Embarrassment has two Rs
If the Opposition plans to carry on this way for the next three years, it’s going to have no time to write policy and turn itself into a decent alternative to this government.
Perhaps all these shenanigans are a form of procrastination for Joseph Muscat and his scintillating deputies, who seem to be doing their damnedest to put off the evil hour when they must sit down and come up with a Plan A – as, having exhausted Plan B (be obstructionist), they eventually must do.
After the fuss about Mario Galea’s befuddlement and Justyne Caruana’s fragility (pregnancy apparently makes her unfit to cope with accusations that she voted wrongly, but more than fit to harangue others on Xarabank), a few hours ago there was yet another scene in parliament.
The Opposition had agreed some time ago that voting on the Malta Environment and Planning Authority reform bill could be postponed. Secure in this knowledge, the government authorised Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando to travel on business for the Malta Council of Science and Technology.
While Pullicino Orlando was away, the Opposition reneged on the agreement and forced the vote. Because the government has just that single seat majority, the Yeses and Noes were split evenly in Pullicino Orlando’s absence. The chairman then used his casting vote to get the bill through.
Predictably, the Labour Party’s news site, Maltastar, has not run the story under the heading ‘Opposition reneges on agreement and forces vote’. The story it has cobbled together focuses on the government’s embarrassment, which is a great shame, given that Maltastar thinks it is spelled with a single R.
UPDATED Embarassment: Casting vote saves govt motion
12 May 2010 22:31
2253HRS Two casting votes saved a government motion last night in yet another embarassing moment for the Gonzi Administration.
And again:
“Had it been a money bill, the embarassment would have been bigger” said of the the Government backbenchers after the tie vote was called.
And yet again:
This is yet another embarassment for Prime Minister Gonzi.
It goes without saying that nowhere in the story will you find the information that Joseph Muscat went back on his word and failed to honour an agreement to postpone the vote (though I must admit it was more than silly of the government party not to expect a man like that to renege on his commitments when it suits him).
The Maltastar story also seeks to create the impression that Pullicino Orlando stayed away deliberately and for reasons best known to him. There is no mention of the fact that he was given permission to travel because the Opposition had agreed to postpone the vote.
I am beginning to wonder about the sanity of the people who work for Maltastar. Before, I wondered only about their ignorance and semi-literacy.
Surely they understand that an internet propaganda site has to be managed differently to a propaganda newspaper? People who buy the Labour-propaganda newspapers often buy only those and use them as their main source of information. So they can be fed with lies and half-truths.
But people who visit Maltastar are just a click away from reliable ‘instant news’ sites like timesofmalta.com, and so they will visit them before or after visiting Maltastar. Whether you read the facts on timesofmalta.com before or after reading Maltastar’s story about ‘govt embarassment’, you are going to consider the Maltastar spin to be thoroughly pitiable – and this even if you support the Labour Party.
I really do wish to know who Maltastar thinks it is communicating with.
Upon his return to the House he announced his vote was to be against Leo Brincat’s amendment.
It took him over half an hour to decide against the Opposition motion.
Azzopardi cited Louis Galea’s ruling during the famous sitting 177 on the14 December when Franco Debono did not vote, although he was in Parliament building.
Fredrick Azzopardi justified his vote by saying that the Chair’s casting vote must keep the original text.
Fredrick Azzopardi is charing the sitting due to the fact that the House is in Committe stage.
2300HRS A vote was taken, however the number of votes for and against the motion were equal thus a casting vote must be taken.
2247HRS Gozo MP, Fredrick Azzopardi, acting as Deputy Speaker ruled that the vote on MEPA agreed on a week ago had to be taken according to what Labour Whip Joe Mizzi said.
He therefore called for the vote.
Leader of the House Tonio Borg tried to postpone the vote again to next Wednesday and ordered another ruling from the deputy Speaker.
However, he was out of order due to the fact that the vote had been already called.
The Government currently has one member missing, thus the vote will end up on the casting vote.
The MEPA vote to be taken is on the separation of planning from environment.
The vote will be taken in 15 minutes
2230HRS Parliament has been suspended after PL Whip Joe Mizzi asked for a ruling regarding the vote that had to be taken today regarding the MEPA reform.
The nationalist party are currently one man down as MP Jeffery Pullicino Orlando is not present.
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I am prepared to bet anything that within the next few weeks, if not days, Joey will be lifting a lot of lines from speeches made by Cameron and Clegg. What an absolute fool.
Maybe he should also reflect on Blunkett’s now famous description of the LibDems.
The fool should rather begin lifting their tie style.
Do you mean like “working together in the national interest” and “putting aside party interest”?
Joseph comes from the Labour camp. Really, he can only quote Gordon Brown, or his spin specialists Lord Mandelson or Alastair Campbell.
l-aqwa li one man down
The PL’s antics are driving the lost sheep back to the GonziPN fold.
The problems in parliament we had in the 80s and Sant’s administration were real. Joseph’s opposition party is mimicking the same situations we had in those years.
It seems he’s got problems in his hardcore support.
These parliamentary problems are procedural not on political principles. Joseph does not want parliament to function smoothly – that shows how democratic he is.
This is the only form of contribution that the PL opposition is intellectually capable of giving in parliament.
Il-qa , I beg your pardon, l-ispizjar milli jkollu jtik.
You say
“Perhaps all these shenanigans are a form of procrastination for Joseph Muscat and his scintillating deputies, who seem to be doing their damnedest to put off the evil hour when they must sit down and come up with a Plan A – as, having exhausted Plan B (be obstructionist), they eventually must do”
Exactly from who are you expecting decent alternatives? Maybe from Anglu or Debon Grech or is it Parnis. Ah maybe from the Mayor of a council in the South who yesterday on Super One claimed that the current and future power station is the cause of hay fever!
If it runs on pollen that must be one hell of an eco friendly power plant!
The embarrassing moment was when the Labour thugs, those sitting on the opposition benches and those in the stranger’s gallery went up in uproar and disgust as if this was some kind of money bill, and started hurling insults and breaking up benches.
Is this the new, moderate and progressive movement? Sounds like old Labour to me!
“Fredrick Azzopardi is charing the sitting due to the fact that the House is in Committe stage.”
“Charring”, like “embarrassment”, is spelled with a double R too.
The term is ‘Chairing’ not ‘charing’ nor ‘charring’ . lol
Kemm int bravu, Charles J Buttigieg. Ghalhekk hadt promotion wara l-ohra ma’ AIR LABOUR.
Troy jekk int bravu biex tikkoregi lill haddiehor ghandek tkun bravu bizzejjed meta xi hadd jikkoregik. Bli-insulti ma tasal imkien speccjalment meta tahbi l-identita tieghek.
PRIMA DONNA IS THE WORD
It really scares me that people would even think to vote for these pathetic people. All they care about is getting power NOT the country!
Just name one politician who is different in that regard. Go on, name just one.
Jekk Dr. Gonzi ma jdahhalx f’rasu li qed jinnegozja ma vavu ta’ l-iskola, se jkollu jbati l-konsegwenzi. Saqsi lil Jason Micallef ghalih.
I think your argument is fallacious. This is because the PL are only making use of their legal right to demand a vote. You may say that it is ethically wrong, but I think that in the context of how things our going on at the moment it was only them using their right as a method of showing the government that even though they are in power, they also need to co-operate with the party in opposition for their to be effective and true governance of the state.
It was only a reminder of how they need to co-operate and not like Austin Gatt once said that since PN are in government they can do what they want and do not need anyone. Practically that’s what they are doing, but the party in opposition has the duty to show him he’s wrong!
[Daphne – An agreement is an agreement and must be honoured. Not keeping your word, in whatever situation let alone this sort of situation, is reprehensible.]
It was a man’s agreement, not a contract! And it is only one’s right to withdraw from an oral agreement when the other party in the agreement is not playing fair.
[Daphne – A man’s agreement as opposed to a gentleman’s agreement, do you mean? I’m with you on that.]
Nope. Embarrassment has one Joseph.
…and two sidekicks.
The Government should have realised by now that you can’t trust this man. If they really believe that by being obstructive and acting like spoilt brats, stamping their feet when things don’t turn out their way, that they are gaining any floating vote, then they really need some good advice.
This attitude reflects clearly that spewing out of the two deputy leaders, and will only help to reinforce the PN members in their unity. Naturally the PL media will keep on feeding their mob that the government is unstable and will fall any minute – and of course they readily believe such crap.
The PN should not trust Muscat and rather they should persist in ensuring that voting in parliament is done when it suits the majority.
Call these shenanigans, or whatever else you like. The point is, that a government survives only if it can command a majority in the House of Representatives. What do you expect the Opposition to do? Ignore the fact that it has only one seat less than the government and just give it a walk-over? If the government is feeling uncomfortable with its wafer-thin majority, all it has to do is call a general election and campaign for a bigger majority. It´s THAT simple in a democracy.
[Daphne – No, it isn’t. Each time a general election is called, the uncertainty screws up trading and business right across the board.]
Without comments.
From the today’s Times.
Dennis Zammit(2 hours, 8 minutes ago)
@ J.C. Forte
If not mistaken, you are confiormaing that the people DID NOT even want the MLP to run the Govt.!!!
So on whart basis do you expect this Govt. hand over the country to an illegimate party with a non-elected and non-voted leader?
Why should you decide for me?
The 1981 problem is totally different.
[Daphne – Your point being?]
The mission of the PL media is to keep thier viewers ignorant of what is happening around them. Poor souls, after election they all ask the same question. What happened?
Charles J Buttigieg, nahseb thallatni ma hadd iehor, pero ma jimpurtax. Jien lilek ma nsolontajtekx anzi ghedt il-verita, ghax issa inti thossok dghajjef ghax spicca dak iz-zmien meta xi hadd jiddetta lil-xi ministru lil min jista jghati job. U int taf bizzejed jien min jien siehbi.