Wasal il-mument storiku
Published:
September 18, 2008 at 12:14pm
Off we go, friends. The third consecutive Labour leader is about to be coopted into parliament like KMB and Sant. Are the unofficial bet-takers opening a book on this one ? I’m not a gambling girl, but my bets are on Joe Debono Grech, last seen in public weeping on the stage while Joseph Muscat absolved him of all guilt and welcomed him back into the Labour fold.
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Joe Debono Grech as an MEP ?
God help us all.
Weren’t Fenech Adami and Gonzi co-opted too?
As we say in the gambling industry, JDG is the odds on favourite in this race. But then, horses don’t always do what their jockeys want them to ….. so who knows? Betting is open….
@ D Fenech
At the moment cannot find exactly regarding Fenech Adami, but Lawrence Gonzi contested and was elected in 1996 so he entered in parliament on his own steam and not by a co-option.
Others here will inform us say whether Fenech Adami took his seat in parliamnet either thru a bye-election or a co-option but he took his seat upon the death of a former member of parliament and so no-one had to sacrifice his seat becuase of him.
Obviously one cannot say the same for Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, Alfred Sant and Joeseph Muscat.
Fenech Adami was co-opted as member of Parliament in 1969 after the death of a certain Caruana M.P. But he was not then leader of the P.N. He was elected leader in 1977.
In the case of E. Fenech Adami and A. Sant, the situation is quite similar. They were both co-opted into Parliament during one legislature and became leaders of their respective parties during a different legislature. The case of the other two is totally different. Mifsud Bonnici was handpicked as deputy leader and leader designate in 1982 and co-opted in Parliament. He was sworn as P.M. and became party leader when Mintoff resigned as Party leader and P.M. in 1984. Muscat was chosen party leader when not a member of Parliament, and like Mifsud Bonnici before him, without having contested the general election.
KMB was co opted and became prime minister , the vacated seat was of the late Paul Xuereb who later became “Agent President”.
I remember Sant getting less votes than the late George Elmer, but Sant contested the election of 1987. Fenech Adami contested the election .KMB & Joseph did not contest the elections.
BTW : Joe Debono Grech is against divorce so Joseph ‘killed two birds with one stone” . Or three birds?
Joe Cuschieri is giving up his seat….time should prove me right ;)
(Daphne – I had my suspicions about that, too, but thought that Muscat would have had the sense to go for Debono Grech, because he would have to give him less in return. If he accepts Cuschieri’s seat he will have to offer a great deal instead because Cuschieri is at the start of his political career. He will also be beholden to the Cuschieri brothers, the other one of whom is the notorious Manwel.)
Its going to be Joseph Cuschieri. And he will probably expect to be allowed to contest as a candidate for the EP elections; with the party machine backing him of course.
(Daphne – There’s a whole lot more at stake than that. Manwel Cuschieri will become more powerful within the party machine.)
Or, more probable, an honourable way out for Manwel to get him out of Marsa (biex imexxi l-ufficju ta huh hi)
(Daphne – Yes. But it still leaves Muscat indebted to him. Not that we should worry about this, given that he comes across as the sort of person not to worry about duties and obligations once he has what he wants. Perhaps he’ll just lead the Cuschieri brothers up the garden path until he grabs that seat, promise the earth, and run.)
Why are you all so worried about Dr. Muscat being indebted to the Cuschieri brothers when in your opinion MLP will never be in Government? What happens in Hamrun and Marsa wouldn’t effect that much the running of the country I assume.
(Daphne – It is precisely because 50% of the electorate thinks with its nether regions that people like me worry about the MLP being in government. Let me jog your memory: 47% of the electorate voted for the return of KMB as prime minister in the 1992 general election, when we had experienced him already before 1987 and had experienced how much better life was under Eddie Fenech Adami between 1987 and 1992.)
Joe Cuschieri…..how much is it going to cost your party to please you???? €€€€€€€€€€€, and accomodate JM?