SMS alert to Labour: flags are not decorative items bhal tal-festini
Incorrect display of flags - but to be expected, quite frankly
Joseph might have been very pleased with his press conference, his dark suit, his blue tie and his white shirt, to say nothing of his new organic rinse (not as permanent as dye) in a shade that Jackie magazine used to call strawberry blond.
But all I could concentrate on, when I got past the new hair colour – even Jeffrey stopped dyeing his, for heaven’s sake – was the flags behind him.
The national flag and the flag of the European Union are strictly the preserve of the head of state and the prime minister on occasions like this. The leader of the Opposition should use his political party’s emblem because, unlike the prime minister and the president, he does not represent Malta or speak for Malta, which is represented by the government, which in turn is represented by the prime minister.
Complicated? Not at all.
So all right, let’s accept that protocol and correct procedure mean nothing to Labour. We have seen that already on several occasions, and it’s something we have come to expect. Let’s take it as read that Joseph Muscat is going to appropriate the national flag and the EU flag from now until the general election, when he should be acquiring the real right to use them like this.
Let’s accept that he does this because 1. he wants to make himself contextually interchangeable with the prime minister using visual aids, 2. he wants to ease us into accepting him as prime minister, 3. he knows that using the Labour emblem, even as reinvented by Godfrey Grima’s employees, makes people switch off and blank him, and 4. he’s an ass who doesn’t know how these things are done.
Let’s leave all that aside and look at the flags themselves. If you’re going to use them, you bleeding chumps, at least make sure you bother to get them right. Here are some brief guidelines, off the top of my head, but if you need more, I’m quite sure somebody in the president’s office can give you a tutorial in how to set flags out.
1. When you are displaying your national flag and the EU flag, the EU flag goes on the right and the national flag on the left.
2. One flag, and this is crucial for symbolic reasons, must never cover another flag. They are not just pieces of fabric which are there to be arranged by the Labour Party’s resident interior designer Roberto Francalanza to look fetchingly draped.
3. These are rules, not optional guidelines, so you choose to do it the right way sometimes, and then, when your advisers think the pictured arrangement looks nicer for the camera, do it the wrong way.
Examples of the correct way follow below.
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Dear Ms Caruana Galizia, I have just been reading timesofmalta.com and found that the case against you has been withdrawn. This proves how right you were all the time. A big prosit and keep it up.
PL – il-partit li ma jafghux kif.
It was also noticeable how the party was set to the side and at a considerable distance. Basta bit-team.
And if they have to come up with slogans, why do they keep changing them week in week out?
I think he said the words “gvern immexxi minni” so many times that he managed to convince himself he’s actually prime minister …
Joseph can’t soar like an eagle when he is surrounded by so many turkeys.
Protocol, rules and etiquette are totally foreign to the Labour Party and most of its followers.
Maybe Anglu should form a ‘taks fors’ to discover what proper protocol such as placement of flags and punctuality require the leader of the Opposition to observe.
http://doi.gov.mt/EN/state/symbols.asp
link to DOI’s “Flags, symbols and their use”
Who cares about the flags….I might even be called an ignorant by some here but honestly the way the flags are arranged, protocol etc are not going to food on my family’s table, are not going to reduce the electricity bill, the flags will not leave me extra cash at the end of month.
JM is saying he can and briefly explained how, and lets face it I also do not like the idea of comparing ourselves with who is in a worse situation then ours, my mum God bless her soul used to say “hares lejn min hu ahjar minnek” so I agree with JM on this count as well.
Daph I really like your blog, honestly do you but if you couldnt find anything else on which to critisize the Budget speech by JM you should have just shut up !!!
Maybe you should take your mum’s advice and instead of sitting on your ass waiting for the government’s help, you should look at those who are better than you and try to reach their level.
It’s not that hard, as long as you are not a One News fanatic and only believe what you want to hear.
Hey Ray,
That is exactly my point….This Govt is sitting on his Ass waiting for some divine intervention…. from where I stand I see a goverment not willing to at least try to improve the current situation, and that is why they are comparing us with countries who are in a dire situation. Once a target is achieved they rest on their laurels and relax, I work in the private sector and once you achieve a target you will most definetly be given a even harder one to achieve. Problem with the current set of so called politicians is that they have reached a certain level and then stopped and they keep reminding everyone of what they achieved and from where we started off!!!!
All I am saying is that we need people who are willing to look forward and take us to the next level and I think that the current Goverment is not capable of doing it not in its current state. They need to re-group and re-think their strategies, and believe me a period in opposition will most definetly be beneficial and will do them a world of good !!!!
P.S. I don’t watch local TV. I only tune in to watch funny programs like the Budget and Gladys and Co on the National Tv for good laugh….
[Daphne – It’s Maltese TV, not local TV. Local TV would be, say, a Bidnija community channel.]
If I understood correctly, his brief explanation of how he is going to reduce the rates is an unsustainable project which is currently being experimented by two countries that already have at their disposal the natural and structural resources.
I do not believe that we can afford to spend money on a technology which is itself still being developed.
And whilst I do agree that we should be comparing ourselves to countries that are in a better situation than us, Luxembourg being one mentioned by the Opposition, having Gavin Gulia potentially undermining our budding financial services industry (which is Luxembourg’s sole source of wealth)is not going to help towards putting food on your table
What a bunch of morons. They acted in the same way towards Alfred Sant in the run-up to the 2008 election
It’s easy Joe
Follow the acronym M E P: Malta – Europe – Party (if you’re not too embarrassed to display it, that is)
That wasn’t so hard was it?
Tonight on Super One nothing about the fall in unemployment in October.They really believe their supporters are morons. They also believe nobody watches other stations.
Then again, Super One is in the hands of Jason – of ‘ lost election’ fame.