You open up a vast subject there. I’d say that times have changed. With 24/7 information overload and and everyone and their dog mouthing off on all available media, the necessary professional detachment between different ranks has been broken down.

Officers and other ranks, or managers and employees, should keep the required separation, including physically (officers’, sergeants’, other ranks’ mess). When someone is officer class, they can more or less keep their troops under control even in the close confines of a trench in a stressful situation.

But put someone like Lawrence Gonzi in charge, and that hierarchy starts to break down. Gonzi is affable, but little more. His major asset seems to be to make people work together, not lead them. Certainly not officer class.

Which is not to say there was any better choice. I mean John Dalli, for god’s sake? That’s Malta’s problem, choosing congeniality (“minn taghna”, “taf kemm hu orrajt”, “dhuli”) over leadership (“migbud”, “dittur”,”tal-punt”). PN is no different.

That sounds like all the world though when Pope John Paul followed pope Giovanni.

Hadn’t the speaker vacated his seat? That would mean he cannot vote as MP, but only as speaker and then only when the speaker’s vote is required.

Of course not. It would defy any form of logic to include the Speaker in the number of Members of Parliament voting when he does not vote (remember the Speaker has a casting vote). How can 36 votes be the majority required when the number of people voting is 69?

When a vote results in a tie, the Speaker casts his vote according to parliamentary practice, in this case adding the 35th vote to the Government side, thus securing its majority in Parliament.

Prosit, prosit John, I couldn’t have said it better – dan Franco ma jridx xejn f’isem il partit li jipartjeni imma lrid ikun, hu, hu u hu biss.

Mhux dik l-istorja tal-Labour?

Jinku il-pajjiz.

Izommu in-nies ‘taghhom’ f’morsa ta’ biza’ u pika.

Saydon baqa’ mwerwer b’dak li ghamlulu, wara li grew warajh biex jithassarhom.

Din tal-llum mhi xejn hlief l-istess ghajta ta’ Dom Mintoff, ‘Sakemm il-gvern mhux taghna, lanqas mhu il-pajjiz’.

Joseph kellu jitlob permess mid-delegati il-gimgha li ghaddiet. X’hin iridu jnehhuh u jtellghu xi hadd aktar midhla taghhom.

Xi hadd semma’ il-patt li jiffirmaw il-kandidati taghhom; gwaj jekk ma’ taqbilx, kif tista’ qatt tistenna rapprezentanza?

A vote of no confidence according to our Constitution must be “supported by the votes of a majority of all the members thereof”, Article 76 (5) A.

The total number of members of Parliament is 70 – since the Speaker is a full member of the House and Art 76 (5) A is specifically aimed to include the Speaker in the total number.

For a vote of no confidence to pass 36 votes are therefore required not 35.

My question is: Is this true?

[Daphne – Well, it’s basically because when he had a single-seat majority in 1987 to 1992, nobody was going to rock the boat after the struggle to get there. As for the rest of his years in government, he did have similar problems with people, but a larger majority, and so they had no leverage. But the main problem Lawrence Gonzi has is that those who oppose him feel ‘they could be him’. That is a major difficulty in people management. When your subordinates think they can do your job, they refuse to take orders from you, obey instructions or do so resentfully and reluctantly.]

Meta Richard Cachia Caruana kien gab il-finanzjament tal-progett tal-muzew tal-katidral ta’ San Gwann, sab lil Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando jwaqqghalu kollox ghax f’daqqa wahda Jeffrey kien sar espert tal-gejologija. L-attakk kien minn gewwa.

Il-pjan li jkollna id-dahla tal-belt suret in-nies bil-firma ta’ Renzo Piano ghal-naqra ma spiccatx l-istess. L-attakk kien minn barra.

Il-pjan li jkollna estensjoni tal-power station u titnehha dik tal-Marsa ma nafx x’ma qalghux kontrieh. S’issa ghadu ghaddej, imma l-attakk kien minn barra u minn gewwa.

It-trasport pubbliku wara snin ta’ hidma qamu l-irwiefen kollha kontrih, kemm minn barra u kemm minn gewwa, jekk mhux ukoll hadmu flimkien biex jisfratta kollox.

Issa il-membru tal-parlament li telgha bis-sahha tal-vot tieghi mid-distrett tieghi f’isem il-partit tieghi, beda biex sfrattalna l-festi tal-Milied u harbat lil kullhadd biex f’ISMI jsir MINISTRU.

Fuq il-protest li ried qasma fil-ministeru tal-gustizzja, f’ismi ried iwaqqa’ gvern, issa ‘zied id-doza’ ghax irid kollox kif irid hu f’ISMI.

Jekk xejn Franco jien ridt aktar drittijiet lil-vittmi, mhux lil-xi klijent tieghek li heba d-droga go razzett, jekk xejn f’ismi ara kif taghmel u taqta’ l-ippumpjar tal-ilma mil-pjan; jekk xejn f’ismi ara kif l-impjieg tieghi tharisuli mhux theddiduli b’dawn ix-xenati li qed jheddu l-istabbilta fl-ekonomija li fuq niddependi jien.

Wara li nkunu batejna mit-taqlib li l-progetti jkunu holqu, Franco mhux se jhalli lil-Gvern li xtaqt jien ilestihom u nibdew ingawduhom meta jitlestew f’din l-ahhar sena.

Lil-Joseph li hlief jirkeb minn fuq dahar haddiehor ma’ jafx , nghidlu li s-success jitkejjel mhux billi twaqqa’ l-Gonzi , imma li ggib iktar xoghol minn Gonzi.