@Lejborist –

Gonzi is worth my respect – even if I will never light a candle in front of his image. You need to learn to respect him as your prime minister who helped steer the country clear through the worst financial crisis in our living memory.

I would rather have a capable strategist leading the government than an ambitious and inexperienced man in his 30s. Leaders need to be able to think through the short and long term consequences of their decisions.

@ daphne: as I said in my comment, it’s not a perfect, exhaustive description. It’s more of a comic, shorthand view that at least gives some orientation to the laymen (including me). Many descriptions end up overlapping and changing from person to person. The compass helps discern where we all stand on what really matters in today’s world.

Libertarians are really fighting for markets to be unencumbered by governments. They are a bunch of nouveau riche desperate to get richer (Mr Virgin), gloating at how good they were at the game, or, paraphrasing Warren Buffet, “selfish sperm that won the lottery” (Koch brothers, Hilton). It’s a relief that we can still find rich people with a moral spine and some sense advocating for proper government control that benefits the people, government assisted education and health care as well as government funded research (buffet, gates, jobs etc…)

The libertarian’s strident calls for moral freedom is just a whitewash to get the poor on their side (eg: the tools at tea party conventions who are asked to believe in the American dream and suck it). Till a few years ago these same people were fighting for a Christian america complete with intelligent design thought in science class …

Any sane, intelligent citizen that is NOT in the 3% of the wealthiest will work and vote for a strong and compassionate government. Unfortunately the rich 3% are very good at the divide and conquer game and find a ready pool of greedy cynics to push their agenda.

Lejborist I suggest that when you draw references to Puzo you do that in terms of his physical short sightedness, which in your case translates into the quality of your political critical analysis! Maybe you could also refer to the fact that his masterpieces where a direct consequence of his tough childhood as much as your analysis is a direct consequence of your glorious MLP roots!

Is that a study you’re citing or prejudice?

I doubt you’d become a cleaner, Daph. You seem to like what you’re doing more than shuffling along Mater Dei’s corridors with bleach in hand

I’m going to be lazy and refer to an interesting Wiki page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_compass

Naturally wikipedia is not a Bible.

Personally I’m more of an anarchist, but that’s wishful thinking at it’s extreme. In reality society needs a government that represents the people with enough teeth to protect the people.

[Daphne – If you’re referring to my comment about liberalism having nothing to do with divorce or matters of sexuality (I can’t tell from the moderation end), then what you have here on this link is LIBERTARIANISM not LIBERALISM. The first refers to personal freedom, the second primarily to the economy and matters of the market.]

Unfortunately my ‘preferred’ political party sees Reagan as a world-class leader and dances to the church’s tune. I doubt they’ll ever say anything nice about the rise of socialism and its positive effects on the life of the average European.

“What you are missing is that when Gonzi made that promise, he was (most probably) planning how to win the 2013 general elections also, by thinking through the timing of the implementation of that measure. Think through that.”

Of course, nothing beats a well-crafted PN marketing strategy. Gonzi is so good in this shit he could sell ice to to an Eskimo. But that doesn’t make him worthy of respect however. Quite the contrary I might add.

[Daphne – If there’s anyone who’s ‘good in this shit’, lejborist, it’s the pigs and sows mucking around at Mile End. They’re up to their eyes in it.]

A fair question deserves a fair answer but let me first point out the premise that, though I come from a family who always voted labour, I am not an extremist, at all. Actually, I would be lying to you if I told you that I am enthused of Labour’s offerings so far. It is a no brainer that many of Muscat talk is cheese and as much as I’d love to be proven wrong, he gives me the sense of being, yes, relatively intelligent and ambitious but ultimately too young and inexperienced to lead a country. Some of his ideas look like they’re straight out of a politician’s handbook bought off ebay at the spare of the moment rather than the result of sophisticated research and analysis.

On the other side of the political spectrum we have a gang disguised as a political party led by a lying cheat who promises wonders before elections with a ginormous corny smile on his face only to give back a pile of stinky horse shit. He thinks the country is a courtroom where good lawyers can bullshit their way through to win their cases (no disrespect to lawyers intended). Similarly to the Democristiani who reigned in Italy for like 50 straight years, the PN is an incumbent party that made this country so corrupt that even a Mario Puzo book wouldn’t do it justice. Sadly, this power of incumbency that is magnified by their day-to-day flagrant abuse and manipulation of state machinery has guaranteed them one victory after the other in the past twenty or so years.

As much as I’m tempted to stay at home come next election, between an inspired naïve man who might not know exactly what he is doing and the leader of a marmalja, I’d pick the first one anytime, any day.

[Daphne – Oh, no, you’re not an extremist although you come from a family who always voted Labour: you just think that the Nationalist Party is a gang disguised as a political party led by a lying cheat who promises wonders before elections with a ginormous corny smile on his face only to give back a pile of stinky horse shit. What an idiot you are, I mean really. That’s a perfect description of the political party your intellectually challenged family voted for and foisted on the rest of us – the difference being that Mintoff, KMB and Sant couldn’t smile if they were paid to do it. They glared their way to the top. Cut that political umbilical cord. You know you want to, and that’s why you’re here. You’re not arguing with us. You’re arguing with yourself. I’m old enough to recognise it.]