up above: he pushes the untrustworthiness alarm buttoms.
@ Xewka: My son didn’t boo the MLP leader. He’s too laid back for that. His mother and aunt, on the other hand, booed with great gusto. I hadn’t had such a good time since the Christmas panto.
@Daphne. I was speaking to fourth generation nationalists who loathed Dom Mintoff and thought that Sant was honest but wrong on Europe and never forgave him for that. These are the people who are reacting cautiously but favorably to Muscat. That’s not to say they will vote for him but at least theire initial reaction is one of interest and respect. The Labourites in my family were pro-Europe Labourites and are overjoyed that they have a viable leader. They abstained in 2003. As for myself I am pro-P.N. but want to see advances on important social issues and it looks to me like Labour is the party to do that.
Uncle Fester sounds very much like the psycho-linguist Anthony Licari in his penultimate post. In the last post he says he is pro-PN….maybe to mislead us?
Uncle Fester, let me give you the reaction of a first-generation Nationalist (mine): because of Labour’s horrendous track record, people have been conditioned into being hopeful about any Labour leader who doesn’t come across immediately as a werewolf, a serial killer or a rapist. It’s the survival mechanism of the fatalistic (and the Maltese are fatalistic): we can’t do anything about it, li hemm hemm, so let’s hope for the best. Please try to imagine Joseph Muscat being elected leader of the Nationalist Party. You can’t, can you? Now analyse why not. If you prefer to be cautiously optimistic about Joseph’s potential, go ahead. I admire Polly-Anna types. I, on the other hand, am a realist. I prefer to see things exactly as they are, so that I can deal with them, instead of living in a dream world of hopes and fiction with the inevitable nasty surprise at the end of it all.
@ Daphne. That’s one way of looking at things. I prefer being optimistic. I will give the man the benefit of the doubt until proved wrong. By the end of 5 years that will have happened or not. P.S. What do you mean first generation Nationalist? Are you saying your parents and grandparents voted Labour? U hallina trid Daphne!
@tony borg. I am not Anthony Licari. I now know who this man is and have seen his column in the Times. I believe that he was also Ambassador to France at some point. However, ain’t me. I am pro-PN, although as I say ready to try Labour just to get some movement on social issues now that big issues like EU membership are history. My family is a mixed bunch. Labour on one side. A mix of Nationalists and Stricklandjani on the other side.
Uncle Fester: The current political party line up was different some years ago. It was possible to not vote Labour or Nationalist even before AD arrived on the scene.
I don’t know if I missed it, but does Daphne believe Joseph will make it to PM in 2013? It seems not.
I have my doubts – there are enough sheeple around to be taken in by his newly-applied Jesus line.
@Uncle Fester: my entire family on both my mother’s side and my father’s side were Stricklandjani, not Nationalist.
What are you daphne – Jesus – you know what everyone outside the labour party thinks about the guy..
Gejja bil “miskina michelle” – please do continue saying such rubbish because you certainly entertain – imsieken those agreeing with such jargon of yours :)
@ Daphne
I cannot but agree with you 100%. Children are very able to read our facial expressions and our behaviour attitude. Not even my wife manages to read them so acurately…
@ Ganni Borg
It is the truth, and nothing but the truth. And I’m even more amazed ’cause my son never ever was interested in politics… never watched any News or political activity nor ever participated in activities, except that he knew how to distiguish the faces between Alfred Sant and Lawrence Gonzi
@ Xewka
Well what can I tell you? I learned from the past. Actually I was in the brigata when I was younger. But I promised to myself that I won’t repeat past grave mistakes on my kids. They give a damn about politics and we never discuss politics in front of kids. (Especially in our case where children tend to ask each other about the political leanings of their parents)! Whenever asked about our family’s beliefs, they answe that we are Christ’s followers! Issa if you call that political brainwash…….
@Corinne Vella. So Daphne is descended from Constitutionalists. Like the dodo, Stricklandjani became extinct after independence. Which party did Daphne’s family vote for after that? My guess is PN, in which case that makes her second generation PN at least, doesn’t it?
@Uncle Fester – Corinne is one of my sisters, which means she grew up in the same family. I find it absurd that you demand to know my family’s political leanings when you don’t even have the guts to reveal so much as your name. Better manners, please.
Uncle Fester: The dodo did not become extinct after independence.
Xewka – Children may be brainwashed sometimes, but others simply state what they see, and the latter is probably the case with Alexander’s son.
My 5-year-old child has noticed that “wiggy’s friend” (a Labour MP, whom she must have recognised from SUPER ONE TV – not NET – during election time, seeing that I was channel-hopping most of the time) comes to “see” his girlfriend in our neighbourhood pretty regularly. She even notices when he parks his car “discreetly” round the corner! I have lost count of the number of times I have had to stop her loud sniggering, often within earshot with him scuttling indoors, stating that “he’s here again!”
Corinne Vella – It looks like the dodo is not extinct after all. It’s been reincarnated as Uncle Fester.
@ Uncle Fester
Anthony Licari was never an Ambassador to France or anywhere else for that matter. His elder brother Joseph was.
Despite women’s superior brains and ability to assess men in a nano-second, the failure rate for marriages in Europe is around 35%.
Please explain.
Tim, lots of women marry men in full awareness that there are fundamental flaws in the relationship, but they believe that (1) they can change the guy, (2) a miracle will happen and he will change unprompted, (3) a baby will cement the bond, or (4) a problematic marriage is better than being left on the shelf to die as an old maid with your face eaten by the pet cats (Bridget Jones;Miranda in Sex and the City). And then, of course, as the years go by, people change and they grow apart or grow to hate each other.
I tend to agree with Uncle Fester. Let’s give the man a chance to prove his worth. Maybe the contrast with Sant’s antics are so evident that Joseph is being perceived as a w****r by Dephne. People, get used to a 30+ man leading the MLP, I think he’ll make a huge difference.
@Corinne Vella. I had no idea that you were Daphne’s sister. I think I saw a clip on u-tube of someone resembling Daphne sitting next to her at the so called University debates prior to the election. That must be you. I simply find it strange that your sister claims that she is a first generation PN voter. Which can only mean that your parents and grandparents were Strickland supporters. Just trying to piece together what makes the lady tick the way she does.
@ Meerkat. Which further proves that I am not Anthony Licari, otherwise I would have known that.
@Daphne. I did not demand anything. I simply asked. Big difference. I am trying to figure out what makes you tick the way that you do. It kind of figures that you are of Stricklandjan stock – that would explain your mastery of the English language. Very rare with Maltese columnists writing in the English language press. As for my identity – what difference is it to you who I am. I am not a public person, have no affiliation to anyone in public life, I am simply a working stiff who is enjoying this blog for a while. If I believed my identity was important I would reveal it. If I did you would be the first to say “Who?”
I will give you some relevant facts to assess me.
Sex: Male
Age: Early 40s.
Marital Status: Committed Relationship.
Sexual Orientation: Gay
Occupation: Lawyer
Highest level of education: Master in Law.
Working Languages: Maltese and English.
Religion: Roman Catholic (non-practicing)
Income level: 70,000 euros
Home owner: Yes.
Owns car: Yes.
Political Party at last election: Labour.
Social Class: Middle Class.
Important issues when voting: Economic policy, progressive policies on gay issues, respect for social rights of workers and women.
Newspapers: The Times during the week. Malta Today on Sunday.
Magazines: Vanity Fair and anything to do with cooking.
Television News: BBC.
Favourite Local Columnists: Daphne, Lino Spiteri.
Most respected local politician: At one time EFA, AS for a short period, nobody in particular today.
Daphne, am I to infer that the analytical part of a woman’s brain works brilliantly – a nanosecond is all that’s required to assess a man – but one-third of women fail to use their judgement?
So, whilst your profiled JM supporter thinks that POLITICS ‘is not the art of the possible but of ‘what should be” (i.e. a wish list) and you condemn this, yet a fairly large proportion of women apply this reasoning to MARRIAGE, marrying w…rs because of things that ‘should be’ e.g. he will change or be changed.
Your arguments are usually very intelligent, well-reasoned, objective and persuasive but this time you’ve gone a little bit over the top. Pity.
Instead of being proud of the fact that you’re the first to proclaim why JM is not attractive to women and unwittingly doing women a disservice in the process, how about changing tack and stating what people want and expect from the guy?
Don’t get me wrong. I think you’re writing is excellent and a pleasure to read but why choose a club when you wield a rapier so well?
Uncle Fester: What are you hiding?
Uncle Fester: Maybe I should ask WHY are you hiding? Lurking behind a pseudonym and asking personal questions about people and their families is akin to hiding behind the ‘persjani’ to spy on and gossip about the neighbours. Are you also shelling peas and brandishing a duster while asking your nosy questions?
What my parents do with their votes (and what my grandparents did with theirs) is their business and not mine or my sisters’ (plural intended), let alone yours and everyone else’s. Incidentally, it’s very naive to imagine that knowing my parents’ voting preference (or their parents’, for that matter) would tell you anything about their daughter’s – not that it’s any of your business anyway.
@Corinne Vella. Other than my actual name, nothing. Read my last entry. My profile is more important than my actual identity. If I told you that my name was Joseph Borg, for example, would that mean anything to you?
[Moderator – Yes, because the medium is the message and when the message comes from someone called Uncle Fester it will be interpreted differently than if it were to come from someone called Joseph Borg.]
@Corinne Vella. In Malta, how one’s family votes is very important because for the most part people tend to vote as their parents did and tend to inherit their parents value system. By telling me that you come from a traditional Stricklandian family explains a lot about Daphne’s attitudes. She is with the PN by default really like half of my father’s family. It explains why she is more comfortable speaking and writing in English. It explains her pro business attitudes. It explains her sense of social superiority. It also explains why she is not with the PN on social issues (the church, divorce, gays etc). It explains a lot. I understand her more knowing that piece of information.
And no, I am not behind my persjana much less am I there with a duster in my hand – luckily I have a char woman to do the dusting for me! Also I never shell peas, too lazy, I buy them frozen and shelled! I am at my computer doing my best to ignore your rudeness and have a civilized discourse with you and enjoying most of the contributions on this blog. It really is a microcosm of a sector of Maltese society. For the most part it is like being a fly on the wall at the Union Club in its hey day.
@ Moderator. I will give myself a “real person” name next time round. Any suggestions?……Be nice!
[Moderator – How about the one on your birth certificate?]
@Moderator. If I could I would because the name would mean nothing. It would just be another name. If I was a public person like Daphne then I would disclose my name but I am not. My profile is more important. I am just (pick any name) with the characteristics I discussed above.
Uncle Fester: “Other than my actual name, nothing. Read my last entry. My profile is more important than my actual identity.” Apparently you *are* trying to hide your identity. Why else would you hide behind a false name while asking nosey questions about other people? Really,the rudeness you’re ignoring is your own. Did you inherit that value genetically or are you the family mutant?
@Corinne Vella. Tsk, tsk, tsk! Temper! I am hiding my identity as do many people on this blog in this micro-country of ours. Just look at this trail for confirmation.
By the way, asking a person how they or their family votes, on an intensely political blog is not being nosey. It is seeking relevant information.
I am not interested and would never dream about asking about Daphne or your or anyone else’s truly personal information. I have never and will never refer to Daphne’s husband or children unless she chooses to involve them in ongoing discourse. I care not a hoot where she lives, who her friends are, what she ate for breakfast, what she looks like etc. I am interested in her arguments and why she makes them.
Gees, it’s not like I didn’t disclose information about myself. I told you my voting preference and my family’s historical voting preference because it is important to assessing my contributions. Whether my last name is Gonzi, Borg, Sant, Falzon or Mangion is besides the point.