It all depends on whether Debono plans to make Joseph Muscat prime minister
This problem has been created by the pathological hatred of the boy on the right for the boy on the left.
To make things clear – for this is a point not yet picked up by the political reporters on the news sites (sometimes it is easy for us to take certain things for granted and forget that the facts might not be so obvious to readers) – a vote of confidence/no confidence is different to a vote on a bill.
It is not enough to have a simple majority of those present in the house: say 34 v. 33. You need the actual majority of all members of parliament, which is 35.
So for Anglu Farrugia’s motion to be upheld – which would bring down the government immediately – the Labour Party would have to whip its entire parliamentary group into the house to vote in favour, and Franco Debono would have to vote in favour with them.
If Debono abstains, the motion is not upheld.
Now, of course, it is up to Debono. He has seen this so far as ‘izid id-doza’ to become a minister. But beyond this point, there is no scope for further upping the ante, and even he must realise this.
He might actually think, in current state of delusion, that he can blackmail the prime minister by telling him that this is his last chance to make him a minister and if the prime minister doesn’t, then he, Debono, will vote for Anglu Farrugia’s motion and bring down the government.
But the prime minister’s response to that will almost certainly be to call an election himself without any prompting or confidence votes.
Here I must make something else clear: that Debono will not spell out this threat in so many words, just as he hasn’t yet actually asked black on white to be made a minister. This is his courtroom persona at work: it allows him to say that no, he never asked for the job.
Meanwhile, he will use other ways of communicating that this is what he wants, as he has done so far, and that he is not going to stop until he gets it (“Iva, u anke Gordon Pisani ma kienx igib rizultati tajbin daqs tieghi, u qieghed fil-cabinet.”).
So now Debono has some serious thinking to do. If he brings down the government, it will be very difficult to hold his head up in society again. Even his legal career will be seriously affected as people tend to choose lawyers they feel are reliable and trustworthy. Of course, in his case this might not be such an important factor as he deals mainly with criminals anyway, and his clients include people like L-Imniehru, the cocaine dealer who bribed the then chief justice and an appeals court judge (though Franco was not his lawyer then).
Gone will be the days of walking down Strada Rjali receiving the admiration of the people and then swanning about in court doing likewise.
And that is quite apart from the fact that, even as he forces himself into a life of ignominy, he will have to deal with the fact that his classroom nemesis, the cause of all these problems, is the prime minister.
That’s right: by his own hand, Franco Debono is about to force a situation in which he becomes a two-bit lawyer who can’t show his face even in his own village, while every time he turns on the television, Joseph Muscat is going to be there as prime minister.
I’ve written about this before: people behave one way but expect much higher standards of behaviour from those they vote for. They will cheat on their spouses, for instance, but they don’t want to vote for a politician who does the same.
They might lie, but they don’t want to vote for a politician who lies.
It’s exactly the same in this case. They might vote against the government because they didn’t get the job they wanted, and only yesterday I heard of somebody who plans to do just that (ironically, while talking about how shocking Franco Debono’s behaviour is), but they don’t want to see a politician behaving the same way they do. This accounts for the huge wave of disapproval for Debono.
My own view is that Debono doesn’t have insight into the situation he has created. Concerned primarily with the immediacy of his own pain and desires – which began in early June 2008, when Joseph Muscat was elected Labour leader – he cannot see that his actions are about to realise his worst fears.
That they will make Joseph Muscat prime minister at 38 and Franco Debono a has-been – worse, a pariah – at the same age.
Those who draw comparisons with Mintoff bringing down Sant’s government in 1998 are missing a very important point. Mintoff was in his 80s and had a very long, landmarked political career behind him. After bringing down the government, he retired to the isolation of his four walls and withdrew into solitude and eventual senility.
Franco Debono cannot do the same. In your 80s, you can become a hermit because by that stage you’re sick of people anyway. But with a good 50 years of life ahead of you, you can’t.
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The more I look at the photo, the more I find it difficult to believe that at that time, the porky faced young boy on the left was the class rival of the handsome young boy on the right.
I’m older than “Il-Franc” but I went to the same school and I don’t recall that any such rivalry existed.
There are two other possibilities though:
1. Something happened later on in their life which started this rivalry (maybe something that took place in Sixth Form)?
2. Nothing ever happened and there is no rivalry at all.
[Daphne – Unlike you, I am privy to what Franco Debono says and does. But even from his public behaviour, you should have been able to deduce it for yourself. The strange thing in this whole episode is that women are reacting really badly to Franco, immediately picking up all the wrong signals from him (which are the right signals), while some men have rather more difficulty with reading the signs. Oh, and another thing: boys don’t compete on looks, and this kind of pathological rivalry is rare precisely because it is pathological. Also, it is one-sided. It is bloody obvious that Muscat doesn’t feel the same way.]
@Ms DCG
A woman with some experience of life would notice straightaway that the Franco Debono-type are not the reliable husband/son- in- law material,. no matter how many ittri wara isimhom, kumpanijji , flus jew karrieri illustri ikollom.
Agreed,
Joseph’s loss of weight could be to his advantage, although his dabbling with hair products indicates otherwise.
Girls prefer boys who don’t try too hard, but abhor pubescent facial hair.
Unlike you, I spent my schoolboy days being hit over the shins with a cricket bat, or whatever the Maltese equivalent is.
Boys don’t compete on looks, but they do compete on masculinity and all the elements that compose it: height (especially), physique, sporting prowess, and later, sexual prowess.
But that’s by the by.
The truly shocking aspect of all this is the popular idea that Franco Debono is somehow “brilliant”.
I’ve heard it from some PN people who are pretty high up themselves. Brilliant? In what way?
You must be pretty thick yourself to think that Franco Debono is brilliant. “He speaks so well,”, they will say. Excuse me? What are we then? A nation still at Easy Reading level?
Debono’s vocabulary is extremely limited. His sentences are disjointed. He is inarticulate. And most tellingly of all, he never uses adverbs. Quite apart from the content of his diatribes, which is as illogical as it is vulgar.
[Daphne – That is my assessment, yes. He is not bright at all, just somebody who was told he was bright as a child, and who internalised that ‘knowledge’ of himself. Listening to him speak is like listening to a woman with a breakdown, repeating the same things over and over again, and with, as you pointed out, the very limited vocabulary of the poorly educated.]
And he starts every other sentence with ‘Jiena’.
How self-obsessed and egocentric.
Rover – it is possible to be self-obsessed, egocentric and intelligent.
Franco Debono possesses the first two quality but he is not particularly intelligent, nor a particularly high achiever. He is, at best, mediocre.
It is Debono’s own assessment that he is a ‘top student’ (I thought he was a lawyer of 10 years’ standing), but it is perfectly possible to form one’s own judgement rather than taking him at his word.
Agree With Baxxter on this. I must say that once in a while you hear Debono say a point which you might agree with but when you stop to think you notice that most of these comments are gratuitous.
Daphne, one point I’m not agreeing with you on is that you, the leader of the opposition and many others seem to take it for granted that an election now would give an obvious victory to Labour.
Whilst it is surely not the best time I think that Labour would make the same mistake they did in the last election if they think this is going to be a walk-over. I also have a feeling that the shenanigans of MP Debono and the leader of the opposition usually irritate the floating voters immensely so it seems like Labour has still learnt very little about who determines the outcome of elections in our country.
Franco will never be a has-been because he never was, despite his own misgivings. Thank God he never will be either
I may be wrong but could it be that Franco Debono will eventually pride himself to be the cause for Muscat’s becoming prime minister at 38? A sort of: even Joseph owes it to me.
Franco Debono’s old nickname -Il-Baggio- will change overnight in Ghaxaq to Franco il-Bahnan. Or worse. To the rest of us he will be known just as scum.
If it weren’t that so much is at stake one would happily let him get on with it.
He would find out that 15 minutes of fame are just that – 15 minutes.
“Dr Muscat said that if the vote of no confidence is defeated with the Speaker’s casting vote, the situation would still be untenable for government since a government needed to have a working majority.” timesofmalta.com.
If I am reading your post correctly, 35 votes are required for the motion to be upheld. In the eventuality that 34 vote in favour and 34 vote against, will the motion be defeated at that point or will the speaker be required to vote?
[Daphne – Yes.]
Faced with this vote, Franco Debono should also be concerned about the future of his mobile phone.
If he brings down the government, and he forces himself into a life of ignominy, his mobile will not ring any more. Not even when it’s on, let alone when it’s off.
What’s more, he’ll have to pay his own telephone bills.
He could call himself. He probably does.
I hope Franco Debono reads this article and your column in yesterday’s The Malta Independent.
What is it with some men that they can’t see the result of their actions?
Just think about it, first Joseph Muscat took his seat in parliament because someone else gave it to him, then he becomes prime minister because an ex classmate brought down the government.
Kemm jien xortija tajba, mama! All those mothers out there please do your best not to turn your boys into more Francos and Josephs – thank you.
You forget how he became leader, when it was decided that contestants had to fit certain parameters to a tee. Coincidentally, Joseph did.
This after he screwed Sant’s chances by spilling the beans on Mistra too early.
Oh yes.
Franco he has no insight it seems, so he can read as many articles as we can write, and nothing will change for him.
The rivalry must have started in Form IIC. Joseph apparently never got 100% in religion and became envious of Franco. To be fair, Joseph never went on national television and showed us his Form II report card. Maybe he has better judgment than Franco?
[Daphne – No, Angus. He feels no rivalry for Franco. The rivalry is one-sided. Isn’t that obvious?]
Later on, Joseph pursued a different course and allegedly breezed through his exams. On the other hand, Franco read law and almost flunked his thesis, but shedding tears, he was pitied on and given a second chance.
He fails to understand that all the backing he is receiving from his nemesis will evaporate once his rival becomes prime minister. Franco never got to be minister in a Nationalist government and very much less will be in a Labour administration he would have helped elect.
As Daphne pointed out, the least Franco should do, is to think about his bread and butter because he has become the least trusted person both as an MP and probably as a lawyer as well.
Perhaps Franco Debono is hoping that should the PN lose the election Dr. Gonzi will resign like Dr. Sant did and then he will get the chance to put himself forward as candidate for PN leadership……similar to what Dr. Muscat did.
In his delusion anything seems possible.
Mela ma rrizenjax?
Le, ghax ir-rizenja, skond hu, trid tkun accettata.
Mur arah f’kumpanija jaghmel handover lil dak li jidhol minfloku. Ikollu jitqanna bih magenbu, jirrispondilu it-telephone.
Marija Santa.
The Times of Malta are still insisting that Franco Debono said he would vote against the government, in their latest piece on the topic. Did he or did he not say this ‘on te rekort’?
He will not ‘support the government’ and he will ‘vote against the government’ are worlds apart in this case.
He did not comment, wants to build up the drama to fever pitch.
Whatever he decides to do, he will be showered with the sort of collective dislike and disgust that must make living on the island highly improbable after next Thursday. U jhalli ‘l kullhadd jaghzaq fil-ha*a li ser jitfaghna fih.
I heard the telephone interview. He said “nivvota kontra” when asked about a motion of confidence.
[Daphne – Kontra l-gvern jew kontra l-mozzjoni? Lawyer-speak can be exhausting.]
He was asked about a vote of confidence in the government and said that he would vote against tbut then added that he had no confidence in the PM.
The soundbyte can be heard on Maltastar.
http://www.maltastar.com/pages/r1/ms10dart.asp?a=19057
[Daphne – I can’t listen to the soundbite because for some reason it’s not coming up on this particular computer. But as I recall – I had heard it yesterday – the question was specifically about a vote of confidence in the government, put by the government. It was not about a vote of ‘sfiducja’ in the government, brought by the Opposition. Franco Debono is a lawyer. He answers the specific question. He said he will vote against a motion of confidence in the government, not for a motion of no confidence in the government. I have been studying the way he way he speaks and have noticed that he does this.]
Exactly, made this point some posts ago. However for this tactic to work, the PM must play ball.
Which is never going to happen for two reasons 1> because after all the fuss about never going to be held ransom by a backbencher he would have done just that 2> we would have another 12 months of suspended animation everytime a vote needs to be taken in Parliament.
So at the end of the day I guess the PM will eventually have to do the proverbial ” Alfred Sant” and call for an election.
True this may win him some time, but not much.
If he tries to run the country without a majority, it will backfire, just as the divorce issue did.
[Daphne – Why do you assume that he won’t have a majority? He’s been running the country like this since June 2008. We are only beginning to discover what has been happening behind the scenes for all this time, that Debono has behaved like this for the last three and a half years, with the public only being alerted briefly in late 2009 when he stayed home instead of going to parliament for a crucial vote. In between then and last November, the strain on the prime minister, caused by Debono’s behaviour, was apparently enormous.]
So Franco Debono is still going to end up with nowhere to go in any case. He has gone too far down the line and he knows it.
That is why he will vote in favour of the opposition motion, to at least go out with a bang and bring the lot down with him.
[Daphne – This isn’t a mall shooting, Pampalun, in which some crazy with a gun opens fire on everyone and then turns the gun on himself. Franco wants to carry on living and being admired, and his dilemma now is how to do that, and not how to make his situation worse. He doesn’t want to go out with a bang. He doesn’t want to go out at all. You really can’t read people if that’s what you think.]
Daphne, it is precisely because we now all know this that the PM cannot continue to do it.
My gut feel is that general opinion will turn against him if he stumbles on without a clear majority.
That is exactly what I said in a previous post, but I now realise that he is already out. Game over.
And my gut once again tells me that this is a “ jekk ma nirbahx, nfotti” type of guy.
Admit that I’m not qualified to profile people, so it’s just a layman’s contribution towards this discussion.
It seems pretty obvious that Franco has no intention of blowing himself into oblivion any time soon, he’s already discussing what “needs to be done” –
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120113/local/dranco-debono-no-comment-on-motion-but-calls-forconstitutional-reform.402191
Methinks Labour supporters are in for a major disappointment, but me also thinks that Joseph Muscat will be relieved, although he won’t admit it, of course.
I also think that one possible major reason why Anglu “Taks” Farrugia is presenting the motion is simply because he wants to, possibly only with the reluctant consent of his party leader.
Assuming the role of PM is probably something that secretly petrifies Muscat, and I can understand the reasons for that – he suspects that he may not be up to it, and his hunch is correct, because I have never heard him speak in any statesmanlike manner, any manner that indicates that he has what it takes to lead and give direction.
Any one of the top dozen PN cabinet members display more of what it takes, imperfections and all.
FFS, I think that even Franco himself would do a better job of it, and that may be one reason why he is so pissed off about it all.
Unfortunately (?) Franco is with the “A” class party. It is far easier to shine in the “B” class. I’d be really tall in Japan, but vertically challenged in the Netherlands.
If what you are saying and assuming that you are guessing the situation correctly (I have my doubts ), then the only reason I can think of is envy which translates to hatred.
But even here I’m not sure at all, because although a few years back Franco could have envied Joseph who was well off, taken care of at school by his parents and spoiled in everything, Franco was just above the poverty line, lived roaming the streets and the fields and later in shops (tat-titotla) and clubs(kazini), was actually neglected by his parents and nobody took care of him in school matters except his aunt and her husband.
Now Franco is financially comfortable and should be more proud of himself because he is self-made, so this hatred against Joseph maybe is a little bit far fetched.
[Daphne – Believe me, it is not. Within hours of Muscat being elected leader of the Labour Party, Debono collared somebody quite senior whose name I won’t mention, and told him: “Dak ma gabx rizultati tajbin daqs tieghi l-iskola, u issa qieghed kap ta’ partit, u jien m’jien xejn.”]
ok ok I rest my case,
This person’s fixation on school exam results as the basis of merit and the benchmark of intelligence is ridiculous.
Intelligence is all about doing things quickly, correctly and with the minimum of effort.
I’d rate a boy who breezes through secondary school getting average marks with no private lessons and hardly any studying much higher than one who gets his top marks swotting night and day.
My thoughts exactly.
You miss the point, Riff Raff. Secondary school results are irrelevant when you’re 37.
The other reason Debono should put a lid on the boasting is that his report isn’t impressive at all. It’s rather mediocre, in fact.
You know what the problem is with this country is? That people like Debono, Herrera, Musumeci, Muscat, and all those whose ‘hama’ you have brought out are still around, holding their head up high like they’ve done nothing wrong.
In this society, crassness, tackiness, vulgarity, lack of ‘irgulija’ are taken as the right way to act to be ‘modern’.
Gone are the days of respect for what you stand for. Even basic respectful mannerswhich we used to take for granted, like respect to your elders, your superiors, your hosts, even your equals.. or your television audience…no prudence with mobile phone uses, addressing the prime minister on national TV by his first name… such a level of arrogance.
Minn dejjem kellu dik il-barma ħelwa l-iżgħar prim ministru li ‘dalwaqt’ se joħroġ lill Malta mill qiegħ imdallam li tant ilha fih.
Will Franco Debono still be able to influence reforms in the constitution and law, and restrain connived party totalitarianism once he loses his seat in parliament? Could he still serve his purpose as a non-influential man-in-the-street?
More than half-a-century ago, one of my English teachers, an old Jesuit priest, posed our class a question that we boys took to be silly. He asked, “Is life worth living?”
Of course he drew a blank expression from us, I mean… what sort of question is that to put to a bunch of hyperactive young boys? Then he told us to remember that the answer is, “It depends on the liver”.
As a school-leaver, I had occasion to ask him what he had meant by that ‘joke’ and he explained that “liver” was, in one context, intended to mean the internal organ, a reference to health, and in another context, intended to mean the person living the life.
He went on to explain that one has to feel able to live serenely with life’s decisions if one’s psyche (soul) is to survive.
Without serenity, both livers would be doomed to a miserable existence; the physical turns sour and the psychic becomes indifferent and pointless.
Why am I writing this? I don’t know, but the episode came to mind as I reflected on the approaching quandary.
I cannot help but think that losing a battle is not half as bad as losing the war and some even survive to fight another day.
Funny you should say that.
I’ve been thinking how much his litigious traits led him to conclude that given his being proved right, the PM should resign.
Imagine what he stood to gain had he endorsed last Friday’s decisions, giving his full support to the PM.
It simply wasn’t to be.
Dr. Debono will simply not turn up when Parliament reconvenes. What better way to keep enjoying the political limbo and the resultant attention he so much craves?
Whichever way you cut it, Franco is the political equivalent of a dead man walking.
He has a rendez-vous with his political demise, and is slowly trudging his way to his executioner.
All that he has left is his swansong, and the choice of either spiting the party that embraced him or spitting one last time at his childhood rival. However he must realise that politically he has no future.
We all await Thursday and see how Mr Brinkmanship will vote.
Constitutional reform is definitely required – to put an end to one-seat majorities in parliament.
With Malta’s political polarisation, such situations are bound to happen again.
Reduce Parliament to 60 seats, 12 districts x 5, and grant a minimum of a 2-seat majority, i.e. 29 – 31 , or 2 extra seats if the majority party gets a minority of seats.
@David S You cannot have a 2 seat majority in parliament. It has to an odd number, 1, 3, 5 etc. because the number of members in parliament has to an odd number.
So if one were to apply your logic to the last election, a 1400 vote majority would translate into a 3 seat majority. I don’t think so.
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The PN should put up billboards of Joseph Muscat saying “Thank you Franco”. It might just do the trick.
Being such a pompous windbag, I don’t think Franco Debono has realised yet how close he is to handing victory to his rival.
I had a dream.
”A hot debate is LIVE on Disset, Gonzi and Debono facing each other for the first time.
At one point, Franco is surprised by a very intriguing question from Reno, he flicks, he blanks, face in hands he bursts out crying. Gonzi stands up and goes to him, Franco stands up and they hug; Reno looks confused on whether he should stand up or stay put. Gonzi and FD walk embraced towards back studio, Reno stands up promptly , but the sight of his boxers as he walks away from his desk towards THE ‘stability’ of the country, wakes me up!
If I was Franco, i would act it, declare my stress, produce a certificate and go for a long break in Italy. And everyone will live happily for ever after.
He could THEN consider coming back under PN’s ticket within a year.
Franco is smart. His points make sense. He is simply in a hurry and very hurt.
PN should not lose such a great mind, with such energy and determination.
Yes, he could also try his luck within 15-20yrs time (in his 50s) for ‘kap tal partit. He might be several years late in achieving more than his class rival Joseph, but wouldn’t it be the most satisfying and ultimate win over Muscat, if he beats him in a general election?
looks like i’m back to sleep, dreaming.
Again: Franco (sic) is smart.
You fellows really have low standards for intelligence.
yes he’s smart…he is a nazzjonalist remember?
Ha! Not all Nazzjonalisti are smart. In fact, very few of them are, like the rest of the Maltese population.
Anyone who’s as incapable of humour and self-deprecation as Franco Debono cannot be smart.
‘u jien m’jien xejn….’
Mela xi tfisser li tkun membru parlamentari Nazzjonalista?
If Franco´s problem is that his rival Joe Muscat might be PM, is there not at least a good chance that Franco will continue to help Labour to win the next election, only to turn on Joseph Muscat in a couple of years and propose himself as the next PM?
If this is indeed his ultimate wish, then he really couldn´t be bothered about which party elects him as PM.
Franco Debono is in parliament because he got 2000 votes. Joseph Muscat is in parliament because he twisted a weaker man’s arm.
And now Joseph-zero-votes-Muscat is going to be elected PM by Debono’s vote.
Isn’t that sad, Franco?
To say that opinions are dynamic would be an understatement. I am now thinking he will turn up to defeat the PL motion, since it has usurped his position. Every statement, claim or pressure commands a reaction.
What I mostly believe however is that the PN has rallied much sympathy and support today.
In a weird way, so has Franco Debono in my opinion, and most people would like to see him back with his party colleagues.
Failing that, he might need to make the ultimate sacrifice of giving his seat up so that somebody else might fill it, and come out smelling of roses.
Daphne, what you have pointed out about a confidence/no-confidence motion requiring 35 votes explains why the Opposition kept taunting the PM to table a confidence motion but were so reluctant to present their own no-confidence one.
An abstention by Franco Debono would favour the side not presenting a motion. If this is the case it would seem that the Government has won this first round but I’m not very hopeful that Debono will abstain.
I heard him tell a One journalist that he would definitely be voting against the government.
Franco Debono is the only person who has had the guts to stand up for what he believes in. No one, not even the corrupted PM Gonzi can stand in his way. We need more people like him who are ready to stand their ground.
But how is he going to progress what he believes in from outside the political circle? If he opts out, that will be it because he will be back to being Cikku l-poplu again.
It doesn’t make sense to me because I believe that he really does feel strongly about the issues he has raised, irrespective of the fact that he screwed up the methodology. Yes he wants to be seen as being the catalyst; but who doesn’t when his time has been invested?
Yes, sure. We need more vulgar, inarticulate, smug, conceited, narcissistic people like him. Multitaskers, what.