So he's a 'political observer' now, is he?
Godfrey Grima would have us believe that he's not gagging for this man to become prime minister
From an article in The Times today, in which some people were asked what they think about the finance minister, the plane, the business leaders and the football game:
Political observer Godfrey Grima disagreed, insisting the minister’s decision to fly with two businessmen was “hugely indiscreet”. Describing the trip as a “serious mistake”, Mr Grima said it was “ill-timed and with the wrong company”.
“The only reason he was invited is because he is a minister. It shows there is no accountability in this country with ministers displaying a sense of arrogance and lack of respect towards public opinion,” he said. Mr Grima also took the Prime Minister to task for approving Mr Fenech’s flight plans, insisting he was a “fool” to get embroiled in this way. “I do not know whether it is a resigning matter because people do make mistakes but this is an issue the Prime Minister has to deal with,” he said.
Godfrey Grima isn’t a political observer. He’s a personal and political adviser to the leader of the Opposition, and he was also his adviser prior to June last year when his role was to help him get elected leader.
The last time I saw him, which was shortly after the general election last year, he was having a long-faced head-to-head discussion with Jason Micallef over lunch a deux at The Carriage.
And yet he insists on maintaining this pretence of being a politically independent and impartial observer, when he’s one of the people whose advice Joseph Muscat seeks – and gets.
What is Godfrey Grima going to do now – advise the future prime minister to prevent his shadow finance minister from having any sort of dealings with George Fenech? Charles Mangion would probably rather give up politics than give that up.
I’ve had it with the Grima brothers and their swinging from side to side. You’d think that at their great age, they’d know their own minds and what their politics are – but apparently not.
Now watch Godfrey throw a tantrum, because God help anyone who suggests that he doesn’t actually vote for both political parties simultaneously or for no one at all so as to be independent. Xi dwejjaq, xi dwejjaq. Xi dwejjaq ta’ nies.
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Why the fuss? We have at least two newspapers claiming to be independent when we all know that they are pro-Nationalist.
[Daphne – They are independent because they are independently OWNED, as distinct from being OWNED by a political party, a church, or a workers’ union. I trust you grasp this distinction. All newspapers have editorial LINES and editorial POLICIES. This means that they have declared VIEWPOINTS and take STANDS on ISSUES. The point about Godfrey Grima is that he pretends not to have a preference for either political party, but in reality he wants Joseph Muscat to become prime minister. He just doesn’t have the guts to spell it out because he doesn’t want to do a Marisa and lose the last few friends he might have ‘on the other side’. I’d have more respect for him if he said: ‘I voted Labour, will vote Labour and this is why….’. When I last wrote that he voted Labour, he sued me. He wasn’t amused when I asked him in court why he feels libelled when I say he’s a Labour voter. So….what? He advises Joseph Muscat, has cosy chats with him on how to proceed, and then votes…..PN, AD or Imperium Europa?]
We have our national TV station hijacked by a well-known company that is also pro-Nationalist. I think this is far more serious than Grima’s political observations or advice.
[Daphne – Let me see now. An independently OWNED production company produces programmes and sells them to the state-owned television station, taking up a mere tiny fraction of air-time, and that constitutes hijacking. How would you advise this independently owned production company to behave so as to meet with your approval: 1. sell its programmes equally to Super One and Net; 2. sell its programmes to nobody; 3. go bust, because it’s not a business but a political machine, 4. start selling clothes or open a wine bar instead. Perhaps you don’t know that Joe Azzopardi is one of the people who brought Alfred Sant to power in 1996.]
Where’s Everybody IS a political machine. It does not go bust cos it is subsidised by taxpayer’s money in the form of guaranteed contracts with the pubic broadcaster.
Thanks for the “Joe Azzopardi is one of the people who brought Alfred Sant to power in 1996” joke. Made my day.
[Daphne – It isn’t a joke, Twanny. It’s a fact. Joe Azzopardi voted Labour in 1996. I assume he wasn’t lying when he said so publicly (you really have to keep up). As for your opening remark, it is a documented fact that Xarabank is Malta’s most-watched television show, topping the ratings every year. The management of a television station would have to be out of its mind (or have the business sense of a socialist) to axe it on the grounds that it doesn’t like the political beliefs of the people who own the company, even though one of them helped elect Labour – albeit ever so briefly, but that was not his fault – to government. And I trust your ‘pubic broadcaster’ was a typographical error, rather than a Freudian slip or worse, an attempt at wit.]
No, I do not believe Joe Azzopardi when he siad he voted Labour – only a naive idiot would. And yes, it was a typo. And Xarabank is so “popular” because it has been allowed, with official blessing, to hijack every significant national event for years.
[Daphne – Give me one good reason why anyone would lie about something like that, when it is so very embarrassing and reflects so poorly on one’s (temporary) judgement. Joe is possibly the only person I know who still admits to it, instead of rewriting the facts in his own mind. For the first two or three months after the general election in 1996, I knew scores of people who crowed that they had voted Labour for a variety of reasons identical to the ones I am hearing now. But as it became increasingly clear that we were in for a really rough ride, and that they had misjudged Sant on the matter of EU membership (no, he could not be persuaded to change his mind), they drew in their horns, crawled back under their stones, and lay low until it was safe to come out again. From then on, it was as though they never voted for Sant. Interestingly, some of these very same individuals are now saying they will vote Labour ‘for the first time’ – and I can remember them saying the same thing back then, though after the election not before. Human nature would be more interesting were it not so very sad.
Xarabank is popular because it’s got the right formula. That lot know what they’re doing. Some people do actually know what they’re doing, Twanny, or do you like people only when they fail?]
Twanny Boy,
Azzopardi did support labour in 1996, but at least is man enough to admit it. He switched because, as anybody with a brain would, he realised that EU membership was best for Malta and Parrokku was definitely not.
As to Xarabank, I personally never last more then ten minutes before shuddering and changing channel (same applies to all Maltese TV) , but it sells. PBS makes a lot more money from advertising on Friday night then its pays for the programme. What would you rather have – Kalamita?
Isn’t there a photo of Joseph Muscat in which he doesn’t have that “tad-daqqiet ta’ harta” expression? I really can’t stomach it.
@Mandy. I totally agree with you – cannot stomach the expression of tqanzih.
How about this one
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/2009/10/11/interview.html
It is true that Joe (Peppi) Azzopardi voted Labour in 1996. When he joined the Graffiti hunger strike in Valletta I was present and remember Joe phoning a certain minister hailing from Zejtun and telling him that he and Alfred Sant have lost his vote.
David Buttigieg, you are wrong. PBS sells airtime to WE. It is WE that earns money by selling a significant portion of that airtime to advertisers.
Unless they just changed it very recently you are completely wrong. Where’s Everybody offered to do that but PBS obviously refused.