Where is Joseph Muscat?
Published:
August 22, 2011 at 10:56am
He's painted himself into a corner on this one.
Where is Joseph Muscat – still trying to work out how to wriggle out of this one? Or still being cautious because you never know?
AST?
Karmenu Vella?
Somebody PLEASE ring John Dalli.
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http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110822/local/malta-congratulates-libyan-rebels-pm-phones-jibril.381347
Is Joseph going to phone Muammar? He can’t phone Jibril, because he must stay neutral.
Joseph, AST and Karmenu Vella are probably preparing for the celebrations of the 32nd Anniversary from the 1969 Libyan Revolution.
They might be nominated for this year’s special Muammar Gaddafi International Prize for Human Rights, which is usually presented by KMB.
It would have been the 42nd Anniversary.
Snoopy, you are right. 42nd.
Saviour Balzan, perhaps?
How about Reno Calleja [il kollonna] ?
Developments in Tripoli are shining a spotlight on the fact that the PL doesn’t seem to have a coherent foreign policy framework. In the very recent past, Labour could at least claim it had a better relationship with Libya and this could lead to economic opportunities for the Maltese.
This claim is now shot to hell and a future Labour government is now a complete liability where Libya is concerned! Even allowing for the current financial turbulence, the PL also has no clear economic policy and, crucially, the absolute absence of substance is now becoming obvious.
But the PN really needs to get over recent reverses (divorce, parliamentary pay etc.) and go for the PL’s political jugular i.e. expose clearly that Labour doesn’t seem to have discernible policies on, well, anything and doesn’t have the people on board to produce them.
What’s with the framework, coherent or otherwise?
The Labour Party has no policies, fullstop.
“Even allowing for the current financial turbulence, the PL also has no clear economic policy …”
Surely we should vote for him next election and trust him to be elected first and then he will reveal his plans to us?
One has to be a bit dumb not to see through the LP’s strategy. Take the stories (lies?) in recent it-Torca, the latest being that the government plans to stop feeding patients in Gozo’s General Hospital! And the other one, last week about the government’s plans to charge for hospital services.
It is clear that Joseph is still hoping for a LP victory in 2013, then charge for hospital services, stop free meals at hospitals and when raked over the coals he will retort that ‘the Nationalists would have done the same anyway, had they been elected’. It is HE who is planning increased taxes and user-pay policy for health services. He is just conditioning the public to his hidden policies.
Miskin kemm hasibna cwiec.
Being too careful is being too careless in a different direction.
Good job on the PM phoning Jibril. Yes, that’s praise, coming from me.
Meanwhile, http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110822/local/kmb-gaddafi-has-no-choice-but-to-fight-till-the-end.381367
Yes, we did nothing in Syria, Bahrain, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and all the other Arab dictatorships but hey, we’ve only got so many troops and aircraft, what with the peace dividend and budget cutbacks and all.
Libya is less than 200 miles away from us. On another note I want to have what KMB is smoking – that shit must be really strong.
Expired Desserta bars?
Zero’s words of wisdom:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110822/local/kmb-gaddafi-has-no-choice-but-to-fight-till-the-end.381367
Maa, that KMB is completely nuts. Why do they still give him a platform, I wonder.
To remind us of what we’d rather forget but had better remember so that it won’t happen again.
At last some pearls of wisdom:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110822/local/kmb-gaddafi-has-no-choice-but-to-fight-till-the-end.381367
“Challenged by the fact that the advance on Tripoli was intended to liberate Tripoli from Gaddafi’s grasp, he said: ‘There’s absolutely no difference. Hadn’t Gaddafi’s forces also wanted to liberate Benghazi?'”
“He indicated that the move on Tripoli was even worse because it was intended to ‘occupy’.”
“All I can say is that it is impossible for him and his followers not to fight till the end. If he does otherwise, the whole population (which supports him) will have to give in. The fact that there are western countries involved with the rebels makes this unacceptable to those loyal to Gaddafi.”
“Asked if the world and its dictators would learn anything from the Libyan crisis, he said he hoped people learned that aggressive powers should stop dictating the destiny of other populations.”
“A Labour Party spokesman in a comment to timesofmalta.com said the party dissociated itself from Dr Mifsud Bonnici’s comments. The spokesman said the party’s position on the developments in Libya would be issued later today”.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110822/local/kmb-gaddafi-has-no-choice-but-to-fight-till-the-end.381367
Tghagglu xejn, ta, ma jmurx tiehdu xi zball.
They were consulting the Kama Sutra to decide what position to take, given the Labour Party’s history of contortionist thinking.
Oh, and they had to locate the Great Leader who has been conspicuous by his absence on matters of real importance.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110822/local/kmb-gaddafi-has-no-choice-but-to-fight-till-the-end.381367
“The spokesman said the party’s position on the developments in Libya would be issued later today.”
Is AST’s position as International Secretary still tenable?
Fejn hu KMB? Arrest the traitor.
Shouldn’t KMB be taken to the ICC with Gaddafi? Isn’t he behaving like his accomplice?
They are trying to write a press release but apparently they are going round in circles on the spell check:)
That damned computer of theirs! One hopes that Karmenu Vella is not using it to prepare the party’s manifesto for election 2013.
Sant found out too late that his computer had purposely omitted some promises, printed promises which the government had implemented months before the 2008 election and ‘invented’ stupid proposals such as the ‘Reception (repetition) class.
This is 2011 and technology has advanced even beyond the LP’s comprehension, but anyway, LP, throw your f**king computer over Dingli cliffs. Sorry, Dingli.
Get a new computer, maybe you will have fewer problems stringing a few words together such as, “The Labour Party, now realizes that Gaddafi is done, therefore it has no alternative but to start thinking of backing the new imerging democratic council”.
That leaves a slight opening, ‘just in case’.
Maybe still at the “bbq hdejn il pool” with the “atmosfera tal genn”?
He is probably drooling over the memories of his ride on Ghaddafi’s private jet.
and where is KMB ?
And Gerald Fenech?
Still deciding how his reaction will please everyone ?!
DCG do you really believe that this twerp can understand the implications of such an event?
So true. He is probably working on fresh and slick tourism strategy proposals with Nomin Hemiltin – heq ghax issa bisniss majndid il-lejber.
He needs to fly down to Libya in Muammar’s jet to assess the situation before giving his comments.
Maybe that’s why he won’t declare his policies, now that some confidential memorandum of understanding may have to be revised. Poor Karmenu Vella.
At least he can still count on the Chinese Communist Party. Reno Calleya must be rubbing his hands in glee.
This madman is responsible for the death of 60 people. He should be either behind bars or tied to a bed at Mount Carmel Hospital and not intervewd by journalists amd given prominence.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110822/local/kmb-gaddafi-has-no-choice-but-to-fight-till-the-end.381367
Death of 60 people?
Totally off the subject: why do links not open into a new tab or window?
Regards,
Al. ic-chunky
Press right click on the link and choose Open in new Tab or Open in New Window.
Joe Muscat has definitely painted himself in a corner and has been found wanting. But, lest we forget, Prime Minister Gonzi’s actions are no better.
He was the last European Leader of State to visit Gheddafi before the revolution started, in what, the West perceived as an act of support for the tyrant. Also, PM Gonzi refused to co-operate with NATO in its strike mission against Gheddafi’s forces.
If you ask me, both our leaders have let this country down, one with misjudged ignorance, the other with craven behaviour.
Refusing to co-operate with NATO was not done because the PM wanted to help Gaddafi. For Malta to help NATO it would have meant closing the airport so that the runway could be used by fighter planes- something we cannot do because it would send tourism, our only source of income, down the plug hole.
The government did help evacuate people from Libya and was praised by many leaders in the EU, including David Cameron who mentioned it in the House of Commons. Malta is still doing what it can to help.
However, I would agree that the government could have done more by not sitting on the fence for so long and approaching the situation with a bit more balls!
“For Malta to help NATO it would have meant closing the airport so that the runway could be used by fighter planes- something we cannot do because it would send tourism, our only source of income, down the plug hole.”
No. The Maltese ATC had to deal with the NATO sorties anyway, as the fighter jets had to fly through Malta’s airspace. A few extra take-off and landings would not have made much of difference. And we wouldn’t have had commercial planes parked by fighter jets – the MIA airfield is massive. The fighters would have completely out of sight.
Baxxter may be of some help here, but I believe there are disused RAF runways that could have been offered to NATO – Hal Far, Ta’ Qali and Dingli, if I’m not mistaken.
Why Gonzi chose not to help NATO, despite of a clear UN mandate, is something he still has to answer.
We’ve been through this a hundred times, and what’s done is done. It is the OFFERING of your assets that is key, not the other party actually USING them.
But it’s too late now. The right strategy for the government at this juncture is to:
1) immediately withdraw the Libyan ambassador’s diplomatic credentials;
2) get in contact with the Transitional Council and get them to name their new ambassador in Malta;
3) change that awful Gnien Ghaddafi’s name;
4) erase Ghaddafi’s name from our national honours list;
5) get the BEST GODDAMN SPEECHWRITER to shadow Gonzi like a ferret, 24/7, and produce strong, resolute, baritone-Obama-voice-type statements on how we stand by this and that, and freedom, and self-determination, and we offer our assistance and Mediterranean neighbours and all the rest of the crucial marketing spiel;
6) determine exactly what form that assisatance will take (my hunch is we’ll be severely shafted by the new Libyan regime, and serves us right, though we could still OFFER our help with election monitoring, overseeing the transition to democracy, medical training and staffing and all the other cosmetic NeoCon measures);
7) remain VIGILANT, since the situation will surely evolve, and seek the advice of EXPERTS, not village-club politicians and certainly not businessmen, on Libya (oh, and READ THE GODDAMN international press, not just British and Italian).
Forgot this:
8) Do EVERYTHING possible to arrange an official visit by Lawrence Gonzi to the new Libya. Sarkozy will almost certainly be the first head of state to visit. It would be fantastic if Malta could make amends by having its PM on the first official visit after having been on the last one in before Ghaddafi’s fall. It’s a long shot, but it’s worth a try.
Baxxter: why don’t you offer your services as the PM’s speech writer?
I would apply if a vacancy arose. And I’d be damn good at it.
Why, the PM seems to have read my post, the way he delivered his speech to the press.
Still needs to work on the Obama faraway look and the baritone, but a marked improvement from his speeches in the early days of the war.
And WHY is it that Libyans being interviewed on the streets of Tripoli are vastly more articulate than the average Maltese? They even use correct idiomatic English.
“He was the last prime Minister to visit Gheddafi.”
So bloody what?
The important thing is what was the visit about. If it was about party funding that’s one thing , if it was oil exploration on the continental shelf, that’s another.
Our prime minister met Gheddafi, after a long queue of world leaders which included Condoleeza Rice, Tony Blair, Berlusconi, Sarkozy and the rest of the ‘powerful’ states of the world.
Il-Papa kien jonqsu jmur!
The visit was that of a prime minister who is obliged to keep good relations with a neighbouring country. Zgur ma marx biex isellilu ghal Mintoff, bhalma ghamel haddiehor.
I don’t think they were playing musical chairs and Gonzi finished without a chair when the music stopped.
Our government did what Malta could do in the circumstances. We don’t have a military ‘punch’. Even the mighty US backed of for financial reasons, after some months, and NATO took over.
Wrong, Mr Schembri.
You omit one important issue. Gonzi visited Ghaddafi when it was OBVIOUS that protests would start. If this is not a big issue in your eyes, then you are either partisan or naive. That move was interpreted worldwide as support for Ghaddafi. Of course it is a big deal.
And sorry again, but Malta could have done much more in the circumstances. Allowing NATO to use our bases is one of them. Not taking el-Obeidi’s phonecalls, making Malta Ghaddafi’s voice in Europe is another.
I suggest you read Daphne’s posts on these matters so that you get a better picture of how craven our leaders (both of them) were.
And the US didn’t back off for financial reasons. Where the hell did you get that one from?
“And the US didn’t back off for financial reasons. Where the hell did you get that one from?”
From ‘Cikka tal-haxix’. I do follow news commentaries on CNN and BBC, and wasn’t born yesterday.
Can you illuminate us why Merkel pulled out from the NATO attacks on Libya?
What would have happened to our interests in Libya had Gonzi refused to visit Libya, and Ghaddafi won this war against his people?
I can’t spot one single comment where someone says that the visit to Libya was out of place.
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/malta-libya-to-meet-over-continental-shelf-dispute-as-gonzi-meets-ghaddafi-in-tripoli
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6G_GUfCQ8A
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110209/local/gaddafi-planning-to-attend-5-5-malta-meeting.349385
BTW I know that sometimes the name Adrian Buckle appears on The Times comments , where you censored?
Hindsight is what I call “gherf ta’ Salamun tal-bott’.
[Daphne – John, while I agree with you that Gonzi’s February visit was no big deal in terms of scope and purpose, and in no way comparable to the ‘Labour in bed with Gaddafi’ situation, it did not take hindsight to see that the CONTEXT AND TIMING were wrong. When I wrote in January that after Tunisia and Egypt blew up, it was inevitable that Libya, sandwiched in between them and populated by people far more oppressed, would be next, people I know who do business in Libya rushed to mock me. “No, Libyans are not like that. Gaddafi keeps them happy. Blah blah blah.” The thing is, Maltese politicians and Maltese businessmen (and even Maltese ex pats in Tripoli) mixed only with Gaddafi henchmen, members of Gaddafi’s regime, collaborators and ordinary people who were too afraid to tell the truth to ‘foreigners’. And so they had (and some still have – vide John Dalli) an entirely false picture of the situation. Gonzi would not have gone had he the slightest inkling of what was about to happen. The fact that the people responsible for intelligence, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (whose duty it is to monitor such things and advise accordingly) did not pick up the rumblings in Benghazi is beyond shocking. THAT is the point of failure.]
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/185352_137439229678882_100002384170253_227853_4591986_n.jpg
Shades of Joseph and Michelle.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110822/local/pn-pl-welcome-developments-in-libya.381431
PL issued a rather dishonest and revisionist statement:
They refer to the PL as “a party which had always been close to the Libyan people.”
The Party has only ever been close to the Ghaddafi regime – lest we forget the nauseating images of Mintoff and Ghaddafi giving each other bear hugs and the KMBs 1986 fiasco over the Tripoli bombings.
“The PL paid tribute to all those whose blood was shed and hoped that this would be followed by a process of reconciliation.” It’s interesting to note that PL also felt the need to pay tribute to those who died defending the Ghaddafi regime.
I shouldn’t be so surprised though – This is a party which, up until its last General Conference, invited representatives from the Chinese Communist Party and the Ghaddafi regime.
It must have been very painful for the PL not to issue a KMB-like statement – which is much more akin to what the PL has always believed and stood for.
Yawn….
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110822/local/pn-pl-welcome-developments-in-libya.381431
[Daphne – Labour did not have good relations with ‘the Libyan people’. It had good relations with Muammar Gaddafi, and as has been demonstrated, the two were and are mutually exclusive.]
Daphne, can we have some facts about Julia Farrugia?
The reporting of her breach of journalistic ethics on MaltaToday is not clear at all.
[Daphne – Yes, of course. I’ve asked for the report.]
I think the substance of the decision lies here. Needless to say, this decision relates to Julia “Linja Fina” Farrugia.
“This last observation led the PEC to find a breach of journalistic ethics for unethical behaviour and character assassination, claiming that the story aimed at attacking Mizzi in his public role as PBS chairman by attacking his reputation and not investigating the case enough.
The PEC passed a sanction of grave censure, and communicated its decision to the Institute of Maltese Journalists.”
MaltaToday, 22 Aug 2011
Will Julia now resign her position of Deputy Chairman of the IGM?
What happened to Julia Farrugia today?
[Daphne – She got ripped to shreds by the Press Ethics people for what she did to Joe Mizzi. I’ll write about it tomorrow morning.]
The jubilation in Green Square brings back memories of when the Maltese people got rid of the Labour government.
Quo Vadis Joseph Muscat?
Where is Joseph Muscat? He and his royal family were on a flight to Bologna this Saturday – miskin m’ghandux ghad-dawl u l-ilma.
Do you mean on a low-cost airline?
And on Santa Maria weekend they were spotted at Hotel Ta’ Cenc with Lil Din calling her girls, who were by the pool, “Etoile! Soleil! Come, we have an issue (?!) in the room.”
Mela qed ikellmuhom bl-Ingliz, bhal tal-“pepe'” li tant ma’ jahmlux?
Can’t they even level an image?