Joe Mizzi, you have my support
Joe Mizzi, chairman of Public Broadcasting Services, has resigned. Malta Today ran a video yesterday showing him in a highly disorientated state at the post Eurovision Song Contest party in Dusseldorf, holding onto a railing and then collapsing in a dead faint.
The reprehensible Julia Farrugia – I hate to be rude, but exactly what could she possibly have learned about decent and ethical behaviour with a Labour 1980s driver-thug for a father – wrote a story to accompany the video, saying Mizzi was drunk, and this despite his denials.
“Taking a page from the how-to-not-resign handbook so popular with his superiors in ministerial positions, Mizzi said he wouldn’t submit a resignation despite his drunken behaviour while officially representing Malta.”
This was despite the fact that, when she rang him to tell him about the video, he denied being drunk, told her exactly what he drank, and explained that he is not a drinker.
Miraculously, Julia Farrugia’s story and the Malta Today video appeared as a news item on the Labour Party’s news site, Maltastar, shortly afterwards.
But when I saw the video, and this was even before I read Farrugia’s ‘report’, I didn’t think ‘drunk’. I thought ‘Rohypnol’. That wasn’t somebody who had drunk too much. It was somebody whose last drink had been spiked.
I’d seen it happen to somebody once. And like everyone else, I’ve also seen a lot of people who’ve drunk too much.
I rang Joe Mizzi, who I know over the telephone through his publishing business, to ask him what happened. He told me that he remembers speaking to some friends at around 3.30am and then the whole thing is a total blank. He came to in his hotel room around 10 hours later. A colleague later told him he had helped him back.
It seemed more than a little odd to me that just when he was overcome, a couple of Maltese (you can hear them sniggering and commenting in the background) would just so happen to be on hand to film him. He is on the point of collapse, but instead of going to his aid, they film his name tag up close so that readers of Malta Today and Maltastar will know exactly who he is.
They even continue filming as he falls to the floor and lies there, and carry right on filming as others rush to his aid.
Despicable.
If the people at Malta Today want drunks, they could start by looking closer to home. But they’re not going to do that, are they. Nobody at Malta Today is married to a ‘converted lesbian’ (you see, it can happen! And Pastor Manche isn’t the solution!) and nobody is married to a drunk.
You should never, ever, assume that somebody is drunk unless you have clear and incontrovertible evidence that he or she really is: unless you have seen them knocking it back and can see close-up all the signs that are particular to drunkenness and nothing else.
I have a friend with MS. Once, while talking to me at a party, she became very unsteady and asked me to help her reach the nearest chair. The nearest chair was across the room. We crossed that room, with me propping her up, to audible whispers and stares. I could barely control myself, I was so annoyed at the gossips.
As for Julia Farrugia, perhaps she could try popping a Rohypnol in Saviour’s ‘gless of wine’ and watching what happens. But I don’t recommend that she tries raping him (this is the so-called date-rape drug, after all) because she’ll have Marie Louise Coleiro and Joyce Cassar after her for breaking up families.
And we don’t want that, do we.
I’m not suggesting that Mizzzzzz Farrugia has Rohypnol or that Malta Today spiked Joe Mizzi’s drink because Saviour Balzan has a neurotic obsession with any PBS chairman who doesn’t buy his lousy shows.
I’m just saying that it would be a useful experiment and a learning experience for that Julia to find out what Rohypnol does. Girls get warned about having their drinks spiked by men who want to take advantage of them. Boys never are, because it’s assumed that nobody is going to want to take advantage of them THAT way.
But of course, spiking a boy’s drink has other uses. You can do it just for fun – to get them into trouble, say, or to film them and put the video on the internet. And boys’ drinks are easier to spike than girls’ drinks, because girls have been trained from birth about this and boys are not, so they don’t watch out.
As for the rest of you out there who think you might be a political target for scum, take my advice: get your own drinks, watch the waiter/barman pour them out, and never, ever leave your glass unattended.
Every girl knows that. Now everybody in public life should know it too.
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Well said!
Thanks for writing this, Daphne. I just can’t stomach the vile approach of those who just splash these things about on the internet for the simple joy of humiliating people! And decent people at that.
I don’t know Joe Mizzi that well but I had the pleasure of working briefly with his father Pawlu, and both seemed to be quiet, decent men. That behaviour seemed totally out of character.
Guaranteed that the person/s responsible of such despicable and dangerous act must have plenty of experience with the knowledge of this substance. This is someone who committed a very dangerous act which could have resulted in loss of life.
[Daphne – Yes. It occurred to me that if Mr Mizzi had been facing the other way when leaning against the railing, he would have fallen the other way too. And no doubt, Malta Today’s and the Labour Party’s agents would have carried right on filming. Over my dead body will I ever vote for such sh*t. If they can’t burn you down or arrest you, or harass you in some other way, they try these kinds of tactics. I can’t believe Roger de Giorgio has got himself mixed up with such scum and is financing it. He comes from such a decent family, but he’s sunk to the level of Saviour Balzan, Matthew Vella and that Labour Party thug-driver’s daughter. Whatever axe he is trying to grind should be a stump by now.]
This act should be considered a crime of intent to harm another person……to have such low-lifes preying on people to further their own political agenda is scandalous. What hateful, hateful behaviour.
I know Joseph Mizzi very well. He is a remarkable businessman who has a gentle soul. He is an excellent husband and father. He never jeopardizes his family and has integrity. They have my support.
It is a crime, and given that it was committed on the person of a Maltese individual by another Maltese person, then the Malta Police may investigate and prosecute for wont of extension of jurisdiction. It’s all theirs for the picking, if they want.
Ah, you can never know why that skunk Degiorgio went to the dogs, and by dogs I mean Saviour Balzan – that hateful figure full of venom and lies. May he rot in hell but here on earth. Even his face tells it all.
Despicable! Agreed. Joe Mizzi you have also my support and you know it. A true gentleman, like Joe, is always a gentleman.
The IMF chairman was also a true gentleman. Shit just happens and resignation is a gentlemanly act as well.
[Daphne – True gentlemen do not force themselves on women and describe themselves as Great Seducers, especially not when they are married.]
I wrote this in defence of Mr. Mizzi but you got it all wrong as usual. Mr. Mizzi is a true gentleman and his resignation is a gentleman act too.
IMF chief did a lot of good too in his position but he f**ked up and was rightly punished for his brutal act.
[Daphne – I take exception to the comparison of Joe Mizzi to a rampant fornicator and cheat (and alleged rapist), and I am certain he will do so too. That is no defence of Mr Mizzi and I did not get it wrong. The IMF chief did not ‘f**k up’. After a lifetime of ‘seducing’ women, he tried it on in a country where forcing yourself on a woman is just that and not ‘seduction’ as it apparently is in France. Unfortunately, you have to be a woman to know exactly who the real gentlemen are – and believe me, you only find out when you’re alone with them. You might have written in his defence, but it is an odious and wholly inappropriate comparison. Apart from the characters of the persons involved, you are also comparing the alleged perpetrator of a criminal act with the alleged victim of a criminal act.]
Now about the videos… A simple urine test will confirm the use of Rohypnol. But I doubt it very much. Rohypnol makes you sleepy, not tipsy.
[Daphne – God, how wrong you are. Both urine and Rohypnol pass out of the body within 24 hours. The video was put on the internet a week after it was taken. A bit late for tests, don’t you think? And that is precisely my point: Mr Mizzi is not tipsy in the video; he is collapsing. He looks drugged, not drunk. These are the effects of Rohypnol, and I know what I am talking about: within 20 to 30 minutes you begin to feel that you’re being overcome. It feels nothing like drunkenness, but as though your consciousness is leaving you and you have to struggle to stay conscious. If you are aware of what has happened to you, you know you have just a few minutes to get somewhere safe before you collapse and blank out. If you are not aware of what has happened to you, you blank out and are at the mercy of strangers or of whoever has done this to you. If you are lucky, there will be a friend somewhere around who will take you to your room. Either way, you wake up some 10 hours later, but it doesn’t feel like waking up. It feels like regaining consciousness. Everything is a total blank.]
Taking a page from wikipedia “Rohypnol was only used in around 1% of reported date rapes according to Robertson and 0.33% according to urine lab tests done by El Sohly.”; “investigations into its actual use as a date rape drug have contradicted popular belief. ” And it’s on ‘popular belief’ that you are basing your reasoning.
This is coming from a medical doctor, not a columnist.
[Daphne – It does not come from a medical doctor. It comes from Wikipedia. Interestingly, it was the doctors to whom Mr Mizzi spoke who raised the possibility of Rohypnol to him, even before I mentioned it. The statistics you quote are for date rape, not for Rohypnol use on third parties,and even where ‘date rape’ is concerned, there can be no real statistics because the victim literally remembers nothing.]
Gianninu, it is time to live in 2011, not in the Medjuevu. That is why I carry the exact year with me – so that I keep reminding meself that, at least every 365 days, I need to make some changes and move with the times.
Prosit Daphne! Well done!
Dear Daphne,
On behalf of Schwarzkopf we sponsored the Malta Song for Europe and there was the usual after event party where I met Joe Mizzi for the first time.
I honestly can’t believe the cowards who filmed such an unfortunate incident and those who uploaded the video. Moreover please permit to add that why did Minister Dolores Cristina accept his resignation? There are regular incidents involving more grevious situations and later we hear that resignations were not accepted.
Joe,
I also wish to add that you have my support……..do not bother after all.
Kevin Farrugia
Tghid hawnhekk Julia Farrugia “qabzet lina fina hafna fil-gurnalizmu Malti?”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL2wSBe2q2E
[Daphne – Not Rohypnol, that’s for sure.]
Exactly D. In fact it’s available at your friendly supermarket in 1 litre bottles these days. Imma kullhadt jinsa hej.
My statement should have said “…linja fina…” not “…lina fina…” – my apologies to anyone with the name of Lina.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgSrGv4uROI
Fl-opinjoni tieghi Julia Farrugia u kull min kien involut f’dan il-kaz waqghu f’bassezzi u disumanita’.
Li tiffilmja bniedem f’mument ta’ diffikulta’ trid tkun veru sadist u jekk Julia hadet vantagg b’dan il-mument veru mhix umana.
B’hekk trid tidher li gurnalista? Ghax ma tmurx f’nofs xi attakk fuq Tripli jew pajjiz iehor fejn hemm gwerra u tirraporta minn hemm, halli turina kemm verament hi gurnalista kapaci.
Jew issa bi hsibna intuha ghall-gossip biex inkunu bhal l-istazzjonijiet barranin.
Could not have expressed the above comment better. I live in the US and we have laws against ‘intent to harm’.
This behavior is what criminals act like not so called ‘journalists’.
Today even the paparazzi do not act like animals because laws have been implemented against those who inflict such acts. Dear Joseph & family….you have our support from all of us. God bless & do not fear these low lifes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6lU1uPK-c8&NR=1
Julia’s birthday was on 21 May as declared in the video link above. She published her article with a video about Joe Mizzi on 22 May.
Surely that video was not a birthday present from the Editor of Malta Today, and any allegation in this sense would be unbelievable.
Ahahaha by one day, impeccable defense.
The video was taken a week before. (i.e. either 14th or 15th) But let’s give you the benefit of the doubt. Have you heard of the word ‘belated’?
‘It’s unbelievable Jeff!’
[Daphne – Sorry, but I can’t understand people when they pop pills and then talk. Come back when you’re making sense.]
Very well said!
When I read the article this morning I was shocked and disgusted. Shame on Julia Farrugia and Malta Today, and also shame on all those who posted stupid comments on the net.
This evening I was reading some of the comments posted on a Maltese forum by a couple of middle-aged women, who appear to be of a learned profession too, jekk joghgbok, people who in the first place should know better than to jump to conclusions, judge or trying to make fun of the person.
I do not know Mr Mizzi personally but I sympathise with him, and his family. They must be going through hell right now. Kuragg.
I think the video shown on MaltaToday was totally out of place. It’s a very cruel act.
You spoke very well on this topic, Daphne. Prosit.
Whilst I agree with your argument we must also appreciate that in Malta we have a serious lack of the culture to shoulder responsibility and resign.
Mr. Mizzi was probably a victim but having said that the chairman of the PBS must not be so ‘naive’ and allow himself to fall for these situations in a Eurovision afterparty.
He is not a drunk, that’s for sure but he sure has proven to be naive.
His resignation is full of dignity and I applaud him for doing so since it sends out a message to all those public officials who tend to forget what responsibility is all about.
Then again had I been the minister responsible I would have probably not accepted his resignation. She should have engaged your services and you could have given him some insight on ‘Rohypnol’ and perhaps a slap on the wrist.
DCG… always an expert in every field.
[Daphne – It really ticks you off, doesn’t it? Women are meant to be thick, especially the ones who don’t support Labour.]
So this is Julia Farrugia and Malta Today’s idea of investigative journalism? Smells like cesspit journalism to me.
Well said, Daphne! Joe, you have our full support.
Must have been the Jaegermeister, the only known German anaesthetic that you can buy over the counter. And I can relate from personal experience – 3 or 4 glasses and your brain gradually shuts down. The only time that I ended up in such a state. Never touched it since!
Keep your head up, Joe, and move on. Many are those with a dead brain just on tap water.
Mark,
Bollocks, and bollocks to you again. This poor guy did not stand a chance, and it wasn’t the drink that did it. Have you ever seen a drunk person?
Truly, this is a stinker. Oh, by the way how opportune that two of our ‘brothers’ were on hand to film this crap, instead of giving a fellow brother a helping hand.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spKqw5uvwIc
Well said, Daphne. I must say shame on Julia Farruigia she has hit rock bottom well dirt is always dirt maybe she thought of an award in journalism? I know Mr Mizzi and his family. He is a good man, and he should keep his head high – nothing to be ashamed of.
We all know what Malta Today is – bla kuxjenza – so what do you expect. I hope once his name is cleared he is made chairman again.
Rock BOTOM journalism indeed.
‘Il lupo perde il pelo na non il vizio’
Reminds me of old Labour style malevolence, frame ups….. you name it.
Typical vicious tactics with Labour in government.
Lest we forget.
Wasn’t a Head of Delegation recently accused of being drunk at a Eurovision activity?
Diabetes can also cause similar symptoms to MS.
If there are sufficient indicators that he was set-up, the Minister should not have accepted his resignation. It only rewards the despicable people who did it.
Those who know Joe Mizzi know also that he IS a gentleman. I shudder to think what his family is going through right now. They shouldn’t bother that much because I heard that it is trash week at Malta Today.
One has to hope that Julia Farrugia never had an application to work for the PBS turned down during the tenure of Mr. Joe Mizzi as chairman. Otherwise, it would amount to personal vendetta.
Unfortunately for Joe Mizzi it’s incredibily easy to spike alcohol. It doesn’t need to be medicine. It could be the way it was stored, adding salt, adding household items and so on.
Last time I went to an open bar I had 8 drinks (vodka) and my friends had to drive me home, because I couldn’t walk after 30 minutes into the party. By comparison I usually share a 70cl vodka bottle with two friends before I go out to drink more.
Saw the video.
From personal experience, it looks like he had a few drinks while he was on anti-biotics. If he was not on anti-biotics, then surely his drink must have been spiked with a depressant drug, because that is not the typical behavior of somebody who is very drunk. Somebody who is that drunk, would be more aggressive and emotional.
The other factor is the “luck” of the Maltese cameraman and the filming of his name and right after that giggling. If he didn’t take antibiotics before drinking then it is clearly a frame-up.
Whoever took that video is the sort who’d film a suicide attempt rather than prevent it.
Even if Mr Mizzi really were drunk – and I don’t believe he was – it would have been more appropriate to rush to his assistance than to take cheap shots.
Usually when we meet other Maltese overseas we rush over for a chat just to use the language. It feels good meeting fellow islanders. This episode leaves a foul taste and begs the question who can be trusted.
[Daphne – Speak for yourself, yor. When I hear fellow islanders before I see them (and it’s always that way round), I flee.]
Given yesterday’s Constitutional Court decision that filmed footage of Mgr Vella (footage he was of course very much aware had been taken) may not be shown without his consent, should this impact on the legality of Joe Mizzi’s footage being made public on a Maltese website without his consent?
[Daphne – No, it’s a completely different situation. The Constitutional Court decision was taken as I explained it at the outset. You cannot include a person in an advertising campaign so as to suggest that this person is backing you – unless you have his or her consent. Nothing to do with the footage as such.]
@ Daphne
And then you think JPO and Evarist Bartolo for being paranoid for alleging phone-tapping.
A set-up? Yeah right – pull the other one. Let us please remember that the footage was shot at a conference hall, buzzing with journalists. It was not taken in some godforsaken spot, in the middle of nowhere, where journalists “just happened to be there to capture the moment”. Wasn’t there a similar story a few years back regarding a drunken binge from the Maltese Eurovision contingent?
I am surprised how anyone can, based on a mere viewing of the footage, diagnosis so emphatically that this turpor was definitely not caused by drinks, and drinks alone? Having misspent my youth in Paceville, and encountered a few comatose individuals, whose condition was induced by drink, I assume my guess is as good as yours.
[Daphne – The hall was not buzzing with journalists. It was 3.30am. Secondly, the comatose people you see in Paceville are not in their 50s. Men in their 50s do not get comatose on drink unless they are dedicated binge-drinkers, which is rare and unusual in somebody that age and only occurs if they have been binge-drinking all their life and can’t kick the habit – and that is certainly not Joe Mizzi by all accounts. Your guess is not as good as mine, because mine is not a guess but an informed observation. I have seen a hell of a lot of drunks in all situations in my time, and I have also seen the effects of Rohypnol. Also, by this stage in life there is very little you can teach me about human behaviour. When your reaction to a man on the verge of collapse is to stand there and coldly film him, then my educated guess is that you were involved in his collapse. Either that, you are a sociopath. But then you would have to be a sociopath to engineer it anyway.]
Which begs the question, If Mr. Mizzi is so sure that he was set up why not get a medical examination on this and clear his name? Anything short of this, is just not going to cut the mustard.
[Daphne – Alcohol and Rohypnol pass out of the body completely within 24 hours, Mr ‘Your Guess Is As Good As Mine.’ That’s the thing with Rohypnol. By the time you’ve come to, gone to the lavatory and worked out what in God’s name happened, you’re too late.]
I thoroughly agree that being an idle bystander to such a sad spectacle was despicable, and the right thing to do was offer assistance.
[Daphne – I’m glad we’re at one on that. It was beyond horrible. Anybody who thinks that Labour and Malta Today are the height of liberalism have only to watch the way they’re going to town with this. It’s totalitarian. North Korean. Chinese. But that’s the way they think: bloody fascists, masquerading as ‘tollerant’.]
Unfortunately, it seems like a Youtube mentality has seeped in, and it’s OK to shoot any kind of footage, irrespective of whether anyone needs help (the harrowing footage of the woman beaten up in Sliema springs to mind.
Watching that footage, my rage was directed more at the person shooting the video, than the actual aggressor, knowing that his non-intervention was the reason that woman was being beaten to a pulp.
I also admire a man who takes responsibility for his actions. Such a rare feat for this country. Joe Mizzi could have weathered this storm easily (anything is washed down during divorce referendum week it seems). He chose not to. And for that, he has my admiration, but please veer away from conspiracy theories, without medical backup.
[Daphne – As everyone knows. I am an Ockham’s (Occam’s) Razor person, not a conspiracy theorist. Hence my theory about what happened.]
You mean it’s bloody obvious!
Poor bloke mustn’t have realised that someone had it in for him.
Who stands to gain from discrediting the PBS chief right now? That is what one should be asking.
This guy just got fed to the sharks. He did the decent thing and resigned. Now it is up to his boss to see if one of her subordinates was set up. The Germans can be very efficient when called upon – maybe just maybe they have the same inclination towards security cameras as in England.
Wake up our boys in blue and we can give this gentleman his time in court.
May all those involved get what they deserve. Now let’s pray that the minister has the guts to see that true justice is done .
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/pbs-chairman-resigns-claims-foul-play
Judge for yourselves; but drunk men do not behave this way – they sing, laugh or cry and throw up.
The following is a comment extracted from that link …
Submitted on Mon, 05/23/2011 – 23:30. @Quo Vadis: Are you aware that the video has been edited? Did you hear the Maltese voice @1:27? It seems like you didn’t. Easy for you to point and condemn. C.R.
I too, have a vague recollection that there was a Maltese voice when I first saw the clip. Not sure whether it was Maltese language or English with a Maltese accent …
Whatever the case, someone erased the audio for that part of the clip.
Joe, my friend, you have my support as well.
Such a shame that instead of going to the aid of someone very evidently in need, these people chose to film the helpless GENTLEMAN that Joe Mizzi is (and remains in my eyes) !
Clearly this was a set up. Shameful, despicable, abominable, and utterly disgusting.
I thought that frame-ups were a thing of the past, but clearly not. This is to the Labour Party and its cohorts: thank you for reminding us of who you truly are, what you stand for and what we may expect.
This is a reader’s comment I read in the Times:
Luke Stivala
Today, 00:26
If he thinks he was framed then why did he resign so quickly ??
[Daphne – It’s incredible, isn’t it.]
Could have been filmed by a gay guy who mingles with Deo or Natius the latter a friend of Busy Lips Julia
It’s a good thing the video came out. Can you image a person in such an important position being blackmailed for years on end with this video?
[Daphne – Why do you start off from the assumption that he is the sort of person who can be blackmailed? Or that he would rather be blackmailed than have it made public?]
You have NO IDEA what you’re talking about.
FACT: Joe Mizzi drank.
FACT: Joe Mizzi does not drink usually.
FACT: Joe Mizzi drank different types of alcohol.
FACT: Joe Mizzi admitted to drinking at least 6 units of alcohol.
If he were administered Rohypnol we’d be talking about homocide by now, not just a setup. Mixing Rohypnol and alcohol is highly toxic, potentially lethal.
If flunitrazepam exposure is to be detected at all, urine samples need to be collected within 72 hours and subjected to sensitive analytical tests. 72 hours not 24 hours!!
In recent news it has been discovered that scientists can now detect flunitrazepam and related compounds in urine at least up to 5 days after administration of a single dose of Rohypnol and UP TO ONE MONTH IN HAIR!!!
[Daphne – Oh grow up, honestly. Been at the Wikipedia, have you? Rohypnol is ALWAYS mixed with alcohol in these situations. It’s the only way to slip it to somebody, other than shoving the pill down their throat, which they would notice – unless you’re dealing with teetotallers and glasses of water or soft drinks. Joe Mizzi found out he had been filmed a whole week later, so whether it’s 24 hours or 72 hours or five days is irrelevant. Some might even say it was a factor in letting so much time pass before uploading the video. The thing you might not understand is that people of Joe Mizzi’s age are long, long past the stage where they set out to get plastered for the hell of it, and recognise the warning signs of unsteadiness long before incapacitation, so incapacitation is avoided. There are many reasons why you see 18-year-olds semi-conscious, but no 50-year-olds, unless they’re rabble at a village festa.]
I already stated that i am quoting from wikipedia. I know barbiturates more than you do. I’m not a cheap columnist. This is my profession. No need to tell you to grow up. You’re already past menopause. Still no reply about taking samples from his hair. You can get drunk even with two glasses of wine especially on an empty stomach. I expected better from a 50 year old. Mixing drinks is a no-no. Paul Giordemaina can give us a list of the drinks he had whilst in his company till 3.30 am please ? Or was he too drunk too ?
[Daphne – So barbiturates are your profession, eh? What are you now, a drug-dealer? A roofie merchant at a lapdancing club? Take my advice, sweetie. Go home, sit tight and wait until you grow up. Don’t despair, because it does happen eventually. And then you’ll discover that only people your age get drunk on two glasses of wine, empty stomach or not, that mixing drinks is fine, and that women of 46 are not past the menopause. Why, you might even find yourself fancying a woman who’s past the menopause – it happens you know, and if you don’t believe me, ask your father. Until then, good luck. I suspect you’ll need it.]
You obviously prefer resorting to insults rather than contacting Paul Giordemaina and getting the whole truth. But you cannot expect much better from a cheap columnist with a laurea in ?
Gianninu (PhD Boston)
[Daphne – My dear, you manifest all the usual fixations of immature Labour supporters: looks, menopause, university degrees, ‘cheap columnist’, etc. Then you accuse me of resorting to insults because I point out what is agonisingly obvious from your writing: that you are immature and uninformed. PhD Boston? That would be why you looked up barbiturates on Wikipedia then. And that is aside from the fact that somebody with a PhD from ‘Boston’ would never say ‘with a laurea in’. Paul Giordemaina and Fleur Balzan offered to talk to Julia Farrugia, but she wasn’t bothered.]
PhD Boston – in what, finger painting?
Since we are talking about facts:
“FACT: Joe Mizzi drank different types of alcohol.”
There is only one type of alcohol that you can drink without getting poisoned!
Besides, contrary to common belief, mixing alcoholic drinks does not get you drunk any quicker – that depends entirely on the amount of alcohol you drink.
“FACT: Joe Mizzi admitted to drinking at least 6 units of alcohol.”
To get as plastered as he “seemed” on youtube, an adult man, even a teetotaler, would need to drink far more than that!
By the way, just where do you get your “facts” from?
@ Gianninu ‘the medieval court jester’
Dahhaqqna ha nidghu
A PhD who refers to Wikipedia?
Why are you all so bloody surprised ? I am not saying that the Nationalist Party is perfect because it is so very much not. But, they are nowhere near the mindset that Labour and many of its supporters have.
The tragic thing is that I cannot see them ever changing, and when you have those type of people as the alternative government it is democacy’s loss. We end up having no alternative but to vote Nationalist.
To me, the man looked stunned by some form of medication and not drunk and disorderly.
In the old days I think they used a combination called Mickey-Finn to bring about such a state.Today it is Rohypnol.
What is so suspicious is the coincidence (providential for some) of finding a camera nearby to film the whole scene instead of rushing to his aid.
One wonders who stands to gain from discrediting this gentleman right now.
Tal-misthija!
More on Mickey Finns;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_Finn_(drugs)
As far as I am concerned there is no justification for not helping poor Mr Mizzi in his moment of difficulty. However I have seen people that drunk before, normally a combination of a lack of food and sleep and a drink taking you the wrong way.
[Daphne – They would almost certainly not have been 50+, unless they were plastered at a village feast, and there is a very visible preamble to that.]
At the end of the day there is no evidence either which way, so if he was drugged then this is a horrible political stunt however from a neutral perspective this does look like a man who has drank way too much making an ass of himself whilst representing Malta.
Either way good luck Mr Mizzi,
Age is just a number.
[Daphne – Age is not just a number. You have to be pretty idiotic to repeat that mantra, or to assess a man of 50 by the same yardstick you would use for a man of 20.]
I would have had no problem with this if he wasn’t representing Malta and doing so on the tax payers money. As it stands, even in the tasteless manner it was carried out in, I feel that he had no choice but to resign as this reflects badly on us.
On his own time where he is not representing Malta he can do whatever he likes.
Still think the person who filmed this is a worthless **** as he might have fallen backwards and over.
[Daphne – You are starting off from the assumption that you have all the facts, that Mr Mizzi was drunk, and that he was to blame for his condition. The only thing for which he can be blamed is in the fact that he has not yet understood – unlike me, he is fairly new to public life – that you can’t trust anyone and that parties are, as a general rule, best avoided.]
I’ve only recently got to know Mr. Mizzi and just cannot reconcile the person I met with that on the obviously produced video.
Dawn m’humiex mossi ta’ bniedem fis-sakra, izda ta’ bniedem taht influenza ta’ xi droga.
Nistghu forsi naraw xi filmat ta CCTV ta’ qabel?
Media Today is a den of vipers and thieves.
They have no sense of journalistic ethics.
They think their pen is a joystick and newspapers are a video game.
[Daphne – Julia Farrugia no longer needs a joystick. She’s getting married soon I hear. Please excuse this remark on the grounds that she bloody well deserves it.]
They do not understand that the pen is mightier than the sword. For them it’s just a game. They play with people’s lives.
Their behaviour verges on the criminal.
They are REVOLTING. They turn my stomach.
I must assume that this bitch’s future ‘joystick’ is more of a dipstick, associating with such cretins.
he’s a dentist, James Portelli.
Why should Julia Farrugia make such a fuss if Mr. Mizzi had been caught drunk on a video?
Is it not “One Life” after all?
Just look at Nejxus, her friend.
Sorry but everything in this article hinges on speculation. It is amazing that you can so emphatically claim that Rohypnol was used by a mere viewing of the footage. Did you hone this skill over years of journalistic practice and an archeological degree?
[Daphne – No, I honed it over roughly three decades of observing clearly drunk and clearly drugged people, though fortunately I did not have to observe them at close quarters in the household like the owner-directors of Malta Today. I have also been a direct witness to at least one – and I suspect two – Rohypnol incidents. And I know Joe Mizzi – but better still, I know the machinations of the Maltese political and media scene, and best of all, I know just how nasty, cowardly and unpleasant Maltese people are.]
There is nothing to corroborate the use of Rohypnol – even Mr. Mizzi has made no claim of it.
[Daphne – Actually, he has. He doesn’t need to put out a press release about it. He didn’t know anything about Rohypnol. It was his doctor who brought it up, when he described what happened and said that he knew he wasn’t drunk. He was kind of surprised when I mentioned it myself when I rang him – poor Joe probably thinks now that the whole world knew about Rohypnol. One thing’s for sure: thanks to Malta Today and the Labour Party, the PBS chairmanship is going to be really hard to fill. Nobody is going to want it.]
All we have is a rather sheepish and very nebulous declaration by Mr. Mizzi that “he was set up”. “How”, “Why” and “by Whom” remain unanswered. In my books, that’s tantamount to the dog eating your homework.
[Daphne – Look, Jack. Did you ever hear anything about the dangers of arguing from the absence of evidence? (See, it’s actually worth having an archaeology degree.) The fact that Mr Mizzi hasn’t told you and the general public how, why and by whom does not mean he hasn’t told anyone else, or that he doesn’t know. Also, what you describe as ‘sheepish’ is actually the usual tone of a very quiet and decent man. I think you’ve become too accustomed to round-the-clock chavs everywhere you look from politics to television to remember that some people do speak this way. You’ve also got to factor in the enormous shock somebody like that would suffer when exposed to that level of indecency.]
However, I remain open to persuasion if Mr. Mizzi can corroborate his conspiracy claims, as he appears confident on so doing.
As to men aged 50+ in an alcohol-induced comatose state, think Japanese businessmen on a business trip after a karaoke night.
[Daphne – It’s late, and I’m getting tired of engaging with people who don’t think straight, even without the effects of alcohol. I have made the point several times elsewhere in this thread: that’s just it – men in their 50s set out to get drunk, like those Japanese businessmen. They don’t find themselves drunk or get drunk by accident. Kids do that. People in their 20s do that. But not men in their 50s. Men in their 50s get drunk because they work at it and they know they’re doing it.]
I see you’re good at conspiracy theorising at a parochial level. Too bad that’s as far as your synapses take you.
[Daphne – Bored again in the Brussels suburbs, I see. Try Scrabble with Sharon – that’s assuming she can spell.]
Kev, every time you are in that toilet you’re stuck in that word conspiracy. Move on to the next. On my dictionary, it is “constipation.”
Synopsis (noun, Singular) Synopses (noun Plural). I would suggest drinking lots of water against constipation dear Kev.
@Daphne: I dare say a good game of Scrabble would be a good idea in Brussels shocking weather. I venture to suggest though that Kev procured himself & his Sharon, the latest copy of either Roget’s Thesaurus or the Concise Oxford Dictionary, which if I were in his position I would peruse and refer to every waking moment.
P.S.: The use of the word “parochial” is rather courageous for one who cannot spell, don’t you think?
Synapses are to neurons as bees are to flowers, Hyacinth. You would at least know about the bees.
Well said Daphne. When I saw the video clip, one could tell that it was a frame-up.
Il-bassezza li waqghet fiha Julia Farrugia hija profonda u mhix gustifikata.
Possibbli bit-taparsi gurnalizmu investigattiv taghha ma ndunatx li dan kollu kien missenxena mahluqa minn xi pulcinell li kien madwar Joe Mizzi mghejjun minn xi erbat ihqab ohra li kellhom jigbdu ritratti u video u ghamluha apposta biex iwaqqghu bniedem serju ghaz-zufjett mad-dinja kollha?
Dan huwa l-gurnalismu investigattiv tieghek, qahba ta’ sold u nofs? Investigattiv kien ikun lli kieku inti xandart l-ismijiet ta’ dawk ir-ruffjani li wettqu din il-gaziba kontra Joseph Mizzi.
To me the most obvious proof that he was set up is the length of time they filmed him.
Up the stairs, past the bar, wait until the young lady picks up whatever he dropped, round the column, get a close-up of his name tag . . .
They knew what was going to happen and they filmed him assiduously until it did. When a cameraman is surprised or startled by the unexpected the film jumps. The hand behind this piece remained steady all the way, even as he hit the floor.
[Daphne – Thank you, Pat. That is EXACTLY why my immediate reaction was ‘Rohypnol’. You can actually see the progression in the film, and it is bloody obvious that they were following him around waiting for him to collapse. It takes exactly 20 to 30 minutes. I know that they’re reading this, so here’s a message to the little shits: karma is one hell of a bitch. Look it up. You’ll find it under ‘k’ in the dictionary.]
If Malta hadn’t begun to imitate Britain in other respects, I wouldn’t believe that Maltese journalism had sunk to these depths.
Maltese journos, you still have a chance to make good. Celebrities visit Malta because the Maltese press do not pester them so much as the British (especially gutter) press! Please, do NOT continue in this vein.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110524/local/glen-vella-praises-former-pbs-chairman.367026
[Daphne – Norman Hamilton! How easy it is to sign a letter! Why doesn’t he submit a resignation of his own, to Super One and the Labour Party? Running with the hare and hunting with the hounds – baqaluhx zmien ukoll, 70+ and still fouling up our television screens. Well, as long as he keeps his name out there and sells a few thousand more cruises to starving citizens of GonziPN, who can’t afford pizza…Jaqq, x’nies.]
The only thing those at Media Today are able to do is turn stomachs. What do you expect of a bunch of failed politicians? And to hear Saviour Balzan recently say, at his age, that he wants to EMIGRATE! I pity him – he wishes, but with no profession, no skills?
[Daphne – Saviour is a really sad case of retarded development. You’re surprised because he wants to emigrate at 50 with no skills and no profession? The man’s just had a baby, for crying out loud, a whole generation and more too late, and he’s writing newspaper columns telling us how tough it is with one in the house, because – guess what – we didn’t find that out 25 years ago. He must think it’s given him a second flush. Tragic scum.]
He was on the panel of the ONE debate last night…………..
Clearly Daphne,and as expected, you have never been to a true Maltese wedding . You get loads of this (and worse) from men (and women) of all ages, and well beyond their 50s. Alcohol can be very intoxicating, especially if one does not usually drink. And frankly I see nothing wrong in the guy having got drunk, I’m sure most of us have. He just happned to be at the wrong place, at the wrong time. Full marks for having the decency to resign, as that was the right thing to do.
[Daphne – I have been to countless ‘true’ Maltese weddings, though clearly not of the sort to which you are accustomed.]
Exactly my point.
I too believe that Mr. Mizzi’s drink was spiked, however I remember an incident when my close friend, who had drunk all night was behaving in a very similar way to Mr.Mizzi. Thus, I do not agree with your statement that this can only happen after being drugged.
[Daphne – You know, this kind of reasoning really exasperates me. You can’t remove the person from the equation when assessing a situation. If I were to see a film of myself in that state I would know for certain that I had been drugged – for the simple reason that I am no longer 18, and almost 30 years down the line I know exactly how I react to alcohol. Mr Mizzi is older than I am, and so has had even longer to get intimately acquainted with his own physical reactions. People of our sort of age who get ‘zibel’, as they like to call it, do so with full intent and are aware that it is happening.]
Well done, Daphne, for your nice comments. Shame on Julia and all Maltatoday staff.
Tonio
Gutter journalism – Joe Mizzi is a truly nice man and does not deserve to be ridiculed in this way. Shame on whoever was behind that camera. Where is your compassion?
Shame all the more for them filming him, rather than helping him. There’s only one word for them: scum.
Unlike you I do not know Joe Mizzi, but like you, Daphne, that is what I thought: this looks like the effects of a large dose of a benzodiazepine drug.
It does not have to be the Roche drug that you mention, but it could be several others in the same class which are much more widely available and one of which is completely tasteless and dissolves easily in water.
What you propose is not far-fetched.
[Daphne – I know it is not far-fetched, dery. As I said, I have seen it happen.]
I know someone who knows a thing or two about pharmacology and is not usually duped who had their drink spiked with such a drug with ugly consequences. As some of these drugs remain in the body for a long time a urine test would detect some of them even many days after the spiking.
Perhaps Joe Mizzi should undergo such a test if has has not already done so.
[Daphne – I asked him about that. His doctor – a prominent one – told him there is no way they are going to find anything eight days after the event.]
You know I would do it anyway for all it’s worth? Maybe some traces can be found… who knows?
If he suspected foul play, why didn’t he go to the police and subject himself to tests? Any reasonable man who has what to lose would have done that, no? Not saying JM isn’t a respectable man, but he is partly to blame. Carelessness is no virtue and lack of foresight was never a quality that inspired leadership…
But Brutus was a respectable man.
[Daphne – Subject himself to tests for what, exactly? He didn’t know what happened. He found out eight days later when Julia Farrugia rang him to say that she had that film and then he saw it on Malta Today’s website.]
From what’s being reported, Joe Mizzi knew all along that there were people out there who were out to get him. He believes their spite was spurred by the success he brought to the station.
[Daphne- Going by what I know of these things, and my own personal experiences with that kind of venomous behaviour, I’d say that the motivation was 100% political, and nothing to do with the success or otherwise of PBS. PBS is seen by the Labour Party and Malta Today to be an extension of the Nationalist Party/government.]
Anyway, whilst in Germany, he collapses. He knew all along he wasn’t drunk (at least so he claims) and knew there were people who wished him harm. So why on earth didn’t he go to the police to cover his a***? Did he think that it’s a normal to pass out like that? Did he, seriously?
[Daphne – Because good people don’t think like bad ones. When they collapse, they don’t think ‘somebody’s spiked my drink’. They think ‘I’m really ill’. And that’s what he thought. He still thought that when Julia Farrugia phoned him. It was only after he saw the video that he understood what must have happened.]
If we assume he couldn’t have known that people were out to get him…was he so sure of his health that he felt a check-up wasn’t necessary? He’s soooo busy, work comes before his health. How honourable, aye!
[Daphne – Please don’t speak about a serious matter in this childish way. It’s offensive, and you show your age in a most unflattering way.]
If he had an iota of intelligence, he should have known/suspected this would turn back to bite him, so he should have subjected himself to tests immediately…by doing so, the drug would have been traceable and no matter what’s uploaded on the media, he would have had a powerful piece of paper in his hand that would have spared him this ‘humiliation’.
[Daphne – Like I said, good people don’t think like bad ones, or at least, like those who have been at the receiving end of spite and venom for years.]
Put differently, if he never collapsed before (tipo when one suffers from diabetes) and didn’t drink himself silly, two things would spring to mind: illness or foul play. For the sake of sleeping comfortable at night he should have gone immediately to see a doctor/police. He did none of this..or did it late. His blooming fault.
[Daphne – People of Joe Mizzi’s age do not operate or socialise in environments where their drink is likely to be spiked, like bars, Paceville, nightclubs, pay-for parties and the rest. GROWN-UPS do not go to parties prepared for such a risk, because they assume that the environment is safe and that those around them will have no interest in spiking their drink. I think we can be sure that the people who did this are in their 20s, or in their early 30s and with a bad case of retarded emotional development. It is not the ‘spiking’ that tells me their age – older people spike drinks too, but not to film the victim wobbling around and passing out. That is something the ‘happy-slapping’ generation does.]
Maybe he was expected to be grateful she didn’t ask for extortion money. You never know, with despicable people.
I have to say I do not know Mr. Mizzi. But I did see the video on Youtube and I was really surprised that it was edited, to start with. Nobody edits their phone videos unless they want to show them around.
Seriously, have you ever taped something with your phones? Have you edited it afterwards?
Besides, I was struck by the fact that these people were actually filming him without helping him. I found that most disturbing. What would be one’s natural instinct? I’ve had people with me who got drunk. What was our natural instinct? Well, to help the person. In this case, they couldn’t give two hoots.
I don’t know whether the drink was spiked or whether he was set up or framed. I can’t understand what gain could be made out of the resignation of the PBS head (though Daphne perhaps you could enlighten me on this) but one thing is certain: whoever filmed him was and is despicable – if for no other reason, for not helping a person in need.
Finally, I noticed that Mr. Mizzi was not vomiting. I would expect that somebody so drunk would throw up. Is it possible to be so drunk without actually throwing up?
[Daphne – No. It isn’t possible to be so drunk without throwing up. The first thing your body does is get rid of it. And that’s one of the things that told me he wasn’t drunk.]
I thought so. And again, why film somebody in that state if it’s not a “bravata” between friends, for example, which clearly is not the case?
Despicable.
No harm done. Reminds me of my mate Spud at the Loveparade. 2.1 million raving Germans and the sound of Westbam floating over the Burgplatz. Then Spud turned to me and said: ‘Please, take me home’.
It was the ‘please’ that worried me. Within fifteen minutes he was hooked up to a drip in the Red Cross tent, being tended by an H.P. Baxxter lookalike from Munich, while I waited sheepishly outside, fending off questions about what drugs he’d taken with trenuous and honest denials.
To this day, we still don’t know what caused the black-out.
It is rumoured that I sang the whole Sex Pistols discography on New Year’s eve 2001-2002. Quite a feat, considering I barely know the refrain from Anarchy in the UK.
Of course I don’t remember anything because I was very, very drunk.
Wasn’t there anybody there who truly saw what happened? May you own up!
I hope they have the courage to report it to the police, because those who truly know Joe know something doesn’t add up here.
Who gave him the drinks? Why was the sound suppressed? Who did the filming? Maaa! I have been saying this and will say it and say it again – Malta is back in the 70s but worse, because now there are people who want revenge. I am so concerned for this country and our children.
I don’t know Mr. Mizzi but I still empathise with him and his family in this situation.
Was the minister too quick to accept his resignation? Or is it only temporary until the matter is gone into more deeply? Have the police started any investigations?
What was done is despicable.
Is this episode one example of our Catholic values so much flaunted lately?
Very well said indeed!
Tghid ma haqqiex il-Pulitzer Julia ta’ dan is-servizz?
But it’s amazing how a person could get humiliated in case of a collapse.
In case of women she might be pregnant (it happened to me at the age of 15 when my blood pressure went all down from a heat exhaustion).
In case of a man he might be drunk or under drug effects.
Jagermeister – 35% alcohol by volume. Multiply that by 4… from a man who is not accustomed to drinking. Add to that two glasses of wine and you have an explosive alcoholic cocktail in your brain.
[Daphne – Multiplying four 35% alcohol units by four does not make 140% alcohol. Who told you that Mr Mizzi ‘is not accustomed to drinking’? Or that a man his age can’t take two glasses of wine and four tots spread over several hours at a party? More to the point – why are you so desperate to prove your point? Are you involved in some way? If you were a normal person you would just be disgusted.]
The amount can be equated, in terms of alcoholic volume or units, to six small beers for an everyday comparison. The mixture of wine and Jager does not come into it in terms of a person’s ‘drunkness’.
Consumed over any reasonable space of time (say more than an hour) that MIGHT be enough to get a mild buzz on for man of Mr. Mizzi’s age and build, but to reach the state of unconsciousness we saw in the clip? Absolutely no way.
Explosive alcoholic cocktail? Stop talking such nonsense should you wish to be taken as being in any way credible Gianninu.
Mr. Mizzi himself told me :)
“Yes, I took two glasses of wine and four glasses of Jaegermeister. I don’t have a drink problem. I RARELY DRINK. Everybody has these kinds of bad moments”
It makes four shots of 35% alcohol. No one mentioned 140%.
I just like proving my point, nothing personal. They probably have CCTV cameras in there anyway and as I stated before he can still be tested for traces of Rohypnol.
[Daphne – Just stop it, please. You’re doing yourself no favours.]
Medjuevu not even if you were a Mennonite and drank that alcohol, would you end in that state. FULL STOP
He could have drunk all the alcohol in the world, but you should never film a human being in such a situation and make a show out of it. It’s so terrible that a person prefers to film instead of giving a helping hand to someone in need.
This is exactly how I feel about it.
The film was not only shown but USED against him which led to his resignation.
Shameful.
Jagermeister is nothing. Qed tiskanta b’xejn.
Gej bil-explosive alcoholic cocktail, qisek xi wiehed li jmur fil-bars u jordna “Virgin Jack Coke”, biex ma tkunx ‘Jacked up’.
Let me put things into perspective for you. In Paceville you find groups of thin girls drinking round after round of vodka Coke pitchers (Vodka 40% min). Occasionally you might find them bumping into things, falling over each other while laughing and screaming. Two glasses of wine and four Jagermeisters won’t do that to you, not even if you’re a 16-18 year old girl.
Kemm jifhem u jixtarr Il-Professur Gianninu tal-Medjuevu.
Ismu mieghu!
I can tell you, profs, and this from a person who unfortunately can drink anyone under the table: this is not the behaviour of a drunk person. Progression of collapse is too quick.
This matter is too serious for me to surmise on what befell Mr Mizzi.
What is certainly beyond any doubt is the behaviour of everybody else involved in this incident.
Utterly shameful.
I’m not sure that I’m understanding the article correctly, Daphne, though normally I tend to agree with what you write.
If it is the case that:
a) One should conclude that P is drunk if, and only if, one has absolute evidence that proves P to be drunk,
then by the same reasoning,
b) One should conclude that P is under the influence of drugs if, and only if, one has absolute evidence that proves P to be under the influence of drugs.
Further, regarding b), there’s still the burden of arguing whether b* (his drink was spiked), or b` (he took the drugs voluntarily at a party) is the case.
I’m not coming down either way. I don’t know him, and I don’t have an agenda, but if we’re in the realm of “inference to the best explanation” it’s difficult for anyone on either side to prove that he was drunk or on drugs with certainty.
His behaviour is consistent with that of someone who is very drunk and with someone who is on any number of drugs. When I saw the video I was dismayed, of course, but I didn’t judge him as “being drunk” or “being on drugs” because I wasn’t sure. So, I am surprised that he is resigning. Were it me: and I had done nothing wrong, and some external force caused me to act that way and it was beyond my control, I certainly would not have stepped down. Stepping down seems to entail that he did something wrong (over and above “embarrassing Malta”).
Do you think he should have resigned, Daphne?
[Daphne – Yes, of course. You don’t only resign when YOU have done something wrong. Refer yourself to one of the most prominent resignations of recent months: Howard Davies at the London School of Economics.]
That’s New Labour.
I know Joe Mizzi personally, and have had lunch with him and his family for many a time. I can personally vouch that he is not the type to drink until he reaches that state. Joe kuragg and we all know what a gentleman you are.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110525/local/former-pbs-chairman-calls-in-the-police.367046
I only learnt this now but it would seem he’s taking the matter a step further. Interestingly, people who were with him said he was in a perfectly sober state 30 minutes before.
I’m no expert but you cannot get drunk to that extent in 30 minutes, now, can you?
Curiouser and curiouser! (with apologies to Alice)
They try to make us beleive that they have changed but they really have not. They are actually worse, with all these years of pent-up frustration and anger.
Kuragg, Joe – we know what a gentleman you are and always were. Don’t let anyone destroy your successful life.
That, to me, does not seem like a drunkard. As for the person/people who follow the man who seemed to be in such a helpless state, and carried on filming him – as opposed to helping him – well, they’re not worthy of being called people, are they?
Push on, Joe and Sue, get to the bottom of this and see who is behind this and sue the hell out of him (unless the case would take you a “vita natural durante” to find out who the rattlesnakes are).
One thing’s for sure, you probably did not realise how loved and respected you are.
The glass is always half-full, our dear Joseph! Good luck, and good on you, Daphne, for tongue-lashing these green-eyed bitches & bastards. Nothing but criminals.
P.S. My analogy to reptiles was in no way incidental.
I only came to know about this issue few days ago because I was abroad and without access to internet.
But back in Malta a friend told me what happened and I agree with Daphne that some people should be sure about things before publishing any videos or news.
I have known Joseph Mizzi and his family for over six years now and they are a very respectable family.
The good this person done over the years stands out anyway and he’ll get all the support he needs from his closest friend especially his family.