With all due respect Daphne, you were so busy shouting your last comment that you missed the whole point. It is normal for an MP to vote against any bill, even if that bill was brought before and approved by the people.

[Daphne – No. It is not ‘normal’. For a start, we have not had a sufficient number of referendums to establish what is normal. We have had one within the living memory of most of us: in 2003. And Labour voted against, setting a precedent which now allows the prime minister and his men to believe they can do the same even after they have made an eight-year meal out of (justifiably) insulting the Labour Party about its anti-democratic behaviour. The behaviour of the government now would have to be considered as much worse than Sant’s Labour in 2003 because the government is in a different constitutional position to the opposition. When the prime minister ignores or votes against the will of the people he is obviously in a different position to the leader of the Opposition doing the same thing. But bear in mind that even the leader of the Opposition was slaughtered as a result of doing that. The other point on which we are clearly talking at cross purposes is this: doing what the law or procedure allows you to do does not necessarily mean doing what is right or wise. The law allows you to cheat on your wife, but if she finds out, there’s going to be hell to pay. And because the law allows you to do it, it doesn’t follow that you are within your rights to cheat on your wife. Yes, strictly speaking you are within your rights, but you can see what I’m getting at.]

Whether it is a single issue question such as in a referendum or a multiple issue plan such as a general election, it is still the will of the majority.

I voted YES but I still considered my vote as an opinion. It was just a very expensive opinion poll.

[Daphne – Joe, a vote IS an opinion. What else is it? When you vote in a general election, you are giving your opinion on who you want to represent you in parliament and who you think should run the country. Choices are opinions and opinions are choices. In this culture where people are uncertain what an opinion is, and feel obliged to qualify their every statement with ‘in my opinion’, I can understand where the confusion lies. But really, such lack of sophistication, such an inability to assert oneself, such gratitude that one is being listened to, is quite unbelievable. How do you distinguish between giving the politicians your opinion about divorce legislation and telling them what you want?]

I’ve said this before – both Fenech Adami and Mintoff insisted on hand-picking their successors and both made the worst choice possible. Though, at least, Mintoff did pick an honest man.

[Daphne – Madonna, unbelievable. Mintoff picked an honest man and Fenech Adami did not? Define honesty, because your definition certainly isn’t man. But perhaps that’s because I was forced to live through around four years of KMB’s honesty and you were not. People without perspective – now they really have a problem.]

Just as the MLP did 10 years later – only they did it better.

Yet the opposition is free to vote against these bills becoming law. Isn’t the will of the majority constantly being rejected by half of the people’s representatives all the time in our parliament? So what’s all this fuss all about.

[Daphne – BECAUSE THIS IS THE RESULT OF A REFERENDUM AND NOT SOMETHING THAT WAS INCLUDED IN A PARTY PROGRAMME AND VOTED FOR IN A GENERAL ELECTION. THERE IS NO GOVERNMENT AND NO OPPOSITION WITH A REFERENDUM RESULT BECAUSE IT IS NOT A PARTY MATTER. THE REFERENDUM RESULT WAS ONE AND IT WAS YES. THE NATION’S ELECTORATE VOTED YES THEREFORE THE NATION’S LEGISLATORS MUST VOTE YES TOO OR GET OUT OF THERE IF THEY HAVE SUCH A DAMN PROBLEM WITH THEIR SHINY CONSCIENCES. I’m sorry I’m using capital letters but all this is really too much.]

What’s the use of having 60+ MPs if they don’t differ in opinion and contribute to debate and divergence? Might as well do away with the lot and have a Prime Minister and an opposition whatever and 16 or so executives to head the ministries. All the PM has to do is see that the promises in the manifesto are brought to fruition before the 5 years all over.

[Daphne – PAUSE TO DRAW BREATH. MPs debate and differ in their opinion and their vote when they represent their constituencies. In a referendum, they ‘abdicate’ their decision-making function because their constituents are taking the decision themselves by direct democracy. So the only function left to legislators is the ‘rubber-stamping’ of the electorate’s decision and the fine-tuning of the bill. But they cannot ‘retake’ a decision already taken by the electorate directly.]

Honestly, Daphne… How can one really compare Edwin and Marlene? There is a major cultural and educational divide between the two! Of course, one can say that Marlene may be – ahem – misguided in her political beliefs but other than that, jahasra…

[Daphne – A major educational and cultural divide? Oh, please. They both come from EXACTLY the same kind of background, and stuffing on degrees and wearing good clothes does not make a blind bit of difference. I will admit that Marlene will not embarrass you at your lunch-table and Edwin will, but that’s because he has a low IQ and she doesn’t, full stop.]

Min Weber, no answer will ever fill the gap in your mosaic.

But let us say the No vote won in last Saturday’s consultative referendum. Do you think the divorce law would have been brought in front of Parliament?

Agreed with rigu. However we have to point out that in this scenario, both PN and LP are in the same sittuation and have MPs on their side that will NOT respect the result of the referendum.

Also both parties are giving a free vote to their MPs.

Basically, we have no choice.

While the PL has always acted like the PL, we now also have the PN acting like the PL. Thus our choice is between Labour and Labour. What a disgrace!

On Sunday I felt so proud to be Maltese and happy that the Maltese electorate is maturing.

After a couple of days, I’ve feel ashamed to be Maltese in a way I’ve never felt before.

Fenech Adami ended up with his wife beaten up and his children terrorized. And now Gonzi is dithering over… divorce. In 2011.

I’m sorry to say it, but with the poor choice of people to serve in his Cabinet, the Libyan crisis and now divorce, Dr Gonzi is turning out to be a disappointment.

Edwin Vassallo is one of those incompetent buffoons promoted way beyond his abilities in the Maltese political system. I mean… a man who has a shop in Mosta selling women’s undergarments (or so I’m told) heading the social affairs committee in parliament?

How has it come to this?

[Daphne – I don’t know why you’re so amazed. The Labour Party has a woman who sells toys in a shop in Rabat as head of its Business Forum, and even made her chairman of Sea Malta. She’s extremely personable, that’s true, but come on.]

Well said, Daphne. And they (the No voters) complained for being called Dictators and Nazi.