So YES, divorce will be introduced by a PN government
Way before this whole issue blew up, probably around three years ago I would think, I wrote a post saying that divorce would be introduced by a Nationalist government, not a Labour government, because that’s how the factors added up.
I wrote that Labour motivation for divorce legislation would be rooted in anti-clericalism and old political battles, which wouldn’t work, but that legislating for divorce was entirely consistent with PN principles on the liberty and dignity of the individual, and people can relate to this in a way they can’t relate to anti-clericalism.
I was eaten alive by those with fixed opinons.
But for all the most unexpected and unbelievable reasons, this has turned out to be so.
It would be outrageous if the Labour Party were allowed to take the credit for this referendum result. No political party can do so – the Nationalist Party certainly cannot.
It is quite obvious already that unlike with the EU referendum, people did not vote according to what their leaders told them. A sizeable chunk did, but the rest voted according to what they believe and sent the political parties and the bishops to hell.
They are the ones who made the difference in the end.
For the first time in three years, I don’t regret voting for Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando. He played a zero sum game by forcing the issue and could have damned divorce legislation for half a generation. But he pulled it off…..with a little help from Bishop Grech and his “wolves in the skins of lambs”.
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Quite a week end; voting yesterday morning,in afternoon took offspring to MIA for flight back to Euroland, Manu U Barca match in evening, waiting for ref result this morning and Monaco Gran Prix this afternoon with snacks and cold beer on hand.
Add on tomorrow results in Italy’s mayoral and regional elections which should give their PM something to chew on.
You forgot Inter Palermo this evening.
Any member of parliament who will now say that s/he will still vote ‘no’ in parliament, should be forced to resign on the spot.
It is inconcievable that any MP, from either side, can say that s/he is going to vote against the will of the majority of the population and get away with it.
The Prime Minister has to devise a way to push this through Parliament, one way or the other.
Alan I am re-phrasing what you said.
Any member of parliament who will now say that s/he will vote yes against my wish in parliament, will not have my vote next time.
It is inconceivable that any MP, from either side, can say that s/he is going to vote against the will of his/her constituents and get away with it.
The Prime Minister will present a law and vote against it , so will Beppe, Adrian, Mary Louise, Austin, Carmelo and all the Gozitan MPs.
…. and that will put Joseph Muscat squarely in the driving seat in 2013.
Guaranteed.
I hope the PM is not that suicidal.
He has the perfect excuse to get rid of this hot potato once and for all.
If he drags it on further, then I’m sorry, it will be him who is not fit to be in the driving seat.
And in those circumstances, I will be one of those who will vote to oust him.
Also guaranteed.
The PM should allow his MPs to vote either Yes, or abstain, like Joseph Muscat said.
[Daphne – Both party leaders have only one road open to them: to deploy the party whip and oblige their MPs to vote in accordance with the referendum result. The ‘free vote’ option was only an option WITHOUT a referendum, when MPs would have taken the decision themselves. They did not want to take that decision. They told us to decide. And we have decided. This means they have lost their right to decide. You are making the same mistake that very many others are making – including politicians – in failing to acknowledge that a referendum is not an opinion poll.]
The PM has already indicated in his ‘concession’ comments that he will allow them to vote No.
That is tantamount to saying “Screw the 4 million Euro and what the majority said. Vote as you please”.
Over my dead body, and my vote.
That’s not re-phrasing.
You are 100% correct Daphne. I corrected my mistake in your next blog-post.
Yes, or resign is their choice.
@Alan: the PM is not a moron.
@ Kenneth : who cares?
That’s right, Daphne, especially where the bishops are concerned.
Through the whole campaign I was really disgusted at how the church acted. It is one of the reasons that I chose to vote Yes.
Finally the Maltese have shown clearly to the church that it has to stop trying to scare people who do not share the same opinions as hers.
To our beloved Nationalist MPs who are against divorce, I do hope that the will of the people will be recognised also in parliament.
http://www.corriere.it/notizie-ultima-ora/Esteri/Malta-dice-divorzio/29-05-2011/1-A_000211987.shtml
This is the end of Gonzipn, the people don’t want him and his party anymore.
[Daphne – Spoken like a true idiot. That sort of self-confidence loses elections, and is also inaccurate. I voted Yes and will vote PN in the next election. Most people I know will be doing the same. As I said earlier, a Yes vote is the best possible pressure-cooker valve for frustration with religious bigots, and it will also force them to rethink. Shall I be blunt? The Yes vote has made Muscat redundant, if this was his only competitive advantage.]
Daphne, Joseph Muscat is not redundant at all. I am very eager to see him implement his novel concept of the lifink wejc, his 10 points to solve corruption, his 20 points to address the rising cost of electricity, and his 15 year plan for the country. And what about seeing him in the driving seat when Malta is at the Presidency of the EU?
David, I am a Nationalist and voted Yes, my sister is a Labourite and voted No. Where does that leave your “end of Gonzipn”?
Now, Antoine, that is what I call zero-sum politics. Well done.
Daphne, I voted YES but will never dream of voting for MLP.
Same here
Same here…actually I feel slightly invigorated to vote PN next time round
According to Karmenu Vella on Super One, Joseph is the real Prime Minister not Gonzi.
David, you are greatly mistaken. I too voted Yes and am disgusted by some members of the government who cannot differentiate between their religion and their status as members of parliament/cabinet.
But believe you me, come the elections I’ll be voting PN. Your party is not an option and never will be if things stay as they are.
David Ellul, I voted “yes”, and will always vote against Labour in the general elections. Your assumptions are incorrect.
David, I voted Yes and will vote PN in two years time. As Daphne said, the real loser in all this is Muscat not Gonzi, because he has lost his ‘divorce election trick’. His agenda is outdated and divorce will be introduced by a PN goverment with a big chunk of Nationalist MPs voting Yes.
so…. you think Joseph Muscat is redundant?? so what is Gonzi on your measuring scale? an ancient fossil?
“The campaign was won thanks to the incredible energy of the few who ran the Yes campaign, and the influence Joseph Muscat had on the Labourites who would have otherwise voted NO but instead opted to stay at home.” – Saviour Balzan.
Good point.
[Daphne – You kill me, Kev. And Saviour is even better at thinking out of his pants. If Joseph Muscat really had influence on his supporters then they would have voted Yes, and not stayed at home.]
The few who ran the Yes campaign, including Saviour Balzan himself and Joseph Muscat, almost made me vote No just to avoid being on their side.
The Yes won in spite, not because, of the official campaigners and, Kev, you’ll never admit it, but columnists like Daphne and Andrew Borg Cardona might have had a hand in it too.
The phenomenon described by Saviour Balzan about Saviour Joseph Muscat is called “Change-by-staying-at-home.” In politics, this represents the most innovative concept since Twitter.
You can also call it “kitchen-sink progressive and moderate politics.”
Daphne how do people that think out of their pants get others to think that they’re the most rational people around!
I have an explanation, but it’s pretty strong worded. Do you have a more “humane” one?
The way that Michael Falzon put it gives a more complete picture. This referendum was decided by those who did not pick their vote or opted not to visit the polling booth – both PL and PN supporters.
Not voting is voting.
http://www.maltarightnow.com/?module=news&at=Ma+stennejniex+ma%26%23289%3B%26%23289%3Boranza+daqshekk+kbira+%2D+Michael+Falzon&t=a&aid=99828563&cid=19
Is it so hard to understand or are you cheesed off for having failed, yet again, to predict a result?
[Daphne – Kevin, I will speak very slowly here. I. did. not. predict. a. result. Predicting a result was impossible with such a great percentage of ‘undecideds’ still at the 11th hour. What I DID say, and you appear to agree with me here below, is that Labour voters, being in the main working class, are conservative about these matters and more likely to be against divorce, while Nationalist voters, with the bulk of socio-economic group AB and people with a tertiary level of education, are more likely to be in favour. And you know what? The results appear to bear this out.]
Some Labour supporters who would have voted No, voted Yes instead to ‘follow the party line’.
Many others, fearing the wrath of god, could not bring themselves to vote Yes, so they abstained.
You did not predict as you did in your heyday on Election Sunday 1996, but you’ve been whinging like a sad spinster about how the No side is going to win and how this would lead to Joseph seizing power in 2013.
Even your ‘cautious’ Sunday Independent article tackles a No outcome, ending with a one line-paragraph ‘if the Yes wins’.
Admit it, you screwed up – again. You should be happy – you voted Yes yourself – yet you’re cheesed off for not seeing it coming.
Incidentally, this will not ‘run and run’ – it will all be over by the end of this year. Ancient history by 2012.
” Labour voters, being in the main working class, are conservative about these matters and more likely to be against divorce, while Nationalist voters are more likely to be in favour”
Daphne this is RIDICULOUS. Nationalist being more conservatives and more religiously orientiated, have voted No in their vast majority. If you have any doubts, take a look at the vote in Gozo, where people are ultra conservative and majority are of course Nationalists.
[Daphne – Skewed thinking. Look at the figures as a whole and not partially. Also, it is a fact that working-class people are more conservative and this not only in Malta. Support for the British Conservative Party was superstrong among the working-class, and Margaret Thatcher came to power on the working-class vote. The early years of her campaigning as an MP were spent in working-men’s clubs. And the polls indicate quite clearly that support for divorce legislation is highest in socio-economic group AB. This in fact turned out to be the case in the referendum: look at the results for the ‘tal-pepe’ districts, where PN supporters voting overwhelmingly against the party line.]
Joe Zammit was the biggest draw to the Yes vote.
His guaranteed victory bullshit mantra cinched it for the Yes side.
Some people are dancing with joy in front of his house in Paola.
“Dances with wolves.”
… “in sheep’s clothing”
The referendum was hijacked by the Labour Party who used the issue as a show of vote against Gonzi. Without this political influence and the own goals scored by the Catholic Church, the result would have been reversed.
[Daphne – Rubbish. Where exactly was the overwhelming Labour vote in this referendum? Add up the numbers. It’s nowhere. When the number crunchers have done their work, I suspect they’ll find that what we’re looking at here is a large number of PN supporters who voted Yes plus a large number of Labour supporters who didn’t vote at all.]
Talk about ‘Deus ex machina’…..
Sure have to lift my hat off to Jeffrey and Jesmond for voting against the directives of their party (what party I ask?) and giving us a chance to decide on our lives.
Still I state this should have been passed through parliament, saving us 4 million euros – sure no saving excercise by the present government.
I took my decision no more votes for politicians from today on – all whores and selfish. I took a stand as Labour killed my father – he passed away after attending an ex-ufficio meeting 32 years ago.
Now PN go waving and never will you have my vote anymore as you are all actors and bought for self esteem. Now is the time who ever stated that he/she will not vote for divorce as is against his/her concience – THEREFORE ONE WAY SOLUTION – RESIGN – plus all the perks.
Today there is a wrong statement by many – we have today voted to become WORLDWIDE and not EU – only Philippines do not legalise divorce. UK part of the Eu but still has Sterling – therefore do not bring EU equals divorce. Malta still wants to murder birds – we different but I personally do not agree. Only one wish to adjust in my personal opinion – set the law to have a deadline after the four years – some separation take ten or more years – so in my opinion after four years one has not to go through another ten or twenty years to obtain some direction for his/her life.
Thanks to all who voted YES YES YES – I do not need divorce as my situation has been solved by centuries long solution after twenty-four years married. But please let us make sure that the law courts and lawyers do not play games with one’s life. Thanks to the 53% of the voters who voted yes – as I felt during the last days if I was again living in a dictatorial state.
Please excuse my black humour M. Zammit, but I hope you didn’t bump your wife off a cliff.
…and Saviour is calling for Gonzi to resign. Hu pacenzja Salv…
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/blogs/saviour-balzan/the-beginning-of-the-end
Rather than a wolf in the skin of lambs, I see Pullicino Orlando as the sacrificial lamb. I said in another post, he may have won the next elections for the PN. Time will tell.
It is amazing but JPO really did pull it off. His political days are still numbered I would think, but he will always have this as his legacy.
You’ll be telling us that Gonzi as a secret collaborator of the YES movement, next.
Are you taking over from Joe Zammit?
[Daphne – I am saying that divorce is one of those things that cannot be politicised, and the supporters of both Labour and the PN gave the parties a clear answer on this. If all Labour supporters had voted Yes alongside the roughly 25% (I would say) of PN voters who did the same, then the Yes voted would have got around 75% of the vote over a 98% turn-out.]
ChavRus and Daphne, I know people who turned against Joseph for his stand, and know others who didn’t bother to vote and were against. On Saturday redecorating their laundry room was more important than the referendum.
After analysing the results of the ballot boxes would the political parties know if there is some swing?
PL supporters are more anti-clerical and party blind followers while PN supporters are more traditional and freethinking. Just compare the radio audience surveys with any election results.
For those who think that Joseph was a winner, I would like to remind everyone that Joseph’s private member’s bill was withdrawn silently and without much pomp.
If anything this bill is Pullicino Orlando’s and of his piggyback rider Evarist .
You’ll love this one Daph!
http://www.maltastar.com/pages/r1/ms10cont.asp
http://twitter.com/intent/user?screen_name=GlenBedingfield
Different reactions from PN agents at the counting hall to the crushing ‘NO’ defeat. What are they smelling?
X qed ixommu??
World news reports mass migration of No voters to Gozo seen as the last bastion still defying the barbarian hoards taking over Malta. This gives a new push to Gozo’s drive for independence.
Who’s still talking about a bridge to the bloody place? Should be blockaded.
Little ? . . you must do your homework Dear !!
[Daphne – I gather you speak Globish, not English.]
Hallelujah! ‘Bishops’ checkmated by the real world.
What happened to “no divorce on my watch”?
And what is happening to the Malta I love: a decent bus service, now divorce, and next you will be telling me that I will no longer be overcharged in the shops.
Dream on .
Joseph Muscat has just solved the divorce issue for the Nationalist Party.
Any opposition politician worth his salt would have kept dangling the divorce carrot in front of liberal Nationalists till the general election. And liberal Nationalists are rich pickings: upwards of 25% of PN voters as this result so amply shows.
But Muscat saw in Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando the means to embarrass the Prime Minister short term by calling a referendum. Most people have already, in fact, forgotten that it was Muscat-Jeffrey-Mugliett who called this referendum.
Muscat went for short term gain, but long term loss. Think premature ejaculation. Muscat has suddenly lost a key issue for the next general election.
If the Nationalists play this well, they stand a better chance of beating this empty, pompous politican who believes he’s the best thing that happened since Mintoff.
Life goes on Here we go again :
http://www3.lastampa.it/cronache/sezioni/articolo/lstp/404584/
Barcone di migranti soccorso in mare
Maroni contro Malta: “Rischio strage”
Well done, Malta. And a very big prosit to Daphne for all her contributions to try make people aware of the great benefits of a divorce legislation, especially for all the abused women on this island. She was brilliant all along, and she should be really proud of herself today.
Anche Malta ha detto sì al divorzio
15:57 ESTERIReferndum sull’isola, i favorevoli al 54%. Era l’unico Paese europeo nel quale era ancora impossibile divorziare. Il premier Lawrence Gonzi: «Non è il risultato che speravo» – corriere della sera
I’m watching the analysis of the referendum result on ONE. On the panel there is Salvu Balzan, who amidst his hatred of Gonzi has just told viewers that in the UK there was one party in favour and one against EU membership. RUBBISH though I wouldn’t expect better!
Not only were they all in favour of EU membership but they had a common enemy. De Gaulle.
They took us into Europe and then had a referendum to stay in or not.
You still come across people for whom “Europe” does not include the UK and use the phrase “the UK and Europe”.
Divorce WILL be introduced by the PN, unless its MPs are foolish enough to vote against it even after this result.
However, even if divorce will be introduced by the PN, it will not be introduced thanks to the PN (or the LP, for that matter), but to a bunch of Maltese citizens who said ENOUGH to the church’s domination over Maltese life.
totally agree. Definitely no thanks goes to the PN in this case. They just happened to be in government at this point of time.
My family all voted for divorce legislation. That is ten votes. In the next election we will vote for PN. This referendum had nothing to do with party politics.
Actually , it was the NO camp which hardened the Yes vote, and vice versa. An analysis in electioneering of this referendum would prove very interesting.
… Joseph Muscat’s “triumphant” priedka tat-tifel . How patronising. Tad-daqqiet ta’ harta.
I can understand that for all those of you who live in the northern highlands of open mindedness this result represents the triumph of reason over the ‘dark powers of the catholic church’…ehem. We, the lesser beings, who live in the southern wastelands know that the people here have not voted for some higher selfless ideal but simply because they were afraid of going against their leader’s wish. They are desperate to please him at the moment since they are afraid of losing the opportunity to plead for a Gopp ghat-tifel mal-gvern, il-Flett b’xejn, il-promoxion mal-korp, il-linja tat-teleforn amongst others post next election, or so they are led to believe.
Well I must say that the opposition has played in the PM’s hands, he may have put up a distraught face today on the telly however I do believe that he must be jumping with joy now that the divorce issue has been resolved and is no more.
Notwithstanding my position, congrats to the winners, i.e. only those who voted yes out of their own volition. For the rest, this was a pyhrric victory, fil-qigh tal-mazzita ha ssibu l-izbiba!
This is not a Nationalist or Labour victory, and people who insist on seeing it so are both myopic and ignorant. This is a slim victory of rationality and civility over fear, imposition and superstition. The fact that the margin was so slim is a cause for concern.
I beg to differ. This is a slim victory of fear, imposition and superstition over rationality and civility
The politicians can slice it any way they like and claim victory – who cares?
I’m just happy to see that people who were never married and are supposed to be celibate no longer have total control over marriage in Malta.
Make no mistake, this referendum (probably unbeknownst to 80% of those who voted) marks a sea-change in the Maltese psyche. Let’s hope that the PN hardcore (Fenech, Fenech-Adami, Gatt etc) see the writing on the wall, and READ it.
The people have spoken. The YES vote was strong.
Both parties must have been shocked by the result for their own reasons. The majority voted according to what they believe and not according to what the political leaders and bishops said.
I am Nationalist and voted YES, because I believe that it is high time this country gets its act together on this matter, and also as a sign of disapproval at the way the government/party deals with situations like this.
I know others have done the same, and for the same reasons too. The fact that YES won could be an eye-opener for the PN administration to pull up its socks and update its policies and advice to the government – it has the best chance to prepare for the 2013 elections without divorce on any of the parties’ political programme and thus could probably be re-elected, something it would have failed miserably to do had the NO won and divorce been put in the MLP and AD electoral programmes.
This is my personal analysis but am sure similar to others.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1xR8PYDqMg#%5DRolling%20Stones%20-%20It%27s%20all%20over%20now%20%28studio%29