Din L-Art Helwa do great stuff…wipe up the mess stuff..but they’re a bit like a Band Aid Brigade..they focus on fixing the rot which is admirable, but they don’t seem to target the source of the rot, and that’s where FAA comes in (typical of 3rd World countries, organisations get condensed into single personalities such that in this case FAA becomes Astrid Vella just as last PN electoral campaign became Gonzi).

FAA tackles the rot at its root: MEPA (read:government) in cahoots with big money to fiddle the system to make more big money. Well, there’s only so much time in a day (give or take several hours for following bitchfests on the DCG blog) and one organisation can’t be doing both raising funds for fix-it jobs and keeping track of government shenanigans..so we have DLH and FAA and this country needs them both in equal measure.

By the way, I love the way you insinuate Mrs. Vella works only for her personal gain..can you prove that she is making any personal gains (in Maltese read: fat bank account)? Or is she possibly just being a thorn in the backside by trying to overcome her inadequacy issues as a result of her short height on the convent playground? (Not something you can relate to I’m sure).

[Daphne – Actually, I think it’s the latter.]

You’re confusing catfight with topless mudwrestling.

[Daphne – No, Twanny, you’re wrong. Marika Mifsud’s comment sums it up. I don’t know about Mr Bugeja, because I don’t know him at all. He comes across to me as quite a nice man from the little I’ve seen of him on television, but what would I know about that. But I certainly know about Mrs Vella and her kind, because that’s my home turf she prances around on. I can’t explain why I don’t respect her judgement, mode of action or opinions without coming across as very rude, so I won’t – but basically, it’s what happens when you give a ‘child’ a bit of power and attention.]

But, since, by definition, NGOs have to deal with the government of the day, and since the government at present is PN, they feel obliged to take every critical word as a mortal insult.

[Daphne – Not at all. I am a firm supporter of Din L-Art Helwa, for example, and I put my money where my mouth is with them. DLH enjoy enormous respect right across the board. Their criticism is always well considered and well balanced – and credible. What’s more, they don’t just whine, whinge and carp – they do things. They don’t collect money for their personal campaigns like Mrs Vella does, but for the restoration of buildings – and then they restore them. Mrs Vella, on the other hand, comes across as ever so slightly potty, easily manipulated (and manipulative) politically, misguided and at times even not particularly bright. Also, her methods are those of a loose cannon, picking on apparently random buildings while ignoring wider environmental issues or even major projects. It is the convent-school playground approach to ‘doing business’.]

[Daphne – I bash lots of other people, Chris, but men just love what they see as a cat fight. To me, Astrid is just another male politician.]

Why don’t you call a truce? I could then try to get you (both) to do something positive with the resources this would unleash: do you know the parlous state of sign language interpreting services provision in this country? I assure you it’s a far, far bigger scandal than anything MEPA or Astrid ever did or didn’t do.

The trouble is, I have neither the clout nor the time – especially because our daughter is deaf – to conduct a media/blogosphere campaign. Believe me, in any other civilised country it would be a huge scandal and heads would roll. But because the deaf – literally – can’t speak, no one is aware of what’s going on.

Push will eventually come to shove . . . but it would be a lot quicker and less painful if the right people were convinced of the cause.

I did not have sex/gender in mind when I made that comment. Don’t really know why you brought it up.

My comment applies in any case.

He was sitting between Alex Sceberras Trigona and George Vella with his Ara – Kemm- Jien- Zaghzugh / Ara- Nanna -Kemm-Ilhaqt smirk on his face. In reality he appeared as though two same-sex parents took their adopted son to some meeting. Especially Alex peering down on him, explaining something.

There’s something about Muscat where he seems to feel good about himself, but indeed he comes across as being completely out of his depth. It then just crossed my mind that in just over three years he will be Malta’s PM at the EU summits.

Keep up the good work Daphne

Steve

[Daphne – This is an equal opportunities blog, Twanny. Women get discussed in the same tones as men. If it’s OK to laugh at Anglu Farrugia and his elephant, or Joseph Muscat and his hair gel, then it’s OK to laugh at Astrid Vella and her choice of red hair dye.]

Big or small, Astrid Vella infringed the rules, whereas Scerri did not break any rule.This is what matters in terms of credibility.

Of course I have access to MEPA’s system. I know how to use my computer: all the information is there for all to see. And you are reminding me that this was on Malta Today – so there is no need to access the internal system.