What did John Bencini think – that he was dealing with the mittilkless?
Il-habib mittilkless ta John Bencini
I’m sorely tempted to tell John Bencini “La krejta, oqghod ghaliha”.
What in heaven’s name was he thinking?
It’s not as though he hasn’t had at least three decades’ experience of Labour-inspired protesti and dimostrazzjonijiet.
Here he is now, shocked and disgusted because the protest outside the palace which he helped organise yesterday evening degenerated into a lynch mob of Labour’s typical core vote (il-mittilkless, indieed), shaking their fists and hurling insults at MPs and the prime minister.
The less-than-delicious irony is that these are the very ones whose blinking utilities bills are subsidised – not by the government, which doesn’t have a money-tree, but by other people, with their hard-earned cash.
Those awful people stand and shriek outside the palace while their utilities bills are paid by others who are sitting at home on their sofas and watching them in disgust.
At least now they are too scared to begin smashing and looting shops in Republic Street on the grounds that stealing from ‘rich businessmen’ is justified, as they did in the 1970s and 1980s.
It’s not that they don’t want to or that they wouldn’t, but that they know this time round, they’re not going to get any protection from the police while they smash and grab.
Why is John Bencini so surprised? These are the people whose parents – if not they themselves, because after all, a looting thug who was 30 in 1984 is still only 56 today – wrecked schools, assaulted teachers and terrorised parents and pupils in the private education crisis 26 years ago.
John Bencini was one of the key players (and victims) in that protracted siege. He of all people should know who and what he’s dealing with here.
When we saw Bencini consorting with Tony Zarb and allowing himself to be made use of by the GWU and the Labour Party (so lacking in dignity, letting oneself be used by people like that) we thought that he had conveniently forgotten that leopards never change their spots, though they might disguise them for a time.
Perhaps last night’s experience will have served to jog his memory, so that even now he might be asking himself ‘But what in God’s name have I done here?’
timesofmalta.com, today
MUT President John Bencini has condemned insults hurled by the crowd at Nationalist MPs during yesterday’s protest against the increase in the utility tariffs.
The crowd gathered at the corner of Republic Street with Palace Square to watch union leaders hand a letter to the MPs, urging them to vote to revoke the new tariffs during a debate in Parliament.
Occasionally some of those present broke out into chants such as ‘mafia, mafia’ and ‘Gonzi purcinell’. They also booed as they heard the swearing-in of new Nationalist MP Peter Micallef on loudspeakers.
While the union leaders entered Parliament to follow the debate from the Strangers’ Gallery, Mr Bencini, who had led the protest with GWU General Secretary Tony Zarb, said he went straight home and followed the debate from there because he was “disgusted” at the insults hurled by the demonstrators at the government MPs.
“This is not our style of doing things and this incident marred the otherwise decent and peaceful protest we had on Sunday. I condemn the insults and the language used and the people responsible should be ashamed of themselves,” he said when contacted.
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John Bencini said he went straight home and followed the debate on television because he was disgusted at the insults hurled by the demonstrators at the government MPs.
Taf li qabbistli demgha, Sur Bencini? I urge you to resign.
Now Mr Bencini should really assess his priorities and hopefully wake up to the untold damage his adventures have done to one of the most respected unions in Malta.
Alfred Buhagiar must be turning in his grave. There were many teachers who were very irritated even before the two jaunts in Valletta and many had queried what Tony Zarb was doing at an MUT rally discussing the teachers’ allowances issue.
Hi ara xi grali? Mela dawn hekk jaghmlu?
Mr Bencini is not exhonorated from the insults and abuse hurled yesterday by the mob of which he formed part.
He knew what he was doing when he joined the GWU and the Labour Party. Therefore his declaration that he does not agree with them is null and void.
This is not a contractual obligation!
John Bencini should either resign or call for a vote of confidence from a general conference. If not, teachers should resign from the MUT and ask the UHM to set up a section for them.
The usual suspects and harridans were at yesterday’s demonstration. It is obvious that “progressive and moderate” have no place in the PL/GWU way of thinking. We should expect more of the same once the electoral campaign gets going or has it already started?
John Bencini imissu jisthi. He put us teachers at the same level of those who don’t know better than insulting people. What a shame. He should resign, because he doesn’t represent us anymore. Why doesn’t he just join the GWU?
Issa ghamlu xi haga intom li hassejtukom offizi bl-atteggjament ta’ Bencini. Sakemm jibqa president hu tal-MUT, ohorgu mill-union! As soon as possible -iIsthu ffaccjaw l-istudenti taghkom u tippruvawx tghallmuhom l-etika u l-edukazzjoni ghax min imexxikom ‘nesa’ jew ‘ghama’ bl-agenda tieghu.
I cannot figure out what this man’s agenda is.
What did he expect? Such a short-sighted person is not fit to lead anyone for sure. How many teachers followed him in the demonstrations?
What do we have now, crocodile tears? – Well, well, well so Mr. Bencini fell flat on his face when he decided to follow the howl of the big bad wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Funnily enough, he ended up doing exactly what the UHM and many other unions decided to do – watch the protest on the television. So much for leadership acumen.
“This is not our style of doing things”. Maybe Mr Bencini is not aware of the idiom “ma’ min rajtek xebbahtek”.
Daphne you forgot to mention that the MUT headquarters were ransacked by a crowd coming from South Street. But John Bencini has forgotten that, too.
What did Mr. Bencini expect? The GWU is just an extension of the Labour Party and you cannot expect better from them and their lot. A bunch of uneducated backward minded socialists.
Iva, it-tariffi tad-dawl u ilma qarsuni, imma KUNTENT ninqaras u ningidem f’ambjent demokratiku milli nerga nduq dwejjaq simili ghas-snin 70 u 80. Il-hsieb biss iqabbadni l-bard.
How come nobody mentioned the farce aired during Bondi+ yesterday? First they aired a vox-pop of the so-called mittilkless where one very clever woman stated that she got fed up of “dak tal-ponot ma’ wiccu” leading the country, and then said that should the utility tariffs remain unchanged, she would get her utility bill in her “ghalqa” and dispose of it in her “kenur” while putting up a fire, I suppose.
Then Tony Zarb showed up “coincidentally” just at the winding up of the programme. He was probably advised to go the studios at the very end so that we would get the impression that he accepted Lou’s invitation, whilst he would still not answer any of Lou’s questions due to lack of time. Fortunately for us viewers, the programme is produced by Where’s Everybody and hence they managed to get extra time.
Other acts of the show included Charlie vs Vince, Gejtu vs Tony, and Tonio Fenech’s hairstyle just as he got to the studios!
I never knew Lou Bondi was now a PL trojan horse. Talk about paranoid hysteria.
I wonder what Toni Zarb would say once he sees the second comment from last…
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100302/local/corinthia-15m-bond-offer-gobbled-up
Mr Bencini should realise that it will take another generation for the “marmalja” to accept that you do not win arguments by hurling insults or by demolishing newspaper buildings or by going on the rampage at the Curia or the leader of the opposition house.
In the meantime, he would do well to discuss politely with the LP/GWU but refrain from joining in any sort of public demonstration until there is clear evidence that they have caught up with the rest of civilisation.
The bright side is that nobody threw tomatoes at our honourable politicians.
Could it be that a particular MUT official is trying to turn the union into a new MLP ally for purely partisan reasons, and Bencini has no guts so stand up and be counted?
An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.
Sir Winston Churchill
What a great quotation. Thank you Observer.
It could be that John Bencini has been getting some negative feedback from union members while the possibility of significant numbers of teachers joining UHM could also be another factor prompting this late change in attitude.
Bencini described Sunday’s protest as “decent and peaceful”. How can he not see the connection between Zarb’s verbal violence on Sunday and the mob’s verbal violence on Monday?
Tony Zarb made a last minute appearance on Bondi+ yesterday where he stated that no bills were issued by WSC/Enemalta in 1998. He is either mistaken or blatantly lying because I still have the bill. It is dated 25 Jun 1998 and it covers the period from 5 Dec 1997 to 25 Feb 1998 and it amounted to LM141.99. I had paid the bill and later received a refund of LM29.90 after the change in administration.
You are so right. I also remember receiving a refund after the change in government. When I heard him state on Bondi+ that no bills were issued in 1998, my first reaction was to call Tony Zarb a bloody liar. Labour and GWU never change.
Bencini knew what he was doing all along. With this PR disaster, he has realized that it is now convenient to detach himself from the whole pantomime.
Watching the video footage, I can’t but notice that Muscat, on his way into parliament, gives maximum attention to Bencini. Couldn’t be more obvious than that.
Has John Bencini been suffering from dementia, lately? If so he should resign from the MUT. The union needs a true president like the one it had during the 1980s. The union that withstood the regime. John Bencini was a member at that time and he suffered like all MUT members did.
Doesn’t he realise that the people he is nowadays siding with are the same people who were more then happy to see all teachers and their families being hurt? Doesn’t Bencini know that “il-hanzir taqtalu denbu hanzir jibqa”? Hallina, Gann. Mela tlift il-boxxla? Jekk ghandek xi obbligu lejn il-GWU ara kif taghmel u pattieh personalment u mhux a skapitu tal-membri.
Maybe he didn’t notice the Madame Defarges in the crowds the day before. That’s why he didn’t predict the ‘off with their heads’ chanting. Yes, sitting at home watching the news gave me a deja vu sensation. Is it back to the future? Back to the salbu salbu doctrine?
Bencini, time to move on. You blew it guy. It’s useless trying now to exercise damage control; your speech on Sunday was a political speech, borrowing words and points from the PL’s armoury. You had been warned that consorting with the marmalja would render your union impotent and irrelevant. Your apologies are not accepted
Mr Bencini, what is disgusting is the way you allowed yourself and your union to be lured by the siren song of the GWU. This is a stark reminder of what to expect (and more, much more) if the dark age dawns on Malta again. Shame on all those who have not, immediately and unconditionally, distanced themselves from such behaviour.
Unfortunately the dark age will dawn on Malta in 3 years time. Prepare yourselves….
If Bencini & Co lack common sense and foresight, then they’re not fit to lead anyone
“The less-than-delicious irony is that these are the very ones whose blinking utilities bills are subsidised – not by the government, which doesn’t have a money-tree, but by other people, with their hard-earned cash.”
WELL SAID!!!
As a matter of fact this sis something I cannot begin to understand. The businesses want their bills to be subsidised so that they can remain competitive and will not be forced to lay people off. Members of society ‘at risk’ – however they’re assessed – want their bills to be subsidised because they cannot afford them – and who is subsidising OUR bills, those in other words who are not in industry or ‘at risk’.
The way things stand we have to pay high bills because of the burgeoning costs of fuel and even higher ones to subsidise those who cannot, won’t or will not pay the normal bills as computed by ARMS.
I am pretty sure that all in all everyone can find a perfectly good reason to have his or her bill subsidised. Strangely though, the ones seemingly without a voice are the vast majority of the people who have to pay for others through their nose!
I begin to ask who is really ‘iz-zghir’ in this country of ours.
1. Mr Bencini should have gone on Lou Bondi”s programme and not home.
2. He may be on damage limitation mode now that he heard Gejtu Vella saying that some teachers have already contacted UHM.
3. He should not have expected ootherwise and the blame is not all on the GWU. His speech on Sunday wasn’t exactly religious poetry.
Sur Demicoli naqbel mieghek mija fil mija. Is-Sur Bencini kien jaf xi jsarfu dawn in-nies. 30 sena ilu nafu x’ghamlu lill ghalliema u lill-iskejjel. Imissu jaf li dawn in-nies ma jistghux jinbidlu, tista tbiddel l-arma jew l-isem tal-partit, ghax l-istess jibqghu. Fuq kollox jekk il-mexxejja tal-Partiti Laburista jgerrex lill dawn xorta ma jasalx biex jirbah elezzjoni, allura b’xi mod jew iehor irrid jara kif izzommhom mieghu. Sur Bencini fuq kollox mort tipoppa sidrek fuq quddiem bl-ingravata hamra qiesek kont wiehed minn dawk is-security li jkun hemm fil-Mile End. Nahseb li l-ghalliema jixirqilhom ahjar.
Kemm iccercer Joseph Muscat il-bierah fil-Parlament. Most PN voters I know started last week with some reservations about the new electricity tariffs. With Labour’s behaviour over the wekend and yesterday, these same PN voters have been won over to the government’s argument, thanks to Joseph and Tony.
Bencini has only one way to go: out of the MUT
As a teacher I feel disgusted by our union aligning itself with the GWU/MLP. I had promised myself never to join GWU precisely because of its involvement with the Labour Party.
I was one of those present during the last rally at the university. The sight of Tony Zarb entering the hall sent a shiver down my spine and it did not go down too well with most of those present.
And now of all the people in trade unionism, it had to be John Bencini to start a dangerous new alliance with GWU/MLP.
In that case our place is now longer in the MUT. No amount of damage limitation is going to do away with the damage that has been done over the past few days.
And John believe me – most teachers feel the same.
Innutajtu li waqt li kien qed jitkellem fil-programm BONDI+ Tony Zarb qal li kienu qed jistennew wiehed parlamentari Nazzjonalista jivvota kontra? Forsi Tony jaghtina xi hjiel ghal min kien qed jirreferi. Forsi dik kienet ir-raguni tal-protesta it-Tnejn biex minghalijhom jiccelbraw il-waqa tal-gvern.
Charles Mangion had earlier said that they (PL) did not expect any government MP to vote in favour of the motion. Either he or Tony Zarb was bluffing.
Maybe he was referring to him?
http://www.maltastar.com/pages/r1/ms10dart.asp?a=7385
How pathetic to reply in that manner!
[Daphne – Maltastar is Malta’s most untrustworthy news medium. It lies about me on a regular basis, so I always assume that it lies about everyone else, too.]
Even Dr Mario ‘watersbroken’ Vella thought that something was going to happen on Monday.
Imma f’wicchom baqa’ kollha kemm huma.
These past days’ charades also fervently upheld by Labour, confirm my oath of allegiance to PN (no matter what), ever since I was a child and thus with no right to vote. PL will never change. These shenanigans make me recall the endless days of fear I lived through when I was a child in the 80s when faced with first-hand horrors of Labour under KMB. Even if the party tries to emulate progressive thoughts, its supporters’ social progress will remain stale. Insomma, kien u jibqa’ partit tac-carlatani u jista’ mhux igibu dottorat fil-ligi u f’oqsma ohra!
Sur Bencini, taf x’ghamilt? Qed niddubitaw ghandniex inkomplu nsegwu d-direttivi li tajtna l-gimgha l-ohra. Mhux ahjar li bqajt tiggieled fuq front wiehed? Possibbli ma tafx xi gralu dak li pprova jiggieled fuq zewg fronti bejn l-1939 u l-1945?
Those teachers who are obeying their union’s directives should be ashamed of themselves. They should make a vote of no confidence in Bencini and Barbara. Throw them out of the MUT.
You know what they say about those who dine with the devil. Bencini should take that long spoon with him next time he parades with tal-Lejber.
Nahseb, li issa kulhadd fehem li 3 snin fil-hajja u fl-istorja politika hu zmien twil u jista jigri hafna.
On the other hand some people never learn, and that’s why they can never be trusted.
We do not need the ‘marmalja’ anymore. You get better results by sitting round a table and discussing. The pen is mightier than the sword and what better example than our own Daphne.
Bencini minghalih qed jaghti ezempju ta’ mgieba korretta b’dak it-ton ta’ snappy teacher ma’ Rachel? Qisu Droopy on steroids.
All the contributions are good, but best of all is S.Winwood’s. Many like me and him feel the pinch BUT would rather do away with our dessert than going back to dangerous and explosive worrying times of the 70s and 80s. Apart from many other reasons, I will not even consider voting new Labour once Joseph Muscat does not publicly condemn these attitudes. The minimum John Bencini should do is resign gracefully.
It doesn’t matter if we have to resort to ‘hobz bil-kunserva’ like one woman said who was interviewed on Lou Bondi’s programme.
To me, responsible leadership dictated that the protests should have started and ended on Sunday. Taking the people to parliament on Monday, after someone standing next to Mr. Bencini on Sunday threatened the People’s (yes, the same people of Mario Philip) representatives as Tradituri, was asking for trouble.
Mr. Bencini should not have gone home. He, as leader of the crowd, and one of the organisers, should have taken the responsibility to stop that crowd from misbehaving. To get a mob into Valletta, take it to parliament house, and then leave when trouble starts, is not responsible. I am morally convinced that he remains responsible for the behaviour of the crowd he called into Valletta.
I was surprised how, on BondiPlus, Charles Mangion dismissed the result of the parliamentary vote on his party’s motion as an expected result. Later, in extra time, Tony Zarb revealed a different expectation. The government has shown strength in yesterday’s vote, so thanks to all its 35 members. The country needs a sign of strength and teamwork.
What is your email address please?
[Daphne – [email protected]]
Bencini ‘il lupo perde il pelo, ma non il vizio’. Prosit Daphne another excellent post. Keep up the good work.
I watched a few minutes of Inkontri and a caller tried to define poverty in Malta by citing a couple’s difficult situation in trying to obtain a bank loan to buy a flat. And you know what? The bank refused them the loan because one of the partners is still a university student. Such poverty. Unbelievable.
The bank probably refused because there’s no discernible source of income – assuming the person concerned really is a university student, that is.
Yesterday`s demonstration was a shocking throwback to the seventies when the tumultuous `marmalja Laburista` used to take to the streets in Valletta, day in day out, for weeks and months on end.
Whatever induced John Bencini to join forces with those `tipacci`?
Hey Daphne, could you explain something to me please? How can they (One News) say that you tried to assault their cameraman? From 10 feet away? Are you L-Ispettore Gadget?
Just goes to show what type of audience they have.
It is typical of One to have inconsistencies between what they say and the soundbites or videos they produce. They are Onebelievable..
Nationalists complaining about the crowd´s hostile behaviour to Nationalist MPs is really rather rich, to put it mildly. Certainly their memories do not stretch back two years, almost to the day, when Alfred Sant “dared” take part in a “debate” organised at the university. That day, Sant was insulted, booed, heckled, called all types of names, ridiculed. And this for about two hours non-stop. Not only was there no word of condemnation coming from anyone in the PN, on the contrary. The hecklers were praised for having “made their voice heard”. Those who DID complain about the hecklers´ behaviour were condemned as people who wanted “to shut up the students´ voices”.
But when the Nationalists are at the receiving end, they expect us to shed tears for them, to recognise them as if they were victims of some terrible crime. Oh no, dear Nationalists. Its just that, as they say in Maltese, ir-rota ddur. Maybe very slow, true, but turn it does.
Sant was not insulted, called names, heckled or ridiculed. He was booed for refusing to answer questions. The booing did not last for two hours. The video of the event is still available on YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR04dJpjO4g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VgMSU4s7qs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1ze6URHbFc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmmb3u0edEY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTCB9s8yC7g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sm7CzC5WI2c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6RDwL_04k4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXScRezL_Xc
And here’s the person who ‘complained’ about the students’ behaviour.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=george+vella+&search_type=&aq=f
taxpayer, taf ghaliex Tony Zarb qal hekk? Ghax kien ghadu qed jimmagina illi fil-by election ser jitla il-Bobby tas-Siggiewi, imma ma irnexxiex il-pjan allavolja marru tal-Lejber bi hgarhom fil counting hall.
Lou Bondi ma jmissux hallih jitkellem Tony Zarb – wara kollox dak qal li mhux ser jigi ghax kien ser ikollu press conference.
Sorry Pippo not to agree with you. I think Lou was very clever to allow Tony Zarb to join the programme. May they have more of these protests and may Zarb appear more often on these kind of programmes. Give them more rope to hang themselves.
Bencini is the quintessential “hunt with the hounds/run with the hares” coward. Some of you may recall my taking him to task over a strike called in ALL schools because a teacher was attacked in a government school.
The result was my being publicly insulted and – worse still – my children being branded as hooligans (the alleged sins of the father being visited upon the daughters). Anyone who knows them knows they were always well-behaved and polite to all their teachers. I invited Bencini to go to SMC to see for himself and ask any teacher they ever had. Of course, he didn’t.
Well, I hope those of you who did SFA to point out Bencini’s misguided reasoning and did not show up the man then are now happy with what they’ve got. My conscience is clear.
Smell the coffee (like I did years ago): Bencini is not to be trusted.
Bencini, il-qawl Malti jghid hekk, ‘Ma min rajtek, xebbahtek’!
U jekk rajtek ma Mr. Z*b, int wiehed akbar minnhu u ghalhekk l-ewwel ghandek tirrizenja, mbaghad ibdel ismek ghal Mr. Akbar Z*b!
@ Albert Farrugia
If I remember correctly, Dottor Sant, in his inimitable way, although presently he is well and truly being challenged by Joseph, acted in a patronizing and moronic way, asked a silly question and received a well deserved witty answer from the students.
Is it possible that your tape got damaged and you could not replay the part which spurned the students to ridicule him?
Ironically the militant behaviour of Tony Zarb was the best public relations campaign for a PN government.
It seems the more exposure he gets with the MLP the better the PN looks. What a screwball.
Does any one know if the majority of members of the unions taking part in the protesta were present to show their support for their leaders? If not, why – maybe they didn’t want to mix with the GWU members.
If the members have faith in their leaders they should have shown it by supporting them in the protest. There should have been banners with the name of each union and the officials and members marching behind it.
It doesn’t say much for unity if the leaders form an ghaqda and the members don’t join each other.
Sur Bencini, it-teachers kollha jinsabu iddispjacuti bit-teatrin li ghamilt. Irrezenja. Xejn ma tixbhu lill ta’ qablek (Alla jahfirlu). Shame on you.
Teachers SHOULD abandon the MUT asnd join another independent union.
I am ashamed to call myself a member of the MUT. I shall be posting my cancelled membership A.S.A.P.
I wonder how many teachers took part in the demonstration.
John Bencini should be decent enough and resign immediately.
Bencini suppost jirrapprezenta u jiddefendi l-interessi tal-ghalliema imma hlief fuq il-kontijiet tad-dawl u l-ilma biex iservi ta furcina ghal haddiehor m’ghamilx. Ahjar ikellimna fuq il-famuz agreement li ffirma hu stess qabel l-elezzjoni u jispjega dak li wikka lil ghalliema b’dak il ftehim storiku bla ma l-ghalliema hadu xejn! Allahares kien ghadu haj Alfred Buhagiar(Alla jahfirlu) ghax dak li akkwista hu hattu Bencini. Irrizenja u itlaq ghamel pjecir lilek innifsek!.
Some things never change. Labour and the GWU are two of them.
Why all this fuss? They can do protest without:
1. tear gas
2. beatings by masked policemen
3. armed thugs punching, kicking, biting, hurling stones, and shooting
Their protest against the utilities tariffs was a ‘gita nelle strade della capitale’.
I am sorry for Mr Bencini. He is going to end his trade unionist career in shame.
Those teachers who think it is not still worth to remain MUT members had better go and show their disapproval. The MUT president is either a puppet or a boot-licker.