Comments on: Playing fast and loose with democracy

By: Daphne Caruana Galizia

Daphne Caruana Galizia — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 14:29:25 +0000

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090329/local/five-eu-countries-have-refused-to-refund-car-vat

By: kev

kev — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:48:24 +0000

In reply to Cornelius. Qed tara, Dafni, It-tijcer tak full marks. No argumenta ad hominem, plijs, if you want more kudos from Cornelius.

By: eros

eros — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:33:17 +0000

@Mark. The reference to gays in the same context as racists, hunters and tax avoiders was only in so far as being considered at least by me as a minority – no offence meant to gays (or hunters for that matter).

By: Alan Abela-Wadge

Alan Abela-Wadge — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 08:03:46 +0000

Great article, Daphne. Itss shocking that we are living in 2009 and we still have someone claiming that he wants to be our next prime minister while openly stating that he will ignore the court’s ruling. Same old party, different leader.

Alan Abela-Wadge
PN Candidate
Msida Local Council 2009
6th June 2009

By: Corinne Vella

Corinne Vella — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 07:39:36 +0000

In reply to H.P. Baxxter. It's not the language that's the problem. It's the speakers' mindset. They'd be pedantic in any language. Maybe we can draw the conclusion that only pedants are attracted to making speeches in Maltese. Now hold on for next Tuesday's thrills.

By: H.P. Baxxter

H.P. Baxxter — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 23:42:59 +0000

Both. Language forms thought, and thought forms language. Wittgenstein, was it? Of course it’s not helped by the abysmal imbecility of most of our MPs (take your pick). It’s either that or a neo-Byzantine sense of grandeur (the de Marco/Mifsud Bonnici clan).

(This brings me back to my point about “switched-on” people. I can only name a handful, and none of them are MPs.)

By: H.P. Baxxter

H.P. Baxxter — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:48:59 +0000

Impossible. The Maltese language does not allow points to be made in less than five minutes.

[Daphne – Do you think it’s that, or the mental framework of the people who speak it? I just cannot believe the way Maltese people speak when they are making a ‘public’ address – all that heavy rhetoric.]

By: PMQ

PMQ — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 20:21:26 +0000

@Darren Azzopardi et al

I have heard the Prime Minister propose that there be a “PMQ” Prime Minister Question time, in parliament. Unless I am mistaken, he had also suggested that there be a special parliamentary sitting for such.

I shall look this up in order to clarify matters.

By: Darren Azzopardi

Darren Azzopardi — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 18:17:08 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYvYnNTgaRY

Here’s the correct link.

[Daphne – This is the British prime minister being heckled and roundly booed by the Conservatives in parliament. Remember the hysteria when an audience of Maltese university students did the same to the leader of the Opposition, in the university auditorium last year? How scandalised the Labour Party claimed to be?]

By: Cornelius

Cornelius — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:58:51 +0000

In reply to Cornelius.

Hmm… Why shouldn’t you be patronised? You’re quite dab at patronising others.

[Daphne – Let’s put it this way: I would never dream of telling a painter, “Oh gosh, you painted that really well” and then presume to explain why. That kind of ‘praise’ is actually deeply insulting, especially when it comes from somebody who doesn’t write professionally, just as I don’t know how to paint. A dab? Of what – foundation cream? It’s the same sort of ‘praise’ as women being told “How clever you are” – patronising. Men never get told “How clever you are” – or hadn’t you noticed? When people tell me “How clever you are are” my stock response is now “Yes, I know.” Your remark was the sort of thing a teacher might write on a student’s essay, and I think I’m a little past that, even if you’re not.]