Comments on: Qishom tal-festa, jigbru ghan-nar

By: Kenneth Cassar

Kenneth Cassar — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:06:09 +0000

@ Gerald:

If its the same Antoine Vella, his “connection” with the “Nats” is no secret. He was (is?) a Nationalist councillor – nothing wrong with that, is there?

Now, I’m not at all connected with the “Nats”, but I do find the “idea” of going door-to-door collecting memberships annoying, to say the least, just like posting lottery tickets in households for us to sell, and door to door campaigning before elections, is.

By: Antoine Vella

Antoine Vella — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:17:01 +0000

Gerald

This blog contains often sharp satire and word caricatures but calling it “bile and vitriol” goes to show how unused we are in Malta to political lampooning. Poking fun at Joseph’s mannerisms is not bile and laughing at his companions’ gaffes not vitriol (what does a politician expect when he publishes a photo of himself on an elephant and calls it “International Affairs”?)

What is the basis for your claim that Joseph is “making significant inroads” among unaffiliated voters? Even the latter term is ambiguous. We have very few unaffiliated voters in Malta – what we have is an increasing number of voters who switch their affiliation at the drop of a hat according to their immediate personal interest.

Regarding me and my ‘kind’, I’ve never kept my political allegiance secret and when I’ve had to choose between working for a non-political NGO and taking part in political activities (specifically the EU campaign) I had no doubt what I should do. To paraphrase Orwell, all values are important but some are more important than others.

By: Gerald

Gerald — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 08:15:35 +0000

Antoine Vella: Your revelation simply confirms that the large majority on this blog are quite well connected to the Nats. No wonder all this bile and vitriol against Joseph Muscat. The pity for you and your kind is that JM is making significant inroads among unaffiliated voters who are sick and tired of outright lies, massive wastage of public funds (See National Auditor’s Report for 2006)and a pathetic team of ministers who delude themselves that the ripples of the credit crisis will not hit Malta. Talk about leadership!

[Daphne – So we’d be much better off voting for somebody who needed five and a half years of hindsight to realise that the Yes vote won the referendum. Oh, please.]

By: Antoine Vella

Antoine Vella — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:02:54 +0000

This is an anachronistic idea. I used to be in a PN committee and we once did a massive door to door campaign recruit members and, above all, to persuade them to remove their cable radio at the time of the boycot against Xandir Malta. This was soon after the 1981 elections however, 27 years ago. We had no access to radio or television, there was no internet and many people were afraid to buy In-Nazzjon (many shops did not even stock it) so the only option was to meet people in person, family by family, street by street.

Repeating a 30-year old exercise is pointless. Anyone who wants to join the MLP can go to the nearest kazin and do so easily and freely. At this point, yes, Michael A. Vella is right: it is coercion.

By: Graham Crocker

Graham Crocker — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 20:45:44 +0000

So they know where the ones who didn’t vote for them live?
Who do they think they are, The Stazi?

By: Michael A. Vella

Michael A. Vella — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:58:01 +0000

Now, what do they call it, up north, across the channel? ‘Pizzo’, is it?Yes.

[Daphne – Yes. Here are Joey’s boys, come for their protection money.]