An email from a journalist friend
A friend who is a journalist has just emailed this to me.
Many years ago, when Franco was still an aspiring lawyer, he used to try and hang out with the journos at any opportunity in the press room at the law courts.
“Gibli ismi ta” was the order of the day, even for drug user arraignment hearings which most other lawyers used to tear up and hide to protect their clients.
Not Franco, he’d shop his own mother. Which brings me to the anecdote. One day, Franco came in to tell us about some ‘special’ case he had just won.
He had a reputation for being counsel to prostitutes at the time, and on this occasion, he brought a woman in with him. My dear old colleague, who has since left the media scene, joked: “Franco, iggibx klienti bhal dawk hawn geww, jekk joghgbok”.
It was Franco’s mother.
He used to hector The Times because among the piles of newspaper cuttings he had at home with his name in them, that of The Times was the smallest.
F**king saddo. I said he was a loose cannon from the out. It was easy to see even back then.
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Issa fuq it-times, “Dr. Debono” ta. Ma ghadux “Franco Debono”
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120531/local/government-opposition-agree-to-confidence-vote-on-monday.422178
Franco Debono has made quite a reputation for himself in other places besides the law courts.
One day, two of his mates were having lunch in a well-known restaurant in Valletta. They’d ordered their lunch, and the waitress (Romanian, on her first week at work) had just brought them their drinks. Franco shuffled into the restaurant, sat down at his mates’ table, and snapped: “Aghmilli l-istess” (or words to that effect).
The waitress, thinking he was referring to the drinks, brought him his drink, then brought lunch for his two mates.
Franco exploded, insisting he’d ordered food as well. In short, he made a scene. The waitress burst into tears and went back to the kitchen, and the manager went over to ask what the commotion was about.
The manager sized up the situation and then calmly told him (I quote the delicious words verbatim): “Dawn l-affarijiet taghmilhom id-dar tieghek forsi, imma mhux fir-restaurant tieghi. Ohrog jekk joghgbok.”
How on earth did the PN not see though him when he applied to be a candidate?
Yesterday’s vote was not enough.
lilly vella
Today, 12:23
“prosit xi gmiel , tindifa min gewwa issa jisthoqqilha kastilja.”
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120531/local/magnificence-revealed-as-covers-come-off-castille-restoration-works.422174
Get the men in white suits, QUICK.
Hi Daphne,
This is about a post of yours that I saw on Tuesday, but which has since disappeared, regarding Fenech Adami being awarded the Robert Schuman medal.
[Daphne – No posts disappeared. That’s the subject of my column in The Malta Independent today http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=145174 ]
I was shocked, though certainly not surprised,at the degree of bitterness and negativity in the comments on the Times of Malta among others. I wish you could say something about this as it is appalling that some people can’t appreciate the simple fact that the award was given, first and foremost to a Maltese and a former prime minister of all the Maltese.
It is damning proof, if we ever needed it, that there is something seriously wrong with us as a people and portrays immaturity with which we approach politics. Can you imagine a similar scenario overseas?
I’d say in the UK journalists would be tripping over themselves attempting to get hold of whoever left negative comments. I genuinely harbour no undue adulation for Fenech Adami but I think it is significant to note, given the negative comments made, that while this former prime minister received the Robert Schuman medal, another former prime minister got the Gaffadi prize for human rights or whatever that embodiment of useless tripe (albeit a 100,000 dollar tripe) was called.
As someone living abroad, I know what I would be unashamed to talk about to a non Maltese should conversation ever stray in that direction regardless of my political beliefs.
Irrangakhom Franco……… :-)
Ouch!
At least it is not all gloom.
Just imagne his mother feeling very proud of her boy.
Well, The Times appears to be trying its darnedest to make up for the small amount of column cm it used to afford him.
Nowadays you’d be forgiven for thinking that his cases account for 90 percent of the criminal caseload in the Maltese courts.