We truly have shabby parliamentarians. At the moment the only difference between the two sides of the house is that the Nationalists tend to be better dressed. Azzjoni Kattolika not politics rules the land, and what is scarier is that a substantial amount of the population seems to want it.

[lino – I wrote that the referendum as presented was not legally binding but of course I am with you that it is not to be discarded as an opinion because that would be undemocratic].

I’m glad you are.

[lino – MPs of both parties were elected on an electoral programme with no mention of divorce].

Irrelevant. That’s the point of referendums – to legislate on something that was not in electoral programmes. MPs, then, have two options – to take the decision themselves, or to leave it to the electorate through a referendum.

[lino – Now if an MP had declared himself against, voted against a referendum, I am not of the opinion that given a free vote, he is bound to vote against his consistent convictions].

Did any MP vote against the holding of the referendum?

[lino – The PM and government MPs are free to respect or discard the moral (not legal) obligation to legislate according to referendum result, with, of course, the good or bad consequences their decision may have on their political career; but in my opinion ordinary MPs who priorly declared themselves and voted against the referendum, have the right to be consistent in their vote as I have explained in other comments].

Who are these MPs who voted against holding a referendum?

[lino – Suppose the PN ‘whips’ its MPs to vote yes, and still some member is adamant at being consistent with his conviction, what happens then?].

He either resigns, or shows himself to be undemocratic.

@ Antoine Vella:

If some MPs don’t face the consequences of their actions in the general elections, the rest of the country will have to face the consequences of having MPs not fit for the job. And this applies to MPs from both parties.

Sorry, Daph, really can’t agree with you on this one. The one time I met him I was surprised as to how nonstrategic and petulant he could be.

He is far from the consummate strategist. On the contrary he has surrounded himself with ‘yes men’ ( and here I would include the Tonio Fenech, Borg et al) who instead of testing his ideas simply acquiesce.

When Fenech Adami finally became PM his mettle had already been tested against some of the most intricate political crises that faced Malta. Running the country after that was a doddle.

Fenech Adami’s mistake was to provide his party with an ‘anointed one’. Gonzi has neither the political nous nor the creative vision of a true leader. His idea is ‘my way or no way.’ That’s why the divorce issue hurts him so much. He lives in his uncle’s shadow. Never a good place to be when you are leader

Ok Maybe I wasn’t clear enough. I didn’t mean that if Gonzi resigns elections will follow. What I meant is that if Lawrence Gonzi resigns now there’s no way that the PN will win the next election in two years’ time with a new leader for the PN will look unstable and I cannot imagine who can be chosen as leader.

[Daphne – That there are risks as to who will follow is obvious. But to say that the party can’t win with a new leader? No. Some would say the opposite. As it is, one of the main problems is how the PN is going to inspire people and whip up the kind of energy you need to send people to the polls to vote for you, when they are so damned tired of you. And why unstable? The PN switched horses mid race in 2004 and still won the 2008 election. True, it was against Alfred Sant, but there you go.]

However my main point is: OK Gonzi is the better choice between him and Muscat. But I cannot imagine myself voting for someone to be Prime Minister after having asked for his resignation. It just doesn’t make sense.

[Daphne – Well, no, if you think in boxes it doesn’t make sense. But the way I think is this: here I am in 2013, faced with a choice between Joseph Muscat and Lawrence Gonzi. Whether I choose or not, I am going to get one of them. So I’d like to choose. Also, it’s my duty to vote and I will always vote, whatever the situation. So I vote. Do I vote for Muscat? No. That’s all.]

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110603/local/austin-gatt-says-he-will-vote-against-divorce-in-parliament-many-mps-still-undecided.368620

Daphne, with your excellent writing, your gutsy opinions, your apt interjections as above, you prove so clearly that brains should take precedence over blind loyalty. Maybe one day, and sadly I doubt if it will be in this century, we will eventually mature as a nation.

I think the problem is that (too) many people think that democracy equals the Maltese political system and vice-versa, which is absolutely incorrect. Democracy is a set of principles, whereas the Maltese political system is just an implementation of democracy based on the interpretation, circumstances, and interests of those who established it.