Michelle tours the student stalls with Varist
Click on the photo to enlarge it, and read what's written on that document the student is holding.
Is there something we should be told?
The Labour leader toured the stalls at the university’s fresher’s week, with his aides.
A couple of days later, Evarist Bartolo, future minister of education, turns up to tour them accompanied not by his own wife, but by the Labour leader’s.
I didn’t know what to make of this – Evarist Bartolo is famously uxorious – until I read the Coconut’s official press statement.
IT WASN’T THE FUTURE MINISTER OF EDUCATION WHO PAID AN OFFICIAL PARTY VISIT TO THE UNIVERSITY STALLS. IT WAS MICHELLE MUSCAT. EVARIST BARTOLO WAS THERE ONLY TO ACCOMPANY HER, AS A BAG-CARRIER.
Incredible. Or maybe not.
Stqarrija
05 ta’ Ottubru 2011
Mahruga mill-Ufficcju tal-Komunikazzjoni tal-Partit Laburista.
(love the full-stop)
Michelle Muscat tiltaqa’ mal-istudenti fl-Universita’
Mart il-Mexxej tal-Partit Laburista, Michelle Muscat dalgħodu ltaqgħet mal-istudenti Universitarji fil-Freshers Week.
Flimkien mal-Kelliem Ewlieni tal-Edukazzjoni, Evarist Bartolo, hija żaret l-istands tal-għaqdiet tal-istudenti, fejn tkellmet mal-istudenti dwar l-aspirazzjonijiet tagħhom għall-futur, l-isfidi u l-esperjenza tagħhom fl-Universita’ ta’ Malta.
F’kummenti lill-midja, Michelle Muscat awgurat lill-istudenti kollha li bdew sena ġdida ta’ tagħlim, filwaqt li saħqet li rridu ninvestu aktar fl-istudenti tagħna, li huma r-riżors ewlieni ta’ pajjiżna.
Irreferiet għall-esperjenzi li qasmu magħha l-istudenti, fosthom studenti li rċevew ir-riżultati tal-eżamijiet tagħhom tard ħafna.
Saħqet li kulħadd għandu jerfa’ l-piż tiegħu, kemm l-istudenti billi jistudjaw, kif ukoll min imexxi.
Semmiet ukoll il-kwistjoni tal-istudenti tal-PGCE, u filwaqt li appellat lill-awtoritajiet biex tinstab soluzzjoni, enfasizzat li l-awtoritajiet tal-Universita’ biex ma jiehdux lil istudenti for granted.
Ufficcju tal-Kommunkazzjoni
Partit Laburista
e: pressreleases@partitlaburista.org
w: www.partitlaburista.org
t: 00356 21249900
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Whether we like it or not she will lead the nation if PL comes to power.
It would have been better if roles were exchanged and she contested the elections – at least she would be in the place were she belongs.
Or maybe she enjoys being ‘il-mara ta’..’.
She will lead the nation? Now that’s weird.
from behind the scenes of course.
Before I die, I want to…speak to Michelle Muscat?
Now there’s someone who doesn’t have high hopes.
No no, she wanted to say hi to us, apparently.
Bahaha, these political things amuse me. A little.
A real case of “Who wears the trousers”?
We might see Joseph going out wearing rollers, while his “mara ta’ success” leads from Castille.
Our Michelle does love the limelight, doesn’t she?
Oh, those students fawning over her are truly Malta’s hope for a bright future. That’s what you get for handing out stipends.
As one of those students, I can assure you that we were not “fawning over” anyone, but rather explaining our stand and our cause to the human beings in front of us.
Hey, someone’s quick to compare the future workforce dogs based on one picture on a blog.
Keep smilin’.
Don’t be so quick to judge there, Ellie. No one’s fawning, just being polite.
Rachel – I was not referring to the students in the picture, just general speak. Anyway there’s no need to justify your actions if you’re comfortable with them, fawning or not!
Jamie – rereading my statement above, I fail to find the comparison. Judgemental maybe :)
Dogs tend to fawn, especially for treats.
I found the comparison blatant. Slightly insulting. Eh. I’m over it if you are.
Someone wasn’t as married.
Maybe Varist should have checked the last paragraph of that press release while performing his accompanying duties.
Are the lecturers without blame?
They’ve been floating around the idea that ministers do not necessarily have to be parliamentarians.
I wonder if Mrs. Muscat is earmarked for anything along those lines.
[Daphne – From Billary Clinton to Micheph Muscat.]
It was not her place to speak politically about education, especially because the shadow minister was there himself.
This is not the first time she has replaced Labour parliamentarians or party officials.
Well, two salaries are better than one, I suppose.
Joselle Muscat.
I wonder which author could create such a character.
Maybe someone who employed an assistant.
Or an intern.
How about Joseph-Muchelle-PL?
Kemm thobb tidher.
U le, Rita. Dak iridna nhobbuha.
ghan hu ihobbna…..
U le, maryanne. Dak iridha tidher li thobbna.
Jien inhobbkom, Ciccio. U lil Daphne hobbuha.
She fancies herself in the role of the future Mother of the new moderate/progressive/ secular nation Malta.
How chavistic is this…. “l-awtoritajiet tal-Universita’ biex ma jiehdux lil istudenti ‘for granted'” – I love how they drop in English words because of hide their vocabulary deficiency and instead highlight it.
Don’t you just love how she wears her blue with the cherry red accents? Xi hlew ghux?
Honestly, do you think she has a personal stylist?
Al, ic-chunky
Jew forsi nkitbet ghal xi kors universitarju u qabel m’ghamlet hekk kellha bzonn ‘feedback’ minghand l-istudenti sabiex taghmel l-ahjar ghazla.
Love the “biex ha jiehdux lil istudenti for granted” part that the press release ends with
https://www.facebook.com/pages/LessThanThree/179961102084831
They’re actually just students trying to raise awareness. No political affiliation whatsoever. Don’t judge before you know, that is what I would call hurtful.
“Click on the photo to enlarge it, and read what’s written on that document the student is holding.”
Is that Labour’s policy on suicide?
http://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/2011/09/13/caveat-emptor-in-politics-as-in-the-marketplace/
Don’t we all admire Mrs Gonzi when she does the same things that Mrs Muscat does (at Least I do ).
So why should we try to ridicule Michelle?
I find it very important for a prime minister,and maybe a future one to have his wife partecipate in public functions.
This sends out the message of a united family,which people love to see.
Or would we prefer having a Tipo Berluscon, surrounded by lovely girls and aonther 12 waiting for their turn?
[Daphne – Her place was with her husband, when he visited, Silvio.]
She doesn’t ‘participate’ in public functions, Silvio, she performs, with or without her little husband.
Come on Purdie (and Daphne) even the queen of England sometimes allows her “little husband” to perform on his own.
Has anyone checked whether she just went, or was invited to do so?
[Daphne – The Queen’s Consort has an official role to pay and is on the civic list. The place of the prime minister’s spouse is with the prime minister, except when taking on charitable roles as patronage.]
C’mon, Silvio, she loves her pretend First Lady role.
But she ain’t one. Stop reaching, you’re embarrassing yourself.
Are we going to have another Eva Perón or another Elena Ceaușescu?
I was going to include Jackie Kennedy and Michelle Obama, but these two always kept themselves at arm’s length from party politics and the running of their countries.
Supporting your husband is one thing; replacing the leader of the opposition is another.
Evita, my dears.
Don’t cry for me, Malta tieghi…
Xi hlew and fashionable, the dress looks like that of Ms. Obama….
The Labour are already in election mode….
They have been in continual election mode for these last fifteen years.
Things to do before I die:
Become finance minister.
That’s your bucket list, Baxxter?
Why not try to displace the dwarf? It would one hell of an improvement.
Nah, I was just putting Evarist Bartolo’s thoughts into words. Me, I’d be happy with just Richard Cachia Caruana’s job.
To become a minister, I’d have to be elected, and I try not to fly in the face of public opinion, if you get my drift.
At a pinch, I’d settle for Vanessa Frazier’s post. Then you’ll see what a proper press briefing by the defence director looks like.
Really? Varist wants to be Finance Minister? Looked like he wanted to be the First Lady.
You’d do well in RCC’s job, but maybe a little too ‘up front’.
Defence Director might work, at least you make intelligent comments. Could teach you how to defend yourself, if you ask nicely.
Sorry for posting this here, Daphne. This is how I see things:
a) The Nationalist Party cannot possibly win the next election in 17 months time. It’s just not possible for reasons you have already explained + nastier others. People are fed up. They want change. Just as they did in 1996 which, compared to nowadays, seemed like a day at the beach.
b) However, with Labour being Labour, there’s a good chance that it won’t do more than one term in government. Especially if the Nats shock Labour with an early election.
c) If the election had to be held early next year (2012), the Labour government would be forced to call an early election itself so as not to hold election during the six month Presidency of the EU (Jan – June 2017). So Labour would need to call an election, say November 2016, with a good chance for the Nats to win it, make the Presidency, the European Capital of Culture year, 2020 etc.
d) If Gonzi calls the election in March 2013, then Labour would be in government until 2018. As happens all over Europe, the party in government during the Presidency gets a huge advantage. All eyes would be on the country, tourism, good-factor feeling, capital of culture, investment … it would probably stand a chance of being re-elected with our ridiculously small margins.
I would be very interested to see what you think about this.
Dr Alfred Sant, in yesterday’s parliamentary sitting: “The amended agreement included new conditions for the country and it was shameful that the Opposition never saw those new conditions.”
They cannot organise a piss-up in a brewery.
Is Dr Alfred Sant in another party?
Imma n-nies rashom fuq ghonqhom Pedro.
Jien il-motto tieghi hu kif jien naf, kif se nkun ma nafx.
U meta nhares lejn il-passat tal-LP ma tantx ghandhom biex jiftahru.
So better safe than sorry.
May I reply?
a) No one calls them Nats.
b) People are fed up of what, exactly? Seeing the same faces in the media? Will it be any different under Labour?
c) There’s nothing to keep anyone from calling an election during Malta’s EU presidency.
d) 2018 is a lifetime away. You can’t extrapolate today’s popular sentiment.
Let me tell you what I’m fed up with…
Listening Dr L Gonzi’s speech on the anniversary of Net last week, he mentioned the blatant socialist propoganda emanting from the Xandir Malta of distant past. And now? Is it any better with a previous Net CEO leading it, a die hard staunch Nationalist/journalist leading its news and Lou Bondi, probably the most biased journalist this side of the world barr Emilio Fede, being given further TV slots on national prime time TV when he probably would not even make the grade on Rete 4!
Top jobs for top blue eyed boys. Is it true the retiring UHM officals have all been rewarded with cushy jobs now that they retired?
God, how I honestly hoped Dr Gonzi would have been really a breadth of fresh air… strong in putting in a strong meritocracy-based leadership just as when he was the minister responsible for Social Policy. And instead we are regaled with mediocrity. Just witness how he still sticks up for blatantly disastrous ministers such as Cristina, Gatt, Tonio Borg and Tonio Fenech rather then being a true leader and dismissing these incomptent people thereby sending a resounding message across the entire civil service to finally get its act together.
Is Joseph Muscat the alternative? Of course not for heaven’s sake, but Lawrence Gonzi and his cohort of incompetents will not be removed unless they lose the election. It is not possible to vote for new faces within the Nationalists as these new faces are all vetted for alligiance to GonziPn. So the Nationalists winning the next election is a scary thought as much as Joseph Muscat and his merrymen winning it!
Solution… staying away from the polls, as this will give a resounding message that I am sick and tired of these clowns.
[Daphne – The coward’s way out. I can’t stand people who are undecisive and who then boast about their indecision as though it is a decision.]
Jean, I share your feelings.
We (well, I) voted to join the EU and hoped we’d rise to the occasion and do a clean sweep. However, you’d need a fairly Thatcherite outlook to do that.
Certainly not the “benevolent state” that has become the hallmark of PN.
Besides which, all the moaning about Arriva would be nothing next to the popular revolt which would ensue if we had to abandon things like student stipends, MCAST in its present guise, free health care, social benefits, subsidies and all the rest of the socialist rot.
So Lawrence Gonzi steers on the side of caution and continuity and not upsetting people, which have never been favourites of mine. Public transport reform, in that respect, was a case of – in keeping with the tone we’ve taken – “about fucking time”. So was the closing of the shipyards.
It’s not the though of the Nationalists winning the next election that’s scary. It’s having to vote PN time after time because the other lot are the pits. We all yearn to be Swedes — tall, blo— er, I meant voting with that calm Nordic smile of serenity, safe in the knowledge that whatever their (tiny) differences, the main political parties all talk sense.
But like the man said, this is here and this is now. You look at the goods and take your pick. And each time, logic says PN.
But are the Maltese so STUPID (repeat STUPID) to elect Labour (with no ideas at all) to govern? Are we so stupid to have Joe Grima, Anglu Farrugia, Alex Sceberras Trigona, Joe Debono Grech and the cherry on the cake Karmenu Vella, to run our country? Just for the sake of having a change? I cannot ever believe that we are so stupid.
CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO ENLARGE IT, AND READ WHAT’S WRITTEN ON THAT DOCUMENT THE STUDENT IS HOLDING.
U taraw ukoll lil Michi qisha l-iccassata, qisha qed tisma’ xi tifla ta’ 3 snin titkellem jekk thares sew lejha.
U Evarist mhux b’inqas.
Does the labour leader think we are living in China? Sending his wife to deputise for him? How absurd can he be.
Madoffi Michelle ghadha issib cans toqghod taghmel il-costume jewelery bl-impenji politici kollha li ghandha? Jew forsi collections minn tal-passat?