I do not appreciate being plagiarised by Malta Today
Though it is nice not to be left alone to make a crucial point that others are too fearful to make, for once, I do not appreciate being plagiarised by the very newspaper that calls me a mad witch and accuses me of being in the pay of the evil forces of gOnzIpN.
Yes, it’s James Debono, who is probably the only sane and chip-free person in that stable. But still.
This is what I posted on this blog yesterday.
HOW CAN YOU CONDEMN VIOLENCE? VIOLENCE HAS NO FREE WILL. CONDEMN THE PERPETRATORS.
Sometimes it’s necessary to condemn the sinner, not the sin.
The prime minister has just “condemned all forms of violence and bloodshed”. This doesn’t mean he’s got off that fence, but merely moved to a different position on it.
A generic condemnation is, in these circumstances, woefully inadequate and smacks of that ridiculous maxim so beloved of Maltese people who can’t bear to stick their necks out: “Condemn the sin but not the sinner”.
What does that mean, exactly – condemn the sin but not the sinner? Sins are committed by sinners, and they are the ones who should be condemned for doing it.
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This is James Debono’s article, uploaded on maltatoday.com.mt this morning.
GADDAFI IS THE SINNER
Condemning the violence is not enough. This is like condemning the sin and not the sinner. The violence has a mastermind. His name is Muammar Gaddafi.
Our Prime Minister has condemned the “violence” without mentioning the author of the violence. This is like condemning the sin without condemning the sinner.
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I will forgive James because I agree with everything he says in the rest of his article, even though (or because) it is a total reprisal of all the arguments made on this blog since Sunday.
At least he said it, which is much more than can be said for our line-up of compromised politicians and wet journalists.
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Daphne, it’s obvious to anyone who can think that they dislike you because you are so much better at this job than they are or can ever hope to be.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/feb/22/david-cameron-uk-muslims-democracy
[Daphne – My thoughts exactly. That so-and-so Franco Frattini in Italy said a few days ago that we should not export democracy to North Africa because it would lead to instability. That’s rich, coming from an Italian.]
I think what the Italian foreign minister and ex EU commissioner did not say that democracy is bad for Libya but that Europe should not impose democracy on other countries.
One may agree or disagree with this. I would like to have democracy in all countries. However should the West boycott non-democratic countries as China? Incidentally I believe Malta was one of the first Western countries to have relations with communist China. The US and other Western countries followed suit.
It is a also a fact that many if not all Islamic countries lack real democracy.
Frattini is busy scaremongering claiming that Europe must be careful about the advancement of this rebellion because we cannot have an Emirate on the doorstep of the West.
Lily-livered as Shakespeare would call him
I correct my first sentence in my previous comment to read as follows: I think that the Italian foreign minister and EU Commissioner did not say that ….. . żSee also http://www.corriere.it/politica/11_febbraio_21/polemiche-politiche-libia_912a4206-3da5-11e0-8c41-24e78bec137b.shtml
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. They’ll be wearing Desigual jackets next.
They already are.
Maybe now they might realise how educational it is to log on DCG’s blog. Malta Yesterday, more like it!
Kien xi zmien “Malta Yesterday”, meta kienu jaghmlu artikli investigattivi fuq iz-zminijiet koroh ta’ taht il-Labour. M’ghadhomx jiktbu hekk issa.
There is no democracy in both Russia and China and yet every country is ready to go along with them. How do we expect to have democracy in Africa.
Only a lunatic expects the Arabs to go for democracy. Frattini was realistic and factual. What is going to happen is just change of regimes. Perhaps for the worst.
[Daphne – Carlos, if Malta could have democracy foisted upon it and survive, so can Libya. Malta has NO history or tradition of democracy. Democracy was imposed on us, and that is why the Labour Party and so many of its supporters have problems understanding the concept.]
About two/three years ago, in a Doha debate on BBC, the Saudi foreign minister said that Islam and democracy are incompatible. However, I believe theocracy and democracy are incompatible. There is always hope for these North African countries to start learning and achieving a semblance of democracy.
‘The Arabs’ are not an amorphous mass. You have been conditioned by the sight of Gaddafi & co for four decades.
Maybe you should trying talking to some real Libyans instead of imagining stereotypes.
“Malta has NO history or tradition of democracy.”
That is incorrect. Perhaps you meant that Malta has no tradition of a liberal urban bourgeoisie, which has always been the driving force behind democratisation, and there I would agree with you.
Rubbish. Malta has a lot more tradition of democracy than most other countries in Europe and the world. The Maltese were trying to get some form of representation going well over a hundred years ago. Effective democracy has been with us since the 1920s – almost a century – uninterruptedly, except for when Mintoff briefly buggered it in the late 50s (when we got the Blood constitution) and the 80s. Only Britain, France and the Scandinavians have a better track record in Europe. Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, any Balkan country – none can hold a candle to us.
[Daphne – You’re thinking of representative democracy – parliament, etc.]
It’s odd how many think that it’s far better to be at the mercy of a madman than to have a democratic state as a neighbour.
Nahseb li inti ottimista hafna fuq James Debono.
Tghid int, once a Graffitti activist, always a Graffitti activist? Naqbel.
I did not get the reprisal bit. Why is quoting you a reprisal? And to whom?