That fine Ox Toni Abela makes an important announcement: we shall be celebrating 90 years of Labour
Joseph Muscat’s medical condition is fascinating, don’t you think?
While Toni Abela deputised for him at today’s press conference to announce 90 years of Labour (at least it’s not a thousand-year Reich), the party leader and his medical condition went off to hospital to visit Dom MIntoff (see previous post).
Maltastar, which reported both stories on its home page, at least had the nous – though only just – to avoid telling us this time that Our Dear Leader couldn’t address the press himself because of his medical condition or his leg or whatever it is this week.
So what we want to know is this: why wasn’t Joseph Muscat at his own press conference, taking questions from journalists?
Why did he find the time today to visit Mintoff but not to do his duty as party leader?
MALTASTAR NEWS, this evening
Labour to celebrate 90 years with events for all
Malta’s Labour Party will mark its first 90 years with a number of events to reflect its appeal to all sectors of society.
Dr Toni Abela, Deputy Leader for Party Affairs, said that Labour Party founders lived up to their principles and turned them into national policy by future Labour governments.
“Labour has always worked in the interest of all Maltese, especially in the interest of those yet to come and that is how it will remain,” said Dr Abela.
One of the events will be the unveiling of Labour’s new emblem on the 30th of October. This comes at the end of a long process were all those interested had the opportunity to contribute with their designs and ideas.
Furthermore the Labour Party will be honouring its past by setting up an exhibition about the party’s history – with all major events documented in around 750 photographs from the past. Abela promised to give an authentic picture of the party’s history without underestimating the fact that the Labour Party is made of human beings who make mistakes.
Dr Abela said that Labour will also be promoting its positive contribution to the Maltese society and which defines the Labour movement. These can be seen in the Labour government building a social welfare system in Malta and introducing the concept of common suffrage, where everyone is entitled to vote in an open democracy.
Labour will also be holding an academic conference under the title “Revisiting Labour History”, as well as a political satire event “Ghax Hekk” with Malta’s top comedians, musico-literary evenings, a conference about sustainability of urban development and more.
A thanksgiving mass at the Cospicua parish church will also be celebrated by Archbishop Paul Cremona.
One of the main features of Labour’s celebration of history will be a documentary narrating the party’s history, which will be aired on ONE in 2011. A preview of the documentary will be shown in November.
The events will kick off on 1st October and will end on Republic Day with a fund-raising event.
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Are you sure you’re not logging on to a spoof website masquerading as maltastar?
[Daphne – Perfectly sure: http://www.maltastar.com/pages/r1/ms10cont.asp You’re right, though – it does read like a spoof. ]
Did you see that article just below Toni Abela referring to one “Jimmy Hendrix” ? maltastar, you suck.
Bondì se jibqa’ jilghaq lil Joseph Muscat wara din il-gaffe?
I read it. Apparently Jimi Hendrix was a rock ledged who lived in Notthing Hill.
The Stalinist rewriting of history has begun.
Labour, the pro-European Party that invented social welfare, respected human rights and free speech, and abhorred violence.
But oh, they’re not going to “underestimate the fact that the Labour Party is made of human beings who make mistakes.”
You know how it is – as long as we have children’s allowance, who needs free speech and democracy?
L-ewwel il-pappa u imbaghad l-umpappa!
“The Stalinist rewriting of history has begun.”
Correct. They are calling it “Revisiting Labour History”.
I am eagerly looking forward to watch that documentary they promised.
Will they include the burning down of the Times, the attack on Fenech Adami’s home and his family, the closure of Church schools, the attack on the Courts and the Curia, and the death of Raymond Caruana?
Will they include a full narrative of how they opposed liberalisation, and how they nationalised and monopolised everything (telecoms, broadcasting, banking, bulk buying importation)?
Will they tell us anything about the 1981 general elections, the visits by Ceausescu, and the numerus clausus?
The trade wars with Italy and Japan? The closure of private hospitals? Their attack on democracy? Their no to Europe? Their no the new Delimara power station and Tal-Qroqq Hospital? Their removal of VAT?
The list is endless. They have enough material for a whole series of episodes.
yes and they should include fenech adami shouting who killed karen grech as well. although at the end of the day fenech adami was all words and no facts.
no to the new delimara station … of course you don’t live near delimara so you won’t be inhaling the toxic fumes released by the corrupted contract of BWSC … although pn had a healthier alternative they didn’t care and opted for the worse option.
when handicapped children will be born due to the poisonous fumes released and when one of the trucks carrying the waste will get spilled in our roads due to some nice guy driving the truck recklessly … come here and say that labour where wrong because they said no to the powerstation.
Infact why don’t you go and live next to the delimara powerstation if you love it so much? :)
It’s stupid when you list “bad things” that labour did and you don’t include what pn did … it’s obvious you are unrealistic because you don’t give the whole picture … state all the facts :)
They might even include Eddie leading his followers into the streets to provoke thugs and cops alike into retaliation: ‘If the Constitution says we can’t govern, we’ll go subversive and stage attacks to create mayhem.’
I hope they’ll throw in an investigative piece covering the many false flag operations with bombs strategically placed next to PN clubs (or even beneath stairways, provided a hero could act in time to avoid a tragedy, as happened in St Julian’s in 1984).
Some people do know what really happened, you know. Not everyone is as small-minded and disinformed as you petty lot here.
[Daphne – And Kevin, they might even include some more recent history: the debate on whether or not to accept your wife as an EP candidate because Joseph Muscat is desperate to convince us that Labour is now pro-Europe but your wife insists on ganging up with odd people like Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici and Sammy tad-Dockyard to say NO2EU.]
Kev, so the violence and bloodshed were actually the result of a conspiracy by Fenech Adami and the PN. There you go – you have finally been vindicated: there ARE conspiracies out there.
By the way, were you one of those cops “provoked into retaliation”?
@ Antoine – a word of advice: when you don’t know the details it’s best to zip up.
And Daphne – 2002 was eight years ago. Since then, Malta has joined the EU and ‘No2EU’ is now ‘know the EU’.
[Daphne – The referendum was in 2003, and please remember that partnership won.]
@Kev
“They might even include Eddie leading his followers into the streets to provoke thugs and cops alike into retaliation: ”
So democratic protests like demanding water are a provocation to police (weren’t you a police ‘officer’ back then?) and to thugs.
So we shouldn’t have protested because the poor thugs might be provoked, and the police, instead of devending people from those baboons, joined in their fun!
One thing I’ll give the labour party is their sheer brass neck!
kev,
“Some people do know what really happened, you know. Not everyone is as small-minded and disinformed as you petty lot here”
Do us a favour and say what you know or just keep quiet. Taqta’ figura ahjar. You should know that it is your duty to inform the authorities of any information you might have.
Kev, you still have a Soviet Communist mind. Did you say you converted from Communist to Libertarian somewhere on the way from Damascus to Brussels?
@ Marianne – there are libel laws and much worse… Much of what I have to say would not even pass this blog’s moderation.
Yes Ciccio, I did move on. Here’s a quote you might like: “Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago.” – Bernard Berenson (1865-1959)
– No2EU was set up in 2002.
– The referendum was about membership not partnership.
[Daphne – Was it? Have you told Joseph Muscat?]
@Kev
“Some people do know what really happened, you know. Not everyone is as small-minded and disinformed as you petty lot here.”
I expect to see you in the documentary then.
@Kev
Alfred Sant had said that the Partnership won the 2003 referendum.
See from 2.42 onwards in this video (although I think you should watch the whole of it for a good laugh).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doky8I7mJSI
@kev
Yours is no excuse. I did not tell you to talk to journalists. Your duty is to inform the relevant authorities and then they will proceed to make their own investigations.
@Kev
Ah but libel is for lies! What you have to say is fair comment, surely!
“Why did he find the time today to visit Mintoff but not to do his duty as party leader?!
Their answer is further down in their report about the planned festivities: Ghax Hekk.
Can I order it on DVD? Guaranteed entertainment! Maybe someone could subtitle the fiction with the truth. fun fun fun
“Maybe someone could subtitle the fiction with the truth.”
Something along the lines of this, you mean:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2qKKzi59r8&feature=related
Incredible!
“Labour has always worked in the interest of all Maltese, especially in the interest of those yet to come and that is how it will remain,” said Dr Abela
The man who said he’s in favour of abortion (then recanted) says that Labour works in the interest of those yet to come!
How many teletubi are there in that photo up there?!
Forget abortion. How about their Big Battle Against EU Membership?
Now that’s really putting future generations first.
Excuse me while I kiss the sky.
Big Battle? It was Total War!
Kathy please!
What a sickeningly ironic world view. And you’d ask them where the EU is heading, or who is really in control, and you draw a glazed-eyed blank.
Min Weber, I had the same observation as you, about abortion.
Expect more in this vein:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ovC4O4xlN0&NR=1
What in Christ’s name does Renato think he looks like? An ageing harlot in a fluffy wig, too much rouge and a mandarin moustache.
Imma l-aqwa li mietna ghall-barrani. U ninsew dawk il-hafna barranin li mietu ghalina, l-ingrati, biex Renato jista joqghod jizfen u jaghmel il-make up.
Excuse me while I kiss the sky.
Let me watch you as you try, Kathy Etching hmmm.
Wow thanks! Beautiful poetry. Subjective? Absolutely! If not, it would not be poetry.
It’s a line from a Jimi Hendrix lyric, kev. You could Google Kathy Etchingham, too. I see you don’t know as mucn about major icons of the music world as you do about conspiracy theories and the FBI.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnOFEgWQec8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1EtgGWSVEU
It’s enough to make you throw up all along the watchtower.
The one about “Aghtuna ix-Xoghol” fits Labour’s history perfectly. Their 1980s government remain famous for record unemployment, despite the “Budget tal-Qawsalla” u “Budget tal-Impjiegi.”
Some interesting comments under the posts too. I might be losing my touch a bit, but isn’t “tal-genn” a disparaging remark? Anyway, I’m grabbing my guitar and heading for the beach … think I’ll do Hey Joe, Are you experienced?
Wow 750 photographs.
I wonder if they might include one or two of the arson at the Times of Malta building, or a few of the facsist police force with batons and dogs at the opposition party rallies. Or perhaps of a few ransacked PN clubs.
Show us the full history or f…k off.
Toni Abela: “I did NOT have sex with that puppet.”
“But I could not resist calling her “shuna” and peeping down her top …”
Ninety years of MLP.
They will keep silent about:
1. the fact that Monsignor Gonzi was one of the founders of the Labour Party;
2. the Mintoff/Boffa split;
3. all mention of Lorry Sant;
4. the political meeting near the dockyard at which Mintoff described the dockyard workers as being “bla bocci tal-laham”;
5. Lino Spiteri’s resignation from the party and government in 1997;
6. Joe Micallef Stafrace’s resignation;
7. Guze Abela’s “iddejaqt u xbajt”;
8. the problems with Joe Grima and his removal from the party by Alfred Sant;
9. Alfred Sant calling Mintoff a traitor at a political meeting in 1998;
10. Mintoff calling his successor Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici “nej”;
11. Joe Brincat’s accusations against Alfred Sant and his ‘skuzi’, in print;
12. Mintoff’s hours-long tirade against prime minister Alfred Sant, in parliament, in the summer of 1998, which kept the nation galvanised to its radio, and which led to the collapse of that government and the entry of Malta into the European Union;
13. the resignation from the party of this very same Toni Abela and his best friend Wenzu Mintoff and the reasons for it;
14. Lorry Sant’s shouted threats to Wenzu Mintoff in parliament, accompanied by the waving of a brown envelope in which he said there were incriminating photographs.
I nearly forgot about the last skeleton (or mummified corpse) in the cupboard:
the MLP’s TOTAL war against Malta’s EU membership.
Talk to any MLP supporter and you’ll hear some lame argument against the EU. Joseph Muscat’s and Alfred Sant’s begrudging attitude towards Malta in the EU, was and still is “Viva San Filep la x-xitan irid hekk”, sort of “if you can’t beat them join them” .
Mintoff’s referendum on Malta’s Integration with Great Britain deserves a mention, too.
The secret treaty with North Korea – the specialised group of North koreans who came to teach our police force how to beat up people – there is so much more, but this is enough.
Impressive list, Gahan. One would think you worked for Naval Intelligence. How did you come across such minute details from your troglodyte cave?
Could it be a good memory, Kev?
Have some more.
1. The perverse electoral result of 1981
2. Mintoff’s unwillingness to provide Malta with an uninterrupted supply of potable water and of electricity
3. his resignation in the 50s
4. Alfred Sant’s resignation because of a simple parliamentary motion
5. Charles Mangion’s resignation as minister of justice
6. The replacement of VAT with CET
7. The freezing of Malta’s EU membership application
8. George Abela’s resignation as deputy leader
9. Alfred Sant’s dubious victory over Lino Spiteri in the party leadership election
10. What was the name of the Bormla mayor who was kicked out of the party by the men in shorts? Paul…..
11. The Marsa meeting when Alfred Sant declared that he and Partnership won the EU membership referendum
12. Sammy Meilak and Co kicked out by comrade Alfred from the dockyard council
13. Acting President (of the Republic, that is) Paul Xuereb’s “qazzistuni” TV broadcast
14. Prime Minister Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici’s refusal to allow a US crack military team onto Maltese soil to handle the Egyptair hijack situation at Luqa airport, resulting in the deaths of so many people
15. Malta Shipbuilding’s contract for build so-called timber carriers which were actually missile launchers (so much for Malta’s neutrality) which turned out to be such a rotten deal
If you want more, please just ask.
How the Malta Labour Party treated the worker:
1. ‘Marriage’ of the General Workers’ Union with the Labour Party
2. Korp tal-Pijunieri
3. Izra u Rabbi
4. Bahhar u Sewwi
5. Wage freeze
6. One man one job
7. Women prevented from taking jobs previously occupied by men (‘breadwinners’)
8. The mass sacking of around 700 workers from Malta Shipbuilding at Christmas
In-fighting in the MLP:
1. Labour loses the 1987 election. Lorry Sant punches Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, who spends weeks in hospital.
2. Mintoff’s mysterious ‘fall’ from his horse
3. Joe Attard Kingswell , George Abela, Michael Seychell thrown out of the General Workers’ Union.
4. Mintoff/Boffa
5. Mintoff/Alfred Sant
6. Mintoff/Joe Micallef Stafrace
7. Alfred Sant/Lino Spiteri
8. Alfred Sant/George Abela
9. Alfred Sant/Joe Grima
10. Alfred Sant/Joe Brincat
11. Jason Micallef/Michael Falzon
12. Charles Mangion/Alex Sceberras Trigona
13. Joseph Muscat/Jason Micallef
14. Toni Abela and Wenzu Mintoff against everyone
What a wizard you are, Gahan. You truly know everything there is to know.
I forgot to mention:
1. Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici’s “Jew b’xejn jew xejn” church-school war
2. Mintoff’s war on doctors, which resulted in the highest death rate at Saint Luke’s Hospital
3. The day Mintoff kicked the Blue Sisters out of Malta
4. Education ‘reform’
5. Locking out striking workers
6. Kumitati tal-girien
“Unicorns are betrayed with trees, bears with mirrors and men with flattery”.
” …750 photographs from the past.”
Photographs can hardly be from the future now, can they?
Could they be from the present?
Not unless you’re going to snap and show.
I hope they will show us the pictures of “Tal-Barrani” and those of Rabat. Come on, Toni, be brave – ask Independence Press for some copies.
Propaganda minn fuq dahar Mintoff qed jaghmel Muscat billi jmur jarah. U ghad jibghatu jitmellah Mintoff ghax dan in-ne** idejjqu.
I don’t know why he bothers to visit him anyway. The patient is suffering from dementia and to him that just majtezwel be the honey monster from Sugar Puffs sitting there and catching his breath after the l-o-n-g walk down the hospital corridor.
Din insejjhulha PROPAGANDA IRHISA
Claire, you make a very good observation – this is cheap propaganda. However, I would personally imagine that if it were to happen on the eve of a general election, it would be priceless cheap propaganda – for the Labour party.
It has been announced that Labour was born on 15th October.
By some strange twist of fate that date happens to be also the date of the infamous Black Monday events, when Labour showed all and sundry exactly what it was capable of – the burning of The Times, ransacking of Dr. Fenech Adami’s residence and the rest. They really do have something to celebrate – the showing of their true colours.
Is this historic exhibition going to mention the fact that Toni Abela was kicked out of the Labour Party?