Comment of the day (so far)
They used one weak man to make Joseph Leader of the Opposition, and now they're using another weak man to make him prime minister.
Posted on this site by Qabadni l-Bard:
Franco knows that when he votes against the government his political career is finished, but he also knows its finished just the same now.
He’s happy to be known as the MP who sacrificed himself to bring down the Evil PN government. What’s so difficult to understand?
For some time I agreed with your theory that he had grandiose plans to become minister or even a PM or leader of the party, but I think now he realizes that his position is even weaker than ever.
Short of being made party leader and PM he won’t be satisfied and I think he knows this won’t be possible.
He knows he’s going down but he’ll bring the whole ship down with him, and he won’t feel remorse. He’ll even feel vindicated for having suffered so long, for being unjustly sidelined and never made a minister when he had talents and capabilities much more than Carm Mifsud Bonnici or Gordon Pisani.
In a few months’ time we’ll have a Labour government but I don’t think its necessarily bad. First of all I am fed up of hearing people grumble about anything done by this government, the bus reform, the Valletta entrance project, the Renzo Piano parliament and theatre, the harbour bridge and lift, the trees in front of the Auberge de Castille, the honoraria, the national curriculum, primary health care, waiting lists at the general hospital, the national debt, Gozo, the water and energy bills, income tax, and so many others.
I am assuming that this grumbling will now stop. Joseph will put everything under the sun right.
I also hope that the Nationalist Party will have the balls to clear out its dubious and crazy characters. I’m sure many will jump on the Labour bandwagon to make sure they are included in the new state corporation/board positions that will be available soon.
They don’t realize that Labour supporters have been waiting 25 years to get their hands in the pie and won’t allow it.
Overall, I think that the Nationalist Party will eventually come out much stronger than it is from the whole mess. As for Malta, well there’s Joseph now – he will lead us b’ghaqal kbir and he will solve all our problems.
If it doesn’t work out well, we’ll do like Franco says (but won’t – because he can’t even leave home, let alone Malta) and leave the country.
24 Comments Comment
Leave a Comment
Qabadni il-Bard has a lot of time on his/her hands…
[Daphne – Ah, here’s another one who thinks that putting your thoughts together and putting them down in writing takes a lot of time. If there were the case, I for one would take all week to write my newspaper column, as at least two people of my acquaintance do, which is why they were asked to leave their employment. It takes roughly three minutes to write something like that.]
@Mr Borg
It is not just Franco Debono who is into multi-tasking.
I’m sure i’ll have even more free time under PL. That’s another good reason to vote for Joseph.
In fact Joseph will be giving us a good living wage, people work six hours a day, women won’t need to go out to work (the living wage will be good enough for one breadwinner).
Shame the world’s going to end in December.
Maybe that’s the trick of the trade to publish mediocre articles….and yet I still visit this site everyday…..one day I’ll regret and I just know it.
[Daphne – Mediocre articles, says the man who can’t write. Keep visiting, BC. You might pick up some tricks.]
Best analysis read so far. I agree with this 100%. Hearing people speak,it’s like living in the Sudan….or Congo.
Leave the country. That’s the old pro-EU camp mantra (surprisingly enough). Even if you leave the country, your passport will still be Maltese, and you’re still more or less screwed. Especially if the government back in Malta is busy screwing the country.
Well said. And remember better to die standing up rather than living on your knees.
Franco will be remembered in history as the ‘man’ who (you can here fill in your adjectives and verbs).
And anyway although I will voting PN as I am still in control of my senses and cannot do otherwise as I have my kids to look out for, if Joseph Muscat is elected (a near certainty it seems according to the polls) I look forward to getting car registration tax back, lower (halved?) utility bills, no potholed roads and everlasting peace between the environmentalists and the developers, a covered theatre at subsidised prices in Valletta for all the operas I intend to see, on-time buses etc.
I mean it is all there in the electoral programme that hasn’t been written and this is always binding, especially from socialist (Labour) governments. Mhux hekk?
Franco has hedged his position well in case Labour gets into government – he will escape to Italy.
Besides, there are two important democratic developments that will arise as a consequence of a new Labour government:
1. The comments board of timesofmaltaonline will be a pleasure to read, with praise for the regime.
2. Malta Today can shut down as it will have lost its raison d’etre.
By its own reasoning Maltatoday would have to employ Natalino Fenech and Lou Bondi for their skills in propaganda.
And Joseph Muscat would have to answer for any shortcomings to the EU who will be monitoring with a magnifying lens.
Gone are the days of doing as you please and no accountability.
Yep, and we have the Nationalist Party to thank for that. The main reason, amongst many, why I voted yes to joining the European Union. Labour will always be bad news but at least we are part of the union now and they will be somewhat limited in the damage they will cause.
‘They’ve waited 25 years’ is their own spiel.
Maybe it’s the same ones who didn’t manage to get their hands on the pie with Sant.
Watch closely what’s brewing in Xemxija, Ta’ Cenc, Qormi, Lapsi, Wied Fulija, Dingli and others.
Franco Debono did not just happen. Apart from the numerous achievements of this government, this legislature will be remembered for its back-benchers.
We have just witnessed one of the biggest lessons of life i.e. how much we influence each other in our everyday life.
This Franco Debono saga is nothing but the climax of all these months hearing disgruntled backbenchers, grumbling because the Prime Minister did not do what they expected him to do.
For obvious reasons, this category of back-benchers includes Mr. Dalli.
I cannot imagine a situation where Mr. Dalli is prime minister and giving way to others’ suggestions and opinions, implementing what others decide and not what he himself has decided.
Those other back-benchers knew though where to stop. One of them did not and got carried away with his ego and big-headedness, and look where the country is now.
If and when this government is brought down by Franco Debono, all those Nationalist MPs (I do not need to name them one by one, for we all know them) have to say is, mea culpa.
Perhaps they will be happy to see this government brought down, after all. It will be Gonzi’s fault in their eyes.
If they are happy to see it happen, it will mean that their reason for being in politics was always to serve themselves first. If this is the case, then yes, losing the elections will bring nothing but a good cleaning occasion for the PN.
The weakness many see in Dr. Gonzi is in fact his democratic strength. That is what democracy is all about – allowing it to destroy even you.
I totally ‘get’ what this contributor is saying with regards the frenzied attacks on anything and everything this government does.
News portals and comment boards have been overtaken by the seemingly demented, who have squeezed out everyone else as nobody even wishes to put a toe in there with a sensible comment.
I also have a not-so-small measure of curiosity as to what will actually happen when the Labour Party do take up their places on the government benches. Maybe that indicates mild sado-masochistic tendencies on my part, but I know there must be an awful lot of people thinking the same thing.
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/…/Still-defiant-Franco-Debono-2012011
He says that the time has come for a new generation of politicians – like himself – to take over. But he emphasises that he is not attached to his seat in parliament.
If there is a change of government, what will probably happen is that, for at least the first two years, Victor Laiviera and co will still blame Gonzi for the bad things that happen, after that … well, let’s hope they won’t stay in government that long.
It means that it will take them at least 2 years after the elections to start enjoying the government. 27 years in opposition.
Always look on the bright side of life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlBiLNN1NhQ
Actually I am looking forward to a Labour government. The Nationalists are too boring. During those 18 months of Sant’s government it was fun going to work as the Minister responsible used to make life so interesting. Disastrous decisions all the way and when we used to think it can’t get worse it always did.
what a laugh Malta is when it comes to Politics.. so the people you usually call “elves” seem o be on the winning side this time..so I imagine you “gnomes” will have to dig into your barrows once the elves will have the run of the forest..
Another elve. It’s “burrows”, not “barrows”. Then again, you’ve just given away your accent.
‘Barrows?’
http://www.easybarrow.co.uk/wheelbarrows.htm
Chantel Bruce’s barrow
http://image.made-in-china.com/4f0j00hMATSjUtnLbB/Wheel-Barrow.jpg
Daphne if I were you I’d start preparing some ads to publish in the classifieds section, to recruit a couple of secretaries in case of Labour gets elected.I presume the volume of work on this blog will increase exponentially.