Jigi qisu Berlusconi:

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@Daphne – which issues am I confusing? – I used the term Maltese Catholic Church purposely as the Roman Catholic Church no longer enjoys an oligarchy across most fd the world – except maybe the Philippines.

[Daphne – THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS THE MALTESE CATHOLIC CHURCH. YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. If you think that each country has its own ‘Catholic Church’ then you need to go back to doctrine classes.]

@Snoopy – I hope you are right – but still a referendum is a big risk – it should be a legislative outcome.

No leader of a nation would wage a battle if he or she doesn’t believe in the cause. To wage a battle one needs to believe in the issue. I do not see Dr.Gonzi decision as a sign of weakness. He is not waffling on divorce as he has told us his personal opinion.

Like you he is entitled to his opinion. It is very hard for many people in his generation raised in Malta to accept the legislation on divorce. I venture to say that Maltese who are in his age group and older are more inclined to agree with him. On the other hand the younger generation are at ease with divorce.

Notwithstanding all the hurdles Gonzi had to overcome, including those within the party itself, he proved to be both efficient and proficient as Prime Minister.

I am sure that had we to judge him by his virtues instead of his minor faults we would boost his moral and encourage him further towards another victory for the benefit of the Maltese, in general.

@ Gwap
Do you really think that the Maltese are still under the influence of the Roman Catholic Church? My experience is that most use the Catholic church in a pick and mix manner – they might go to Sunday mass but soon after use a condom.

Whilst most of them see nothing wrong in having sex outside marriage, most are still against abortion. But this is not because the church says so, but mostly due to mothers feeling that they are really killing a living being.

I am not sure that in fact there is a majority of the electorate (especially from the Nationalist side, as opposed to the Labour side) against divorce. There is on the other hand, a possible, cross-party majority against divorce – so both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition might find it difficult to insert it in their electoral manifesto.

So in actual fact their might be a higher chance of the bill passing after a referendum. As for parlament, the scenario might be that Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando’s proposal is amended (possibly by him) in a way that parlament would be asked to formulate the wording of the referendum – this is a way out.

It’s the pot being racist with the kettle. How can you say that Lawrence Gonzi is only after votes when he has chosen economic sense over popularity with every decision he’s taken.

Joseph Muscat NEVER promised divorce legislation, he only promised a private member’s bill which is what we have now. He had planned to lure pro-divorce voters to vote PL in the hope that divorce will be on the agenda at some future point whilst at the same time not alienating anti-divorce voters with an outright promise of divorce introduction.

The PL has done nothing but straddle the fence over important issues; afraid of ruffling anyone’s feathers. It’s so much easier to sit in the opposition side of the house and wow the public with rhetoric.

So Stefan – you will not forget – and what good is that if the PN is re-elected and no chance of divorce for another five years. Will you then remember in the following election?

@Matt – separating the divorce issue from the next election is a sign of weakness. We all know that a referendum will maintain the status quo. Gonzi can then go to an election with an “The people have spoken” there will be no divorce. How weak willed is that eh? And a big win for the anti divorce lobby and a bigger win for the Church.

This is not a civil state – it’s a fundamentalist christian oligarchy. Now here is the meaning of the word: an oligarchy is a form of power structure in which power effectively rests with a small segment of society distinguished by royalty, wealth, family ties, or military control.

Such states are often controlled by a few prominent families who pass their influence from one generation to the next. All you have to do is change the terms “royalty, wealth, family ties, or military control” to “the Maltese Catholic Church” to describe the Maltese reality. The Maltese church is highly likely to be promoting a referendum to ensure maintenance of their oligarchy.

[Daphne – You are confusing issues and besides, there is no such thing as ‘the Maltese Catholic Church’. It is the Roman Catholic Church, and not the Maltese Catholic Church.]

Another thing that amazes me about Dr. Gonzi is the fact that although having so much ‘trouble’ in the team he is leading – he always seems confident and as steady as a rock.

This can also be appreciated from the almost impeccable way the Maltese economy is being handled, despite a major recession worldwide and the number of drastic economic measures being taken almost everywhere else in the world.

Just imagine what it would be like had there been the socialists in government instead of him and the few ‘sober’ members in his team. He is proving he can handle serious situations, like a recession, with just half a team or less.