Sshhhhh! George and Astrid are cogitating
Buy your gold-plated Astrid figurine now - all proceeds to the Astrid Vella libel fund
Flimkien Ghal Ambjent Ahjar has pronounced itself on the Renzo Piano plans at last, in a message on its website that says it will not be pronouncing itself on the Renzo Piano plans for a while yet.
The message is headed ‘Valletta Regeneration’, but no mention is made of any of the other multitudinous aspects of the planned regeneration of the capital city.
Apparently, we have some time to wait yet before we hear what FAA thinks, because George and Astrid are hard at work, cogitating and talking to ‘experts’.
Meanwhile, they have condescended to let us know their view that “indeed some elements of Mr Piano’s plans are positive and interesting”.
I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to know that.
And because “Renzo Piano has been working on this project for more than three years”, it “merits more than a superficial comment” – you know, like Din L-Art Helwa’s and the rest of them.
U hallina, Astrid.
And right after telling us that any immediate comments are bound to be superficial, what does she do? She directs us to read MP Jean Pierre Farrugia’s letter to The Times about this subject, which she describes as “very valid” and uploads it to make sure we do.
www.ambjentahjar.org
FAA considers it positive that Valletta’s needs are being placed at the forefront of government action and indeed some elements of Mr. Piano’s plans are positive and interesting.
FAA is studying the plans and consulting professionals in the field to be in a position to submit detailed comments. Architect Renzo Piano has been working on this project for more than three years so it is felt that this merits more than a superficial comment. Moreover, FAA feels that a project as important as re-modelling the entrance to Valletta needs to be open to full public consultation, especially since it has not been properly discussed after the last project was dropped two decades ago. We also maintain that any project concerning Valletta needs to be handled in a holistic manner, taking the broader picture into account.
26 Comments Comment
Leave a Comment
We the People feel betrayed. How can Astrid and George remain silent on this abomination? We were told that they know it all. They even know the environmental impact of a proposed development long before the preparation of an EIA, as happened with the cathedral museum. Astrid can even work miracles. She can fit tapestries the size of a double-decker bus into the rooms of a Valletta ‘palazzo’.
Consult professionals? They must have lost their heads. Who needs professionals? All professionals have a conflict of interest. By definition! So stuff professionals, say the People.
When we the People speak, everyone else must listen … and obey. For those who disobey, George and Astrid’s other toy soldiers will take care of them. They will gang up and use endless columns of newsprint to pour scorn and spite on them.
What is the world coming to? Astrid and George have actually decided to think before they speak.
When I saw Astrid on TV she said she still felt that the proper place for parliament was in a palazzo. Preferably in the lower part of Valletta to help in the regeneration of that area.
[Daphne – Parliament in a palazzo…it’s going to get a little crowded there what with all those cathedral-sized tapestries.]
Astrid has already pronounced herself authoritatively during a recent programme on television. Has she jumped the gun and ignored FAA this time? And once we have heard Astrid who needs Renzo Piano, or even MEPA for that matter. She always speaks with great authority. If only we would listen to her, especially when she speaks for the People. Vox populi …
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090717/local/church-makes-case-against-divorce
“Malta does not need divorce, a report conducted by the church insists.”
Oh really?
And here’s one for the breastfeeding fanatics, no doubt:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090717/local/a-h1n1-victim-recounts-experience
Breastfeeding a two-and-a-half-year-old can only be described as perverse. A child that can walk, talk and is of kindergarten age being breastfed? Ugh!
[Daphne – Women who do that kind of thing refuse to admit the truth even to themselves: that they get a sexual kick out of it. It’s about time somebody wrote another book about how to screw up your children, especially if they’re boys.]
Here we go again: “as re-modelling the entrance to Valletta needs to be open to full public consultation”.
I think that there should be a door-to-door opinion-gathering exercise to find out exactly what each individual thinks about the Piano plans. The opinion-gathering team should interview each person, assess their professional knowledge about architecture and mark the form accordingly.
Statistics will show:
75% do not have a rudimentary clue about architecture
10% don’t even know what the project is all about
10% do not even care
4% are happy with the opera house ruins and city gate as they are today
1% are architects and professional people with sufficient qualifications to express an opinion regarding the Renzo Piano plans
In a democracy, whose opinion should the government listen to? The 99% who do not have a clue or the 1% who, in their majority, had no qualms giving their endorsement soon after the plans were revealed?
I have just read on timesofmalta.com that Astrid Vella has been summoned to Police HG. U jidher li din il-bicca haduha bi kbira. They also want to be regarded above the law.
[Daphne – Ajam jahasra, min jaf kemm gejjin xenati tal-martri u tea-and-sympathy taht il-hasira ta’ Tigne Beach.]
She believes she can say whatever she thinks about anybody without being challenged. She is currently playing the victim to attract sympathy. She does not believe in EIAs as well as any professional that is not of her choice and in favour of her sacred mission. Does she have any doubt about the fairness of the police corps and the legal system? We’ll wait and see.
Looks like Astrid’s been raising funds for a boob job and some Essex-girl shoes. I guess the photographer caught her unawares….not.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090717/local/astrid-vella-questioned-over-alleged-libel
My thoughts exactly. I actually thought she had a “job” done when I saw that photo. Either she has, or she’s using “chicken fillets”, which can be easily bought at one of the larger shops at The Strand.
Chicken fillets? That looks like a turkey to me. Or make that an ostrich.
Maybe you meant ostrich eggs?!
There once was an advert which went something along the lines of “WHAT have you got in there?”, and that’s what sprang to mind when I saw the photo on this link
http://www.maltastar.com/pages/ms09dart.asp?a=3174
“FAA said it would be filing a complaint regarding harassment in breach of international protocol with the Geneva office of the Aarhus Convention.” (The Times)
Leaving aside the question of harassment (though she doesn’t look very harassed, to be honest), why should the police questioning of Astrid Vella be a breach of international protocol? Does she have diplomatic immunity or something?
Astrid Vella and her motley crew of timesofmalta.com ‘supporters’ believe that she is being investigated for exercising her democratic rights and not for trampling on someone else’s.
Astrid Vella, and all those tell her to “keep it up” – embarrassing choice of words – don’t seem to have understood the distinction. In their simplistic world, someone is right or wrong so it follows that everything that person does or says is consequently right or wrong. So, in their view, Astrid Vella is right because she has the best of intentions, so she is able to say and do what she likes.
It is extremely naive to believe oneself to be above the law. Even speaking ill of someone exposes you to criminal prosecution, let alone posting comments in writing where everyone can read them.
When you don’t like the message, shoot the messenger.
[Daphne – Sweetheart, I don’t like the messengers, though that doesn’t mean to say I would like them shot. Where would we be without the entertainment value?.]
FAA are so into deception that I find anything they say hard to believe. Did the police really send for her? Why did the police get themselves involved if the veracity or otherwise of her allegations against Musumeci will be determined in a court of law during the libel proceedings? Could it be that she just took the photo and ran off to the nearest café for a cup of tea with her friends?
Why is she holding a copy of The Times in her hands? Is she trying to induce the Times to give the photo greater prominence?
I would have thought that she would have had a file in her hands full of notes and evidence to sustain her allegations. More likely that she has no notes or evidence to present and all her allegations and mud-slinging comes off the top of her head.
I think it was a mistake for architect-politician Musumeci to ask the police to investigate because she will use this to depict herself as a victim. The truth is that she is an egocentric constantly craving for public attention.
Daphne: I think you and your fellow posters may have crossed the lines of decency and indeed the law in your crusade against Ms. Vella, Dr. Debono and the FAA. I thought you were much better than this.
[Daphne – The people you mention have been casting aspersions and slandering others for months. You may have different standards, but in my view a couple of jokes about people don’t even begin to compare to slander and accusations of corruption. Incidentally, you are a fine hero who can’t even bring yourself to use your name. Astrid, George and the rest are beginning to discover that when you put yourself out there, you are laying yourself open to criticism.]
@ Disgusted.
The lines of decency have been crossed long ago by FAA.
In a comment under the “Let’s avoid the subject, shall we?” post, Mario Debono describes very well the way FAA operate “…..misinformation, selective presentation of information, lack of consistency as to which projects they attack, the slinging of mud, veiled and open allegations, the cynical use of the media and of everyone who has an axe to grind against the government …..”
To these, I would add their arrogance when claiming that they speak on behalf of the “people”. FAA have been doing all these things for years (and not months Daphne, as you suggest).
Tim Ripard’s comment under the “Astrid’s toy soldiers” post is also worth noting: “I think the FAA was a bad idea to start off with and it’s been getting worse since then. Astrid, I think, started off with good, if misguided intentions but has since been sliding down a slippery slope into perdition.”
Will Astrid, George and the rest of them ever understand the difference between what is decent and what isn’t? I wonder.
Read Stephen Calleja’s article in The Malta Independent on Sunday. Perhaps all of Astrid Vella’s defenders may understand a bit better where she and a certain George Debono come from. I have already sent kudos to Mr. Calleja and perhaps other readers of this blog should do the same.
Here you go –
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/2009/07/19/astrid.html
[Daphne – I imagine she doesn’t even see the irony in a title like ‘the people never asked for a parliament’. Il-vera mohh ta’ pizella, jahasra. Manipulative cunning can only go so far in mimicking real intelligence.]
“The public wanted a theatre” – how did she reach that conclusion?
[Daphne – Astrid Vella is The People. She’s working on a version of ‘l’etat c’est moi.’]
“Another disadvantage of a roofless theatre is that it will exclude schoolchildren from attending performances or listening to Malta’s homeless philharmonic orchestra since schools are closed in summer and schoolchildren cannot be expected to sit through performances on wet or chilly winter days.”
Hell, doesn’t the sun ever shine from October to June? And there I was thinking this is Malta, not Sweden.
[Daphne – I guess Astrid’s into mollycoddling. She turned down an invitation to participate in a debate on TVM on the grounds that her son was recuperating from an operation to his leg and “he needs me”. She omitted to mention that her son was 21 at the time, allowing everyone to think that she was the devoted mother of a five-year-old, and that she had given birth the Old Testament way like the biblical Sarah.]
In Sweden we have several high profile outdoor venues. One of the most high profile was in the town where I used to live, where they had outdoor performances all through summer, in a quaint tree-surrounded setting.
Our school took us there at least twice, although I can’t say if that was late spring or early autumn. Also, why does this limit schoolchildren from using it? If they want to, they can go during summer. If they don’t want to, then what is the problem?
The only part I really agree with her is where she insists on the government making public the brief given to Renzo Piano. I think it would be highly interesting to see, unless of course this is public already.
Weirdly, her biggest complaint about the outdoor theatre doesn’t seem to be meteorological, but about noise pollution. She can’t grasp that theatre performances could be scheduled around events such as festivals and the Isle of MTV.
She also keeps bringing up the current deficit (three times by a quick count), not realising that the 80+40 million would not be spent this year (I presume).
“FAA is seriously concerned about the bulk and mass of the Parliament building which risks overwhelming the surrounding structures.”
Not sure which buildings she is referring to here – the worn down block opposite the entrance, the cheap-looking arcades, or the Burger King that faces you on entry.
She has maybe a vague point about placing it on a busy shopping street. I’m a bit split about that. I’m sure the building is going to be really impressive and a parliament is something that should be on display, but I don’t know how the parliament activity will affect shoppers, nor how shoppers will affect the parliament activity. That said, I can’t wait to see it.
[Daphne – If parliamentary activity doesn’t affect shopping now, it’s not going to affect shopping there. Currently, it’s just down the same street. There too much straw-clutching going on here – desperate arguments by desperate people.]
Incidentally, what does FAA the environmental organisation – as opposed to FAA the political animal – think about an eco-building in Malta’s capital city? How do the cost and energy savings of a new building compare to cost and energy savings of converting a ‘palazzo’?