Their paws were too big for the buttons
Published:
May 11, 2009 at 3:44pm
When I'm done fighting this foreigner, I'll take a break and press the wrong button
You know, I feel sorry for Louis Grech, the only Labour MEP capable of pressing the right button, who has wound up so badly embarrassed by John Cruise and Clueless Bedingfield. It’s tough when your supporting act is a couple of clowns. You end up tarred with the same brush, even if you don’t deserve it.
I liked the prime minister’s deadpan take on the situation:
“Here in Malta they speak like lions, wanting to eat everyone and use their veto. And then they go to Brussels and press the wrong button.”
Ouch.
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Of mice and men and pussy cats:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPtF0rnjVFE
A party of pussycats………but not so sweet.
Any news on JM’s assertion that PN MEPs made 13 mistakes during their stay in Brussels?
http://www.maltastar.com/pages/ms09dart.asp?a=1736
Or is it all “non sense” (sic)?
[Daphne – Jacques, I find it difficult to take him seriously. First he said that two of his MEPs suffered the adverse effects of a computer malfunction, and that they registered their vote by other means (they hadn’t). Now he’s saying that it was all a mistake and that John Attard Montalto pressed the wrong button. I find it very hard to believe that Simon Busuttil pressed the wrong button too. You may not share Simon Busuttil’s and David Casa’s political views, but you have to admit that, unlike Attard Montalto and Glenn Bedingfield, they are not press-the-wrong-button, oh-should-I-voted-on-that types.]
Qas jikteb bil Malti ma jaf. Mhux ahjar minni taf, ghax zbalji niehu. Imma ma tistennijiex minn Dak Li Bghat Alla Biex Isalva Il-Pajjiz u Il-Partit.
James Debono, in Malta Today, cites the voting record of Maltese MEPs on seven resolutions dealing with lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-sexual issues (as published by the International Lesbian-Gay Association of Europe).
The record shows that Simon Busuttil and David Casa indeed press the right buttons – those of the extreme right. Both consistently voted against or abstained, with Casa absent on one occasion (having his hairpiece attended to I hear).
For a blog that delights in highlighting politicians’ plumage, how come this guy’s never gets a mention here?
[Daphne – Because I have nothing against his politics, except on the very issues you mention. With Vince and Fred, on the other hand, the wig is just something else to wind them up about. But while we’re on the subject, have you noticed just how many men in Maltese public life wear wigs?]
Well. No news then. I have never measured Simon Busuttil’s views against my own – especially since we rarely get to sample HIS views on issues. What I have said is that I find it a pity that someone of his experience has been often caught being economic with the truth in order to accomodate the party he serves.
As for David Casa … political views? Right.
There is nothing to admit about their not being the press-the-wrong button types. What worries me is that Casa has proven to be a press the “copy&cut&paste” buttons type and Simon is the “press the right button” type where “right” means PN interests and not necessarily all the citizens he is representing in Brussels – because after all as Gonzi rightly said – the EP is not about party interests but about maximising the Maltese citizen’s influence in a very important institution.
That’s a nice bit of ”lanzit” man! And as waffling as the articles you entertain us with every Sunday..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3a6ZZPLsio
Nothing to say about the immigration question? How convenient!
[Daphne – Sigh. Now here’s the voice from AD. Ring your man Arnold and ask him for the word from Italy. That fence-post must really be getting up his ass. I’ll send him some Preparation H for Christmas – sorry, La Befana or whatever they call it there.]
You are consistent in one thing…when you have no argument you go vulgar. In my book that’s the culture of the hamallu you so hate…
now that the PN is behaving like Josie, you have nothing to say…when Poodle started acting lie a pitbull with the immigrants you cried foul. When PN does the same, you go silent…let me guess…is there’s an election coming up?
[Daphne – Sorry, sugar, but you’re the one who reveals a lot about yourself by reacting to Naughty Words like a maiden aunt from another century. I’m not in the business of politics, remember. Unlike you, I’m in the business of entertainment. When I don’t bother writing about something, it’s because I’ve figured it will bore people. This is the way I look at it: if it makes me yawn, it’s going to make my readers yawn too. I’ve made a few errors of judgement in my time, but on the whole my instinct for these things has been unerring, which is why you’re glued to this blog instead of reading worthy pieces by some muesli-eating AD activist and her hand-knitted laptop.]
Well, at least they’re willing to work – and to pay the relevant tax / NI contributions:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090511/local/895-migrants-registered-as-gainfully-occupied
It would be interesting to know how this compares percentage-wise with the actual number of “irregular immigrants” (as they have been labelled). More interesting to know would be such percentage, compared to the percentage of unwilling-to-work-lazy-Maltese-bums-living-off-our-taxes (and off the taxes and NI contributions of the immigrants they despise).
That’s a ridiculous number to assume that they as a group are willing to work and pay taxes.
What they’re willing to do is pay good money to get away from here.
Graham Crocker – “Willing to work” as in “preferring to earn some money – however little – for actually working, unlike many of the unemployed/unwilling to work Maltese bums.”
so f’sormok comes from a hamallu and ‘úp his arse’ is naughty words….. interesting….i guess it’s the reasoning that classifies ‘fuck off’ as acceptable university exasperation and ‘f”oxx kemm ghandek’ as a condemnable hamallata!
[Daphne – That’s right. You’ve got it in one – about the first. With the second, you’re wrong. Fuck off is not a translation of f’oxx kemm ghandek. A translation of f’oxx kemm ghandek would involve the use of the C word, which is completely beyond the pale in English, unless you’re describing a particularly unpleasant man. But don’t tempt me.]
Sant rhymes with Kant
Hey John, did you mean Sant, Kant & Muskant……………ooohhhh miaow !
Hey Tony, do you mean the three Muskanteers?
Tony Pace – What are you on?
Ghoxx has an ghajn.
[Daphne – Interesting: two orifices in one.]
Yes that’s right. In Arabic it’s “khuss” with the guttoral “kh” or a simple ‘k’ sound. In Maltese it’s been warped to the point where even the apostrophe has disappeared: FOXX
Try telling that to Toni Abela ( http://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/2008/09/19/oh-dear-what-an-oxxata-sorry-couldnt-resist-that/ )
It can’t even be translated literally. Using the C word as in “up your C-word” doesn’t make sense.
“fuck off”, on the other hand, is another useful arrow in the multifunctional quiver of “go away” equivalents:
piss off, sod off, bugger off, naff off, feck off (if you’re Irish)…
Beautiful.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t written as “fAck off” on l-Orizzont.
Although the c word is indeed one of the English words for ‘ghoxx’, it is the most vulgar one available and also the least accurate translation on a linguistic level. When used as an individual insult, ‘ghoxx’ implies that the target of the insult is incompetent to some degree. Therefore, the closest English translation (although still not accurate) is ‘pussy’ – implying cowardice.
When the word is used as part of a delightful combo, as with the fine example above, the implications are still not harsh enough to merit a translation to the c word for the simple reason that it’s a relatively common and unimaginative phrase. Just like ‘fuck off’, ‘f’ghoxx kemm ghandek’ is the default verbal reaction to a great many situations, and although their literal meaning is very harsh, both phrases have long since lost their original sting to regular speakers of their respective languages. Coming from strangers, both phrases are provocative, but they are also frequently used among friends to indicate mild annoyance – such as when a sibling pours a cup of slush down your back. Even in such a sticky scenario, using the c word would be inappropriate except perhaps for some areas of South London.
Having said that, ‘f’oxx kemm ghandek’ is not quite as flexible a phrase as ‘fuck off’ since the latter is a particularly useful verb to indicate motion. (Ex: I need to fuck off for a bit, do you mind watching my kid till I get back?’)
For more information, look up my dissertation ‘The Evolution of the Maltese Swear Word’. There’s a whole chapter just on ‘liba’.
No way. “ghoxx”, as an insult (as in “kemm hu ghoxx”) does not mean “coward”, but exactly what the English equivalent means when used as an insult.
but, dear commenters, very important to put a ‘g’ at the end of fucking, ”fuckin’ bad” is hamallu english, but an Admiral would use a posh accent and say ‘fucking awful’ and get away with it. Right D?
[Daphne – Yes. Though I must say that those who want an intellectual discussion should move to Mario Vella’s blog at this point. What’s it called – Waters have broken?]
All the ones who think they’re really special find their place with Norman Lowell
http://www.timesofmalta.com/mepelections/candidates/reuben-attard
Another unAryan looking bloke. Where does Lowell find his poster people?
[Daphne – That’s because he was adopted from Romania, which explains the need to belong/drive out immigrants/protest too much/prove himself. On the other hand, he’s the same age as my kids, so with luck he’ll grow out of it, possibly thanks to a nice girl, which solves all sorts of problems.]
Yeps.
re: MEP candidate Reuben Attard, he’s so special he invented the time machine as well :)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article3760832.ece
Ok. Let’s go really deep and intellectual. Has anyone been watching Eurovision? I know I am biased and tend to occasionally wave the flag a bit too much, but hey, if it’s the singer not the song, then Chiara wins hands down. But I suppose it IS the Eurovision SONG contest, ……………… Dammit, I still think we beat most of the competition anyway. So there, now you know…………..
Ghoxx or pastizz, either will do, describes someone who’s a bit of a plonker. The meaning can also be conveyed graphically and simultaneously by opposing the tips of the index fingers and thumbs in an appropriate manner.
This in the interest of maintaining the high intellectual standard of the conversation. Bugger Mario Vella’s blog.
I must say I’m a little disappointed to see that nobody has commented about this story yet:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090513/local/man-strips-down-at-law-courts
Whoever that guy is – he’s my hero.
I’d say it was a dare …
In the mid-nineties, there was a chap from Birzebbuga who ran bollock-naked all around Marsaxlokk Bay, as a dare.
Hi Daphne,
It is my first time writing to you although I have been following your articles since the Times.
Have you seen the advert from PL. You can see it here at http://www.direzzjonisuccess.eu/videos
It is really cheesy. JM goes into a ‘middle-class’ home which is obviously a well converted farmhouse. He enters this home, which definitely looks well designed and maintained despite the hardship that PL always talks about. At this point the advert changes to look like the advert from one of the local banks.
What do you think?
[Daphne – 1. That you can’t talk about how much people are suffering economically while sitting at a chichi table in a chichi home with one of those naff families where the sole role of the mother appears to be getting her hair and nails done while staring blankly as all attempts at conversation are made, in between driving the children mad about their clothes and homework. 2. That ‘mittilkluss’ appears to be the new buzzword for Muscat, who clearly considers himself and his friends to be middle-class, rather than working-class with money and careers, which is precisely how they are seen by really middle-class people from say, Stella Maris parish in Sliema, like myself. (He makes the mistake of thinking that being middle-class is all about having a certain kind of house and a certain level of income, and doesn’t realise that it’s all about a shared approach to life and values and that there are very many middle-class people who have hardly any money at all, but you can still take them anywhere – unlike Muscat and Jason, who will definitely let the side down.) He hasn’t realised that constantly referring to ‘middle class’ presupposes the existence of an upper class. I wonder who he thinks these people are? I am interested in finding out.
Now from a campaign point of view. 1. He shouldn’t have featured in the video, still less presented it himself. His Super One heritage might be hard to shake off, but he has to ditch the temptation to do anything that will remind us that he was a Super One reporter until very recently. In this video, he is Joseph tas-Super One, and not Joseph Muscat the future prime minister. 2. This is an EP campaign, hence the party leader should feature minimally if at all. We are not electing him or his party. We are merely electing five MEPs. 3. He is confusing national issues with EP issues. The cost of living in Malta cannot possibly be affected or directed by any number of members of the European Parliament. 4. He is running a general election campaign four years ahead of time. By 2013 he will long since have run out of steam. He would be smarter to lie low and then begin pouncing in 2012, which is pretty much the strategy used by Sant in the 1990s (it worked for him, because we had barely noticed his existence in the years 1992 to 1995). But Muscat is so pleased with himself, such an Arani Ma, that he just isn’t capable of it. And then he’s married to Mizzzzzz Pushy, which doesn’t help. 5. The promotional video is too long and boring. I have a professional interest in watching it right through the end, but I struggled through part 1 and pressed End Show before part two was over. So Mr and Mrs Average Viewer are not going to be magnetised, unless they are Labour supporters already, in which case….it’s wasted on them.]
Well….I guess being ‘il-partit ta’ l-iljuni’ has its downside as well.