Comments on: Shotgun diplomacy

By: Jason Spiteri

Jason Spiteri — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 10:35:37 +0000

It’s really too bad that you’ve spelt out the US-Mexico fallacy for him, because you may have inadvertently provided the ideal solution for his ‘what-to-do-after-the-quota’ conundrum.

Using all that useless money the EU gives us to tackle immigration to erect a huge (electrified?) fence around the perimeter of our territorial waters might easily fit in as Point 21 of the Grand Plan. And it’s no more impractical than most of the other ideas floated around – I’m sure somebody on that awful message board will come up with the idea, eventually.

By: John Schembri

John Schembri — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 21:16:27 +0000

While working in my garage Saturday mornings I listen to RTK with this Labour man Desmond Zammit Marmara` on every other week, harping and trying to be subtle. He goes on air very well prepared with statistics and all, then you hear the phone-ins from radio elves, about how much ‘il-poplu’ is suffering. I enjoyed the programme more when Carmen Sammut, Joanna Drake, Michael Seychell and George Abela were invited by Mario Tabone Vassallo. Next week, Michael Briguglio and Michael Schiavone will debate on Carmen Sammut’s show. Dr Sammut is a wee bit biased towards Labour, but I like her style – she is moderate, assertive and calm. Zammit Marmara is now Muscat’s chief propagandist on RTK.

By: Stampa Cara...jew Imdardra...

Stampa Cara...jew Imdardra... — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 10:59:29 +0000

Hi Daphne,

I am keenly awaiting your sequel to your excellent Thursday column. Glutton for punishment that I am, I have been listening to RTK’s “Stampa Cara”. This is just a comment regarding how RTK might be, intentionally or otherwise, aiding and abetting Labour’s agenda. Dr Carmen Sammut, possibly in cahoots with Labour, has permitted Desmond Zammit Marmara’ to reiterate incessantly Joseph Muscat’s infamous 20 points on illegal migration, to the chagrin of Laurence Grech.

[Daphne – From what I know of Dr Sammut, that wouldn’t be her style at all. Maybe Zammit Marmara is just bossier and more domineering in radio debates than the polite and reticent Grech.]

By: Jeff

Jeff — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 22:23:09 +0000

Well, Daphne, I suppose nobody in their right mind would call Sliema English proper English although it certainly is a cut above that spoken by most Maltese. A Sliema friend of mine put it very aptly one time when he said to me that he doesn’t speak English – he speaks Sliema (or should that have been Sliemaish?). I’m sure you’ve heard of “by force” used in English where you would put a “bil-fors” in Maltese. I know you’re from Sliema yourself, but judging by your writing, you seem to be an exception to the rule as far as Sliema English goes. That’s probably why you use “public” and not “people” and when you do use “people” you use it in the right context. I live in Ireland and its interesting how, although the use of English is far more prolific here than in Malta, the same errors symptomatic of us Maltese can be found here when the Irish use expressions and sentence construction in English which are a literal translation from the Irish language. As far as the elves are concerned – least said, soonest mended as my granddad used to say. They are very far removed from the English-speaking world, bless them – a vital factor that goes a long way in explaining why they say what they do say. It’s an impediment that seriously undermines accessibility to the many ideas brewing outside the few square miles of territory we call our own, and the ability to process them. In the long run, this kills off the ability to undertake even the most basic degree of self-criticism and anybody in that frame of mind rarely comes up with anything that merits the time of day.

By: Leonard

Leonard — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:07:32 +0000

Corinne: That’s really unfair on primary school children. But I know what you mean.

By: Chris II

Chris II — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 18:44:50 +0000

“There is so little capacity for independent thought and analysis. I blame the form of instruction in our schools, which has for generations been designed to quash all powers of inquiry.”

100% true- right now I am listening to my 12-year-old studying environmental studies – she is trying to literally squeeze into her brain the various building styles of Valletta, the different architects and grandmasters who built the various palaces and churches as well as a whole list of dates.

By: Corinne Vella

Corinne Vella — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 18:43:57 +0000

Leonard: L. Galea comes across as someone who's spent an entire lifetime being taught by primary-school children.

By: Leonard

Leonard — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:43:36 +0000

True. This L. Galea fellow comes across as someone who’s spent an entire lifetime teaching primary school children.

By: Leonard

Leonard — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 02:09:57 +0000

Why do you think the move from “cittadini” to “poplu”? I thought the former has a more socialist ring to it and poplu is to the right. Could it be a perceived move away from Sant?

[Daphne – No, because The People is the new buzz-word. It is designed to have the same effect as ‘ic-cittadin’, but The People is deemed to have a hipper ring to it, and to appeal to the partially educated who congregate on the timesofmalta.com comments-board and, among the more educated classes and those from ‘tal-pepe’ backgrounds, it appeals to the very middle-aged who think they have a touch of Danny Cohn-Bendit about them. I think it’s hilarious, but in a frightening way. It shows how easy it is to bend and twist people, even people who think that in being bent and twisted, they are actually standing up and rebelling. There is so little capacity for independent thought and analysis. I blame the form of instruction in our schools, which has for generations been designed to quash all powers of inquiry.]

By: Jeff Sciberras

Jeff Sciberras — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 22:45:28 +0000

Hi,

This is a bit out of point really but shouldn’t “the people” be “the public”? I know it’s “il poplu” in Maltese but using the literal translation in English doesn’t sound right somehow when its in that context. I suppose most politicians and whoever else, would be speaking in Maltese and therefore saying “poplu” but it’s translated into “people” in the English language press in Malta. I’d say your articles are the only ones where that doesn’t happen actually unless you’re quoting. Otherwise you tend to use “public”. Any thoughts? Thanks.

[Daphne – Yes, in normal situations it would ‘the public’. But Labour feeds buzz-words into the system, and the latest of those is The People. I can understand why the trolls and elves on the internet would pick that up, but Astrid Vella? Peter Apap Bologna? The ‘I’m so superior’ denizens of Sliema? Pathetic.]