“The last time the prime minister was on Bondiplus, I noticed that Lou Bondi made a point of calling him ‘prim ministru’.”
Dress code is part of our manners.
I noticed that Peppi HAD to wear a suit and a tie in the debate.

Sew jekk tiekol imqaret ,
jew tnaqqar il-pastizzi
Gahan ser jibqa’ seqer fuqek
ghaziz Sur Mizzi.

“Jesawx” flok “jesghux” tikteb
paragrafi bl-addocc titfa’
ismijiet tfajjar wiehed f’wiehed
attenzjoni m’ghandekx nitfa.

You are right that there have been staffing problems in certain sections from the very beginning. What this government didn’t do however is clean up the place earlier.

Although some sections are overstaffed, many other sections of the company are quite the opposite – understaffed. Although comparisons are odious, a company similar in size to Air Malta is Luxair of Luxemburg, who employ 2400 staff as against Air Malta’s 1400…….. and still made a profit in the mother of all recessions!

Air Malta had 2000 staff just a few short years ago, and still turned a profit in its core operation.

In fact, Air Malta’s predicament has little to do with staffing levels. Last year it made a net lost of €31million, though it had some €35m in operational losses. Audited results described the losses as €18m due to higher fuel prices and €12m due to inferior Sterling exchange rates. This leaves some €4 in other losses some of which could possibly well be due to staffing levels.

This year the rumour is €51m losses. With an all time low in staffing levels, and fuel half the price, where has all this money gone? How can the staff be blamed?

One last thing. You are wrong about Air Malta receiving “millions in subsidies”. It has never received a cent.

In fact it has always contributed, previously in profits, but always in tax and NI contributions. I estimate that last year alone, some €18m in employee’s income tax was paid, besides some €2m in NI. Since inception, the company must have paid the government enough to build TWO Mater Dei Hospitals!

When god forbid Ryanair forces Air Malta out (mainly due to the millions in subsidies it receives from our governemnet – your taxes and mine), not a cent will go to our coffers, as even their Malta base employees get paid in Ireland. Though they live and work here, they don’t pay insurance and tax like you and I…….. though they use our hospitals and infrastructure……. that you and I pay for.

But that’s another story. Hopefully the real problems at Air Malta are solved.

“Il-haddiema ta’ l-Air Malta m’ghandomx tort” qal Tony Zarb , u jien ta’ Gahan li jien insaqsieh ” U allura?”.

Ghax nghidlek frankament jien kont go fabbrika li kienet tajba u kellha tnaqqas in-nies li kienu jahdmu bla heda, la tawna somom u la gew presidenti u prim ministri u la gejna fuq l-ahbarijiet u l-anqas il-GWU ma’ giet taqbez ghalina il-membri taghha.

Jekk hemm in-nies zejda jaghmlulhom kif ghamlu lili u lil shabi li ukoll ma’ kellniex tort. “Xi darba tmiss lil-Papa” nghidu ghal min kien jikolha tajjeb.Kellhom gobb ta’ Papa li kont qed inhallas ghalihom jien mit-taxxi u l-vjaggi tieghi, issa inqatatilhom iz-zejza!

M’hemmx x’taghmel, min hu barra, barra u min hu gewwa, gewwa. Fredu Sant mhux hekk ried jittrattahom lil tax-Shipbuilding?

Bad manners in Malta are being taught on TV:

Lou Bondi and Peppi Azzopardi address Cikku l-kennies, Cetta ta’ lahlah, an MP, a heart surgeon or a psychiatrist by their first names as if they’ve been bosom buddies for ages.

[Daphne – The last time the prime minister was on Bondiplus, I noticed that Lou Bondi made a point of calling him ‘prim ministru’.]

Other so-called journalists on other stations follow suit, and are even more crude. Charlon Gouder comes to mind.

They also interrupt and treat their guests like trash. When someone declines their ‘invitation’ they come out with the phrase that the people have the right to know.

Funny how this does not apply when the invitee is some ‘prestigious’ foreigner.

[Daphne – No John J. Tabone ever ran Air Malta.]

The scenario has completely changed as nowadays travellers are booking flights, hotels, rail tickets, etc online at the last minute. This cannot be done through a travel agent as all you need is an internet connection and a credit card. Travel agents have been reduced to organising tours and cruises.

[Daphne – Min hu John J Tabone? Ma nafux.]

I see i have hit a nerve here,that was quite long to read after a day helping the kids with hw’s,doing housework and battling for an hour in a football game…ha ha.

The thing is,the reality is so different.You paint a picture as if this lad is living in heaven when we all know how difficult it is to find property nowadays and pay for it.Probably by 2060 he will not have paid his loan.It’s easy to say,when even finding a job is hard these days.Even for the highly educated.

We may have a higher standard of living,but everyday, cost of living rises.Rises that effect people like me are water and electricity bills that are now becoming a joke really,gas has more than tripled,petrol seems out of our control as every 2 months we hear of a hefty rise,and these are the things we have to adress.And then we find out in the budget that we are given a mere rise like 50 cents of the old lira.

We cannot keep thinking or frightening people with socialism as if it is a desease.Honestly i think PL can bring something better for a country,that seems to be out of direction.I cannot understand how you keep putting Joseph in the same brackets of Sant and Mintoff.There is no resemblence.And another thing,plots and houses before elections are not an 80’s past habit,it still happens these days i guarantee you.

Bil-Malti: “Ghandek patata cips kbira fuq spallejk”.

Hallina mic-cajt, nahseb bil-Malti nghidu “ghandek kull lanzita ghal……” jew gieli smajt “ghandek (jew hemm) il-qadim”, li tfisser li l-individwu jattakka lil xi hadd ghal-ragunijiet li jkunu ilhom li saru u li mhux bil-fors huma ovvji jew jghidhom.

PE f’dan il-kaz jista’ jkun li l-individwu ippretenda xi haga minghand il-gvern u jaf li ma kellux dritt ghaliha u ma’ nghatatlux…..hemm il-qadim ghalek il-lanzit.