A little brain is a dangerous thing
Shhhhh, and you might hear the wheels grinding as they turn
I’ve just been reading that piece on the back page of The Sunday Times: Anglu Farrugia Unfit to be Deputy Leader – PN
Anglu Farrugia is quoted as having told the newspaper:
“Irrespective of the PN spin, the fact is that the court found that a person was threatened to vote for the PN… If by Lawrence Gonzi’s PN standards it is okay to threaten someone with losing her job if she does not vote in a particular manner (irrespective for which party), for me it is not.”
The court did no such thing. It did not find that a person was threatened to vote for the Nationalist Party. What the court did find, and stopped just short of spelling it out, was that a person had been dragged before it on trumped-up charges.
The victim of Anglu Farrugia’s political harassment, Pierre Bartolo, told his employee the same thing that hundreds of employers and those who work for them say every general election: “Jekk jitilghu tal-Labour, tigix/tigux ghax-xoghol.”
In other words, will the last one out turn off the lights.
Anglu Farrugia appears not to know the meaning of the phrase, the context in which it is said, or that this is how so very many electors perceive a Labour victory: will the last one out turn off the lights. Jekk jitilghu tal-Labour, tidholx ghax-xoghol.
I am astonished that nobody has yet pointed out the obvious to this slow-witted man, and he must be very slow-witted indeed to reach the conclusions he did on the basis of a throwaway remark made by almost half the electorate on the eve of the general election.
On the eve of the general election, I was at a 40th birthday party, and at one point during the toasts, somebody raised a glass and said: “To what might possibly be our last evening under a sane government. Will the last one out turn off the lights. If Labour is elected, I can’t see any point in going in to work on Monday.” The man who gave the toast employs some 200 people.
Perhaps Anglu Farrugia would like to have him arrested and interrogated too? Wake up, you bloody dolt. This is exactly how people talk about Labour.
Pierre Bartolo’s comment is derived directly from the fact that far too many believed – with jolly good reason – that Labour was bad for business, particularly with Sant at the helm. What he meant is what we all meant when we said the same thing: that his employee needn’t bother coming in to work because there would be no work.
I guess it’s hard to understand that the party of which you are deputy leader is held in such very low esteem, but there you go. Instead of trying to crucify the people who speak this way, Inspector Farrugia, your job as deputy leader is to help change its image.
Fat chance of that. Brains are required.
Oh, and another thing, Anglu: would you stop, for your own sake, going on about how when the Nationalists were elected in 1987 you were immediately brought on board to investigate your colleagues? Somebody might fall into the temptation of investigating further, given that the politician who appointed you was, until just a few weeks before, Malta’s top criminal lawyer.
I’ll bet that Fenech Adami regrets to this day letting his deputy get away with that one when he was looking at the thousand other things that needed to be done. And you only did the work because you hoped to become police commissioner yourself, but found your ambitions foiled. My God, no wonder John Rizzo – who was in the thick of things at the time as the secretary of the man you investigated – found it impossible to turn down your crazed demands for the prosecution of a person on trumped-up charges.
What a country: wheels within wheels within wheels, with sleazy people pulling strings right across the political spectrum.
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Has it ever occurred to Anglu Farrugia why during Labour administrations they had to resort to Dirghajn il-Maltin, Bahhar u Sewwi, Pijunieri and Korpi tal-Emergenza?
Thousands of Maltese workers assembled as motley crews under military discipline. Precisely because of employers’ lack of confidence in a Labour government.
Unless of course this is his idea of investment in our human resources. But then again what do you expect from a master of police interrogation.
Daphne, why publish the photo above? Moments like that depicted in the photo may be dangerous for Malta. I mean, the less he thinks…Why not publish the photo on The Sunday Times – it shows him better from a better angle.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100718/local/anglu-farrugia-unfit-to-be-labour-deputy-leader-pn
You’re right. His brains fit exactly between his thumb and forefinger as portrayed in that photo.
U le. The one of him delivering a “ferocious speech” is probably the best. Unfortunately, I can’t look it up on http://www.anglufarrugia.com, because his subscription seems to have expired or been deleted.
Tghid xoghol Marisa? Jahasra, mhux ha nkunu nistghu naraw ir-ritratti t’Anglu ma’ l-iljunfant izjed.
Ah, but there’s always photo number 6 on his hi5 profile! http://hi5.com/friend/photos/displayPhotoUser.do?photoId=1405839888&ownerId=214684734&albumId=168473261
And Muscat’s on hi5 too, with comments such as this one – “JOSLIN says: Posted Oct 19, 2008 5:50 PM we are proud of you DR.JOSEPH..we have a youth leader…wow….staff all you”r gelousey…all the p.n” ( http://hi5.com/friend/photos/displayPhotoUser.do?ownerId=213531422&artistType=&photoFuid=00410398450300w0HMvl039845 )
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
http://hi5.com/friend/photos/displayPhotoUser.do?photoId=1405839881&ownerId=214684734&albumId=168473261
“I’ll bet that Fenech Adami regrets to this day letting his deputy get away with that one when he was looking at the thousand other things that needed to be done”
And yet, Fenech Adami allowed John Rizzo’s appointment to Police Commissioner too.
This needs explanation.
—-
In the meantime, I wouldn’t want to imagine what Joseph Muscat is going through. After all, he has been dumped with this “bloodly dolt” by the General Conference of the Party – he didn’t anoint him himself.
Muscat must be fully aware of the ballast Anglu Farrugia really is. He must be utterly frustrated at the fact that he is all the time hampered by the intellectual inadequacy of his Deputy. Unlike Fenech Adami, who had a brilliant mind in Demarco (and one has to admit this if one wants to be objective), Joseph Muscat has got an egomaniac who believes in the politics of bullying rather than the politics of persuasion.
I often times wonder how Muscat can manage the funambulation between Anglu Farrugia and Manwel Mallia. I mean, both are criminal lawyers, and it goes without saying that the latter is at least a million times brighter than the former. Yet, luring Mallia into the fold means subjecting Mallia to the Deputy Leadership of Farrugia. This must be a real source of tension within the fold.
I also wonder whether Muscat really works on the advice Farrugia proffers him. Or whether Muscat just nods with a false smile, only to discard it soon thereafter. Who knows what goes on during their visits to Sicily together? (Are they still doing them?)
Come to think of it, I cannot imagine Muscat spending all that quality time with Farrugia and then just not listening to the drivel the former Inspector presents as political savvy. All said and done, it seems impossible to me Muscat is simply ignoring his Deputy.
Which leaves only one working hypothesis: Muscat is effectively listening to and following his Deputy’s advice. It does not bode well at all, neither for the Labour Party nor – more importantly – for Malta.
If Labour is really set to win this coming election, let us hope to God that something happens in the meantime, and like a hot air balloon going up in the skies, they drop the Farrugia ballast.
Ah, but you’re assuming that Joseph Muscat is not himself an uncouth chav.
Even if Muscat were uncouth and a chav, I think he still has more brains than Farrugia.
The problem with Farrugia is not coarseness and a working-class background. Those are tolerable.
The problem with Farrugia is his limited brainpower. And his inability to realize that he is swimming in intellectual waters which are by far too deep for him.
If this man becomes Deputy Prime Minister of Malta – as Daphne seems to believe – his coarseness will be the last thing we shall have to worry about. Instead, we shall have to worry about the silly decisions he will be taking, the asinine policies he will be implementing, and the inane targets he will be aiming at. These will all be of public interest, and his being (almost) devoid of intelligence will have a direct bearing on our everyday lives.
A working-class background is perfectly acceptable. I have one myself. But not coarseness.
How exactly do Muscat’s brains manifest themselves? Name one brilliant thing he’s done. (No, not his PhD.)
Baxxter: “Name one brilliant thing he’s done.”
Hexa l-Jason.
I just wanted to say how refreshing it is to read this article and the article titled Inspector Gadget Screws Up Again. It’s rare that a spade is called a spade and an idiot is called an idiot.
It seems to me like there is so much arse-licking and fear in the Maltese media.
I partly blame libel laws in Malta (you’re basically sued for having an opinion abut the facts) but I also blame the media for taking so much at face value and not scrutinising what people say.
Are you sure about this? Was John Rizzo the secretary of the man found responsible for murder: Lawrence Pullicino? Was he secretary at the time if the murder?
Daphne, you raised a very interesting point about John Rizzo. Was he the secretary to Lawrence Pullcino when the murder of the prisoner happened? If that is the case I find it decidedly odd that he is now head of police.
Sane people fear Labour in the same way they fear poisonous snakes, man-eating sharks or any unpredictable wild animal. It’s human nature to fear what you can’t trust, and it’s not just the Maltese who fear Malta’s Labour Party but this fear and mistrust is also felt by potential overseas investors, with such phrases as ‘what if Labour gets into power’.
Really thick skinned Farrugia to appear in public!
Is this type a member of the Chamber of Advocates? I hope not.
The Sunday Times quoting Dr. Anglu Farrugia on Sunday 18 July 2010:
“Irrespective of the PN spin, the fact is that the court found that a person was threatened to vote for the PN…”
The timesonline of 13 July 2010 reporting about the court case:
“Testifying, PL deputy leader Anglu Farrugia had said that after the elections he had received several reports of persons who were paid to vote Nationalist.
He said that Anthony Zammit, a Papillon employee, had spoken to him and told him that he had been threatened and told to vote Nationalist. …”
Then later:
“The court said there had been no evidence to prove beyond all reasonable doubt the claims made by Anthony Zammit…”
Can The Times, or the court, tell us which one is true?
[Daphne – Anthony Zammit is the man known as is-Sej, described by The Times as an “unreliable character”, who changed his version several times in court, and who only went running to Farrugia after he had been sacked. What we should be asking is what became of the “hundreds of names on the tlett faccati” that Farrugia gave to John Rizzo. Pierre Bartolo biss sabu, jahasra? Frigging idiot, that Anglu Farrugia.]
Not to be confused with another is-Sej; Joseph Zammit of L-Imniehru/Noel Arrigo et al fame. Can’t these people use unique numbers?
“The dog ate my homework”?
HP, it should be in that bag, tomorrow.
Shame we have to vote Labour for this blessed country to introduce divorce.
Labour never promised legislating for divorce – just that he will present a private member’s bill which has now been done by a PN representative. Please don’t send this country to the dogs on a false ploy by the PL.
Don’t be surprised if some policeman comes to your home and asks you about the whereabouts of that friend of yours who employs 200 people.
I was unemployed for a month during the last electoral campaign.
ALL potential employers were cautious not to employ me BEFORE the elections. When the ‘coast was clear’ I had three companies asking for my services.
In one of the interviews I was probably given a negative mark when I mentioned the possibility of a Labour win…… me and my big mouth.
Well,
They must be very uninformed employers not to employ you a month before the elections ‘just in case’ as you would still have been on probation and could have been fired without cause!
A little brain that is sick is an even more dangerous thing.
Inspector Gadget’s “Brain” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_(Inspector_Gadget)
every sensible employer would say Jekk jitilghu tal-Labour, tidholx ghax-xoghol.
You are such a sorry person Mr.Bartolo is such a bully if it was me i should have told him to f off the same i shall tell you well if you do not like my spelling at least you got the massage miss ugly duckly
tony, the only sorry person here is you, cause nobody else is sorry for you, as for your comment about the ugly duckling – well it shows the Labour in you.
Your spelling doesn’t bother us, but your stupidity does.
tony your spelling is fine it is the punctuation that is badly missing if you do not like my punctuation at least you got the message
Do you know workers are constanly being bullied and paid peanuts din qualita ta hajja mizerja taht GONZI PN who are you trying to convince the same old sorry people who always write the same well i am sure soon you will get the ans very soon my dear less than 30 months in all bye ugly duckly
Min jghix bit – tghama jmut bil-piena.
You know, this reminded me of when I was a few years old where I also used to say Ugly Duckly. My parents used to correct me as say: “it’s Ugly Duckling!”
This is a reality check to those who may be positively disposed to vote for the LP next time. With the Labour Party is in power, it is inevitable that the economy of the country, particularly unemployement figures and foreign investment will rapidly deteriorate. Don’t kid yourselves – with people like Anglu Farrugia at the top, all the progress and confidence brought to the country by Fenech Adami and Gonzi over the past decades will be lost in a few months
With Anglu Farrugia as a deputy leader of the party, who would need reassurances that the MLP is unelectable?
JC.
You would be quite correct in a sane world. Unfortunately, sanity and politics hardly ever cross paths. To hell with democracy! Each vote should carry a weight equal to the IQ of its caster. Only then can the outcome have some resemblance to sanity.
I doubt it. Prof. Edward “Profs” Scicluna’s vote would weigh half a tonne, but he’d still have voted for Svizzera fil-Mediterran.
@Not Tonight.
“Each vote should carry a weight equal to the IQ of its caster.”
What you suggest is the only sure formula to keep Labour from winning the next election. With all his weight, Prof. Scicluna will be of no help.
@ dery
‘Daphne, you raised a very interesting point about John Rizzo. Was he the secretary to Lawrence Pullcino when the murder of the prisoner happened? If that is the case I find it decidedly odd that he is now head of police’
John Rizzo was apointed secretary to Lawrence Pullicino in 1984.
AG’s “landmark judgement” disagrees with Washington DC gossip and not in cahoots with deputy sheriff, says Maltastar?
http://maltastar.com/pages/r1/ms10dart.asp?a=10908