Policy made by a show of pitchforks
Why does this look so very artificial?
“Il-Partit Laburista se jipprezenta programm elettorali li se jkun tal-poplu ghax qed jinhadem mill-poplu stess. Dak li qed nghidu ahna huwa dak li qed jghidu n-nies ghax hdimnih man-nies.” Joseph Muscat, yesterday.
This is populism taken to its most banal and slimy extreme.
What is the point of having political parties if the ‘people’ themselves write electoral programmes?
And how is the Malta Labour Party going to resolve the most fundamental reason for having political parties in the first place:
where is it going to stand if some of il-poplu want one thing and while other members of il-poplu want the opposite?
The Malta Labour Party irresponsibly gives people the impression that in politics you never have to choose, that political positions are pointless because this is the era of the ‘movement’, that you can be everything to everyone, run with the hare, hunt with the hounds and possibly fly with the crows overhead as well.
The irresponsible madness of Joseph Muscat’s attitude is instantly unmasked the moment the Malta Labour Party does what political parties have to do every day: take a stand or make decisions.
This is when Muscat and his Partit Laburista come undone. A stand? Impossible. A decision? Forget it. It doesn’t know on which side of the fence to come down, because it is a ‘movement’, you see. But even movements have to take decisions sometimes, and take a stand on things.
The living-wage-to-wage-freeze debacle is just one instance of the Malta Labour Party’s inability to be a political party. But we knew that already.
It is also the reason why Joseph Muscat feels cosier under the woolly concept of a ‘movement’ rather than a party. Movements don’t govern, parties do.
Movements don’t have to make proper policy based on political thought rather than on a show of pitchforks at some ‘kungress’.
Movements just make demands. It is the political parties which address them, and then governments which have to take proper decisions.
It will be fascinating to watch Muscat’s attempts at making the transition from movement leader to prime minister. Because you know, prime ministers are there to take decisions and not to ask for a show of pitchforks.
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“Dak li qed nghidu ahna huwa dak li qed jghidu n-nies ghax hdimnih man-nies.” (Joseph Muscat yesterday)
Kemm l-MLP ser jirnexxielhom “jahdmuhom” lin-nies ta’ Malta insiru nafuh biss jekk qatt jirbah l-elezjoni li gejja – meta jkun tard wisq
Kliem ghaqli tassew. Il-bambin biss jaf x’gej ghalina jekk il-PN jitlef l-elezzjoni li gejja.
Hemm bzonn naccertaw li s-successur ta’ Lawrence Gonzi jkun Simon Busuttil, biex Malta fl-Ewropa tkun tista’ tistana f’ghaqda kollettiva, progressiva, socjali u liberali;
F’Unjoni li tiehu hsiebna mill-maxtura sal-maduma;
F’Unjoni nadifa, hadra, de-industrijalizzata u intaxxata ghal fini tas-salvazzjoni tad-dinja mill-karbonju qerriedi li johloq il-bniedem, dak il-viru tajjeb biss ghall-isterminju…
F’Unjoni li toholqilna l-munita u d-dejn, li tahdmilna l-budget, tfasslilna l-pjan ekonomiku fi hdan it-10-year-plan tal-Lisbon2020, li johloq ix-xoghol permezz ta’ pjanar centrali ghaqli u sussidji ma jaqtaghu xejn;
F’Unjoni supra-statali, ekstra-sekulari, proto-globali;
F’Unjoni b’sahhitha aktar mill-Unjoni Sovjetika, moralment divina aktar mill-Istati Uniti, demokratika aktar mic-Cina;
F’Unjoni imzejna b’Bank Centrali, fondata f’dejn sod ma’ jaqta’ qatt bhal-xmara li tfawwar il-widien ghatxana, armata bi bjar kbar tas-skieken lesti biex jimtlew bid-djun, bl-imghax, bl-gharaq u t-taxxi;
F’Unjoni tal-bankiera, mill-bankiera, ghall-bankiera.
F’Unjoni fejn kull serf huwa ugwali, mhux biss taht il-ligi, izda anke taht is-sorvelju, u dan ghall-protezzjoni taghna lkoll…
Dan kollu Simon jemmen fih.
Bit-Tmun f’Idejn ix-Xmun,
il-Holma Taghna Vera Tkun!
U b’Kevin fil-poter inkun mnejkin.
Malthusian. Nispera li inti konxju bizzejjed mil-istorja tal-Ewropa biex tirrejalizza illi ma’ hemmx triq ohra. Titkellem fuq l-EU qisha xi potenza aljena flok unjoni ta’ stati sovrani.
ZZZZZZZzzzzz…….go spot some ETs ‘kev’, or get those dishes sorted.
Just read your piece Kev, now off to bed. yawn yawn.
Do not quite understand you Kev. If you are so keen anti-EU why are you still esconsed in Brussels, having it good at our expense – in the sense that we voted to be part of the EU whilst your better half and you voted against – the mind boggles.
If you are so sure of your convictions, then come back to Malta and enlighten us with your intelligent solutions to the world’s problems and contribute accordingly.
Ara is-sur Pepso kemm ili ma narah! X’minnek ras? Ghadek ma ddejjaqtx fost in-nejxin of cindrins, jew qed tistenna lil tal-Arriva jehduk x’imkien ghall-kwiet?
Joethemaltaman – “unjoni ta’ stati sovrani”?
Iddahhaqx nies bik. Qas Barroso, dak il-giddieb, ghax wasal sa “federation of nation states”. Trid tara x’jghidu it-trattati (u l-ligijiet) il-godda biex tkun taf x’direzzjoni mexjin fiha. Jekk tibqa’ taqra l-copy & paste jobs ta’ Ivan Camilleri, cuc kont u hekk se tibqa.
Etil, let your mind boggle no futher. I will make it very, very simple for you:
Parliament = representation
Representation = red, blue, yellow, green… MEPs, which may roughly be categorised as totalitarians, eurofanatics, pollyannas, nationalists, libertarians and so-called eurosceptics/eurorealists.
My job is to help those Members representing libertarian and eurosceptic voters. And since ‘eurosceptism’ denotes doubt, I wouldn’t really call myself a eurosceptic, but a libertarian.
So which part of the term ‘democratic representation’ don’t you understand?
Or maybe your job is to manage the funds provided by the EU to Sharon’s improvised ‘alliance for freedom’ into one of Joe Sammut’s investment schemes.
Let’s see, Le Pen, Hungarian fascists, Belsito’s Lega, (who did say he got his degree from a Maltese private university).
Swell.
Jozef, thawwadx, please – I do not work with Sharon’s party.
Int x’inhu xogholok? Taghlef it-tigieg?
Kev, int donnhok ghandek grudge kontra d-dinja, u dan Ivan Camilleri tal-cut and paste min ix-xjafek hu? Kun dasxejn izjed gentili siehbi, irrispetta l-opinjoni ta’ hadd iehor, jien dejjem bir-rispett irrispondejtek.
So the minimuim wage freeze proposal came from the people according to Joseph Muscat. Was there a raise of hands for this proposal and whose hands were they? Did the GWU raise its hands as well for this proposal?
Yes, canon, interestingly enough it did. It is amazing what people will do to get themselves into power and how they will change tack at a moment’s notice.
I was always under the impression that a significant number of households (I seem to recall an amount of 30,000 being bandied about at some point in time) already receive subsidised bills, and children’s allowance and probably already live in government housing.
Will these receive further subsidies and if so what would the quantum be. Would it be more than the famous increase in ‘living wage’ that was discussed and valued by Caritas at Euro 1,600 per annum?
But, I forget, Joseph promised it, so it must be achievable
This explains why they wanted the white flags. Neutral territory.
Moviment bla Isem. Moviment bla Politika. Moviment bla Sustanza. Moviment bla B*ajd.
Friday was pathetic, dedicated to the ‘zghazagh’ of this place.
The wish list included, amongst others, a motor racing circuit, discos in Marsascala and the expropriation of private property to be handed over to ngo’s. Typical juvenile leftie fare.
One lamented the lack of jobs pertinent to qualifications, even if one’s degree were in, say, the history of greek red figure pottery. As he morosely explained how cultural entities and departments ask for his skills in research and info gathering, I nearly fell off the sofa when he concluded that all he sincerely wishes for, is the giopp.
Another one, law graduate, wasn’t really sure what to go on about, he actually said he just felt he had to express his unease with life in general. .
For f*ck’s sake! Express his unease with life in general? Who are these people? And he’s a law graduate to boot.
I think I know what happened here. He watched so many Law&Order/Ally Macbeal/Boston Legal episodes that when he graduated and went into real-life work, he ended up disillusioned and I think he now has a touch of depression from lack of excitement.
If ever he is faced with situations like that we had with Libya, we have to wait until he calls a kungress and then act according to populist wisdom.
I’ m being very honest when I say that the prospect of Muscat as prime minister scares me.
“If ever he is faced with situations like that we had with Libya, we have to wait until he calls a kungress and then act according to populist wisdom.”
He can always take advice from the comments board of The Times.
There are some good Labour advisors over there.
If he is faced with a situation like that he will do as he did. He will wait to see who is winning and then he will side with them.
It is not important for him to see who is on the good side and who is on the bad side.
It is like siding with Hitler just because he was winning the war, not caring at all about the suffering of the people.
In fact even on illegal immigrants – he is prepared to see them die at sea rather than bring them over to Malta.
This confirms that he is a person who has no values at all. On the Libya issue, Gonzi was on the right side before it was clear who would win. The PM and the PN are always on the right side of history.
[Daphne – Yes, except on the matter of divorce, their one glaring error which did so much damage.]
I am not saying that Gonzi did not make any mistakes. The 500 euro increase is one of them. However, it is plain stupid to risk losing your job and everything else you have because of the 500 euro per week increase.
After all, what is the Great Leader proposing? He is proposing setting up a Committee to decide on whether any increase is justified and then he expects us to believe that he will not take the advice of the Committee if they were to recommend an increase. How pathetic!
Then why the hell is he going to set up the Committee in the first place?
Joseph Muscat, unzipped.
So PN’s meetings look natural?
You’re as brainwashed as the cheap PL blond the picture of whom was featured on your blog.
The main difference being she’s pretty, while you’re the antidote of sildenafil citrate.
[Daphne – Blonde, with an e. That was a woman.]
Libya was called Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, where Jamahiriya is a term coined by Gaddafi, usually translated as “state of the masses” (Wikipedia).
The “moviment” of the MLP reeks of something similar. May God help Malta.
You’re right about the “moviment”.
Malta will be having daily movements right from the first day JM walks up the steps to Castille.
You’re wrong about god though. God does not vote. We do. Only the Maltese voter can help Malta.
Yesterday, he referred to the living wage concept but argued that his party “does not have a problem” with changing its position. – The Times (http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120924/local/Increases-must-be-pegged-to-growth-Muscat.438154)
This official declaration renders meaningless anything and everything Joseph Muscat says.
Yes, Gabi, vote wisely.
On tonight’s news Dear Leader was reported as saying that he will tell us of his proposals when the election date is announced. And you know why?
It’s because Lawrence Gonzi won’t say what he will do if there is a parliamentary motion against Joe Cassar. Just as the prime minister said that ‘I will tell you when the motion in presented’ Muscat feels he can use the same argument.
Is he that thick? The two scenarios as very different. One is a political strategy while the other is not. We need to know where we stand with the PL.
Rumour has it that the PL will not reveal their policies out of fear that they are shot down by the PN. Well, what’s the difference. They would have been better shot down way before an election. That would leave some time for rehabilitation for the PL. But then their logic, or lack of it, was always special.
No he’s thicker – has NO clue. No secret plan, nothing. We just hope that il-Guy’s plan fulfills ALL desires, as promised.
Not even Joseph Muscat feels at ease with his own party’s candidates so much so that he did not even have one candidate sitting behind him. He was either embarrassed or else scared of them lest he be stabbed in the back by them.
Funny how he chose to have young non-influential people sitting behind him when his candidates should, in reality, have been there.
Is this an implication that even JM knows that his candidates are a liability? Does he think we will forget the 80’s and 70’s guys lurking in the shadows of his party just because they are not sitting behind him during his meetings?
Now Joseph Muscat wants to insult our intelligence. What is next?
“Il-Partit Laburista se jipprezenta programm elettorali li se jkun tal-poplu ghax qed jinhadem mill-poplu stess.”
Ghax il-programm elettorali tal-PN qed jinhadem mill-aljeni?
[Daphne – Le, mil-partit.]
While I watched Joseph delivering his speech on One TV last Saturday, I loved it how he ably divided his attention to the crowd on the left, and on the right, in front of him.
Until I realised he was reading his speech off the teleprompters.
This August, France’s unemployed rose to just over 3 million, a 9% increase on the previous year. All of this within half a year of Hollande’s (Socialist) tenure.
Predictably, Hollande is blaming the previous president, Nicolas Sarkozy. We can just imagine Joseph’s excuses and U-turns down the line when he becomes our Prim Ministru!
Hollande promised all to everybody much like The Movement, pledging to revive France’s economy, reduce unemployment, and reverse the outflux of industries from the country. Yet the latter are fleeing the crippling taxation where the high earners (the industrialists actually creating jobs!) are expected to pay up to 75% in tax!
Since the Socialists won the election, many major companies have announced thousands of layoffs, including Peugeot, and Air France-KLM.
Replace Hollande with Joseph and Air France with Air Malta and you don’t need to wait for the coming months to know what our future will look like if we hand our destiny and livelihoods to the boy politician from Burmarrad.