Mrs Vella goes on holiday and misses the MEPA hearing on City Gate
Legality Now: but I don't think I'll bother with the MEPA hearing
What in heaven’s name is this Astrid Vella? She’s been agitating against the Renzo Piano project for a year, organising petitions, demonstrating in Valletta, colonising the comments-board on timesofmalta.com, phoning people 20 times a day and driving them up the wall, becoming a permanent fixture on Super One and generally talking rot.
Now when the big day arrives and with it the proper forum for making her complaints and objections known – the MEPA’s public hearing on the city gate project – she goes on holiday and misses it.
The MEPA, prepared for a massive turn-out based on Mrs Vella’s propaganda about the masses of people who are opposing the project (they should have listened to me and read this blog instead) rented out a hall and 400 chairs. Only 50 people turned up, and most of them were from the MEPA, the government and the architects’ office. The members of the public consisted of a few FAA officials and no, Astrid Vella wasn’t among them.
Kienet msiefra, il-missis.
Give me strength. Niskanta kemm hawn mhuh ta’ tigieg, u kemm hawn min jemminhom.
36 Comments Comment
Leave a Comment
Guess what? Her ally and other arch opponent of the project, Kenneth Zammit Tabona, wasn’t there either.
In this Banana Republic (I believe your very recent words) democracy is more honoured in the breach than the observance,
Only a couple of days ago Austinr Gatt said that The Piano Proposals were “final”.
Tha MEPA Board which will have the final says is packed with stooges hand-picked and appointed by lawrence Gonzi.
What was the point of attending this facrce, except to give the foregone conclusion a spurious legitimacy?
They did well to stay away. I had an invitation, as a “registered” objecter. I had no desire to attend and be made a fool of.
[Daphne – Go, Twanny, go! That’s what I call courage of your convictions. And then you guys get upset ghax nghid li l-irgiel Maltin bla bajd.]
Excuse typos.
Let me answer that with another question. I know for a fact that you receive frequent invitations to attend chat shows/discussion programmes. Why do you always refuse?
[Daphne – Let me rephrase that for you, Vic: why would I accept? Time is money.]
Twanny – how come it never crossed the narrow tunnels of your mind that this project is what is sorely needed for our capital city.
In the good old Labour days we had a cart and a donkey placed on top of the Triton Fountain with devastating results.
Oh I forgot to mention the worker’s memorial monument in Msida – yet another work of art by Labour.
“Time is money”, il-qoffa bl-inbid u l-ktieb ohxon li ma’ jinteressakx ta’ Bondi Plus huwa tahmil tas-snien,Twan!
“..I had no desire to attend and be made a fool of.”
Twan, there was no need at all for you to go, your comments in this blog have amply demonstrated that you are one already.
L-anqas Mallia tar-Ramblers Association ma kien hemm, mid-dehra.
Was the Dux, the one with the black shirt, there?
Perhaps the people have given up seeing how defiant Gonzi is Daphne. I have given up myself did not go to any protest but I certainly do not like parts of the Piano project one bit. Then again I might be proven wrong once I see the finished project who knows. But it just doesn’t ring well with me seeing a parliament in front of my face as soon as I enter Valletta. I mean what’s the purpose, he wants to impress the guests and ambassadors?
Anything beats what any visitor to Valletta currently seeing on approaching City Gate.
Allura game, set, and match to Gonzi. Forsi fl-ahhar issa nghoqodu ftit fil-kwiet.
You fervent hope. Don’t hold your breath.
The fight will be fought elsewhere – not in rigged meetings meant for the TV cameras.
Twanny is going to chain himself to the nearest available crane.
Another fund raiser for the PL – sell tickets for the spectacle
Credibility. Miss Vella it is spelled C R E D I B I L I T Y. Quoting Merriam-Webster online dictionary: a quality or power of inspiring belief. Where do you fit in Miss Vella?
[Daphne – Mrs. Vella. Miss Vella is my sister.]
Apologies.
Had Astrid Vella and Kenneth Zammit Tabona attended the hearing they would have been allowed to speak and that would have destroyed the illusion they like to cultivate that we are living under a cruel dictatorship where the intelligentsia is arrested and exiled to Filfla.
Or jailed for treason.
Antoine, well, there was one Roderick Galdes, speaking o.b.o. the ‘Opposition’ rather than as the MEPA board member that he was, who did his utmost to stop Astrid Vella’s views being put across on the video that was shown. Now why would that be?
…. or sued for libel and threatened with jail for bringing to light the twisted antics of a magistrate.
In my humble opinion the whole project is great except for the insane idea of rehousing parliament into a new building, when we have such a wealth of stunning historic sites in Valletta which could be converted into a functionable and comfortable parliament.
[Daphne – Name one such building.]
What kind of message does that send? Instead of living and breathing our architectural gems, government is implying that the best thing to do to old buildings is turn them to more boring museums, hardly ever visited by anyone, certainly not lived in by anyone and over time left to rot, except for the odd panic maintenence and clean-up a couple of times a centuary. Great.
“Daphne – Name one such building.”
First of all I am one who likes Piano’s project, but if you want a name for a suitable parliament building I would have suggested Auberge de Bavierre.
I was one of the first people who ASKED why there was no roof; I could not understand the concept. I find it presumptuous to demand for the construction of a roof for a skeletal theatre.
Knowing that Piano is in favour of a library housed underneath the parliament building, I am still disappointed with the government which wants a political museum instead.
John Schembri
Auberge de Baviere, like all other auberges, is scheduled and one cannot just go in, start tearing down walls and making other structural changes. In 2005, for example, MEPA refused an application (PA/00653/05 ) to install a mobile telephony system and antenna for the following reason: “DCC Meeting No. 3202205 held on 4th April, 2005. Architect is informed that DCC intends to refuse this application due to the visual aspect on this historical building.” You can imagine what they would say if one wanted to carry out extensive modifications.
This is something that the Astrid Vella and her friends do not seem to understand when they go on and on about turning a palazzo into a museum or a parliament building. Even the building known as the ‘Main Guard’ is scheduled and I’m not sure MEPA would allow the construction of another floor on top of it.
Antoine Vella. You are very right.
Also, it would take much more than a floor to provide all the space required for a parliament house built over the Man Guard. The impact on the heritage value of the building and the urban space qualities of St. George’s Square would be disastrous.
Astrid Vella often suggests that Parliament would be housed in a building over Main Guard. She would be the first to raise all sorts of objections on how the new building would be impacting the old building of the main gurad.
Lovejoy, there is not one single coherent reason why Parliament cannot stay where it is.
She’s rather busy on timesofmalta.com. Her last comment was sent about five hours ago when objections to the project were still being heard.
Does anyone remember Labour’s pre-election proposal to create a moat around Valletta?
Yes, that project had Victor Laiviera’s support. At first, he didn’t realise that water finds its own level. When it dawned on him, he suggested building locks.
Sorry, I meant ‘Twanny’.
AD, I believe, had seconded the idea.
There is already a moat around Valletta – it has been there ever since Valletta was built. That is why we enter Valletta over a bridge – it spans the moat.
The proposal you are referring to involved cutting a narrow channel in the already-existing moat to connect Grand Harbour with Marsamxett.
I am of the impression (seeing Astrid’s face) that she cannot stand up to a lot of pressure – she looks stressed during her talk with Saviour. For charity”s sake, give her a break, poor thing.
Not to side with anyone but the meeting yesterday had no point what so ever, the dictator at castille has already decided and no one’s gonna stop him.
Shame really i really like Valletta.
‘gonna’ – another trade mark like ‘wake up…etc’
Whats your opinion on the project, Daphne?
[Daphne – Try and keep up. I’ve written reams about it over the last year.]