At last, a proper interview

Published: October 23, 2012 at 1:32pm

Please do make a point of reading The Times’s interview with John Dalli, today.




27 Comments Comment

  1. Daphne Caruana Galizia says:
    October 23, 2012 at 1:33 pm

    http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20121023/local/my-decisions-on-tobacco-directive-had-been-leaked.442224

    Reply
  2. La Redoute says:
    October 23, 2012 at 1:43 pm

    How does one reach the grand old age of 64, after a lifetime in politics and not understand a crucial detail:

    the purpose of a press conference is for journalists to ask questions and not for a speaker to ‘create an effect’.

    By avoiding an international press conference to announce his resignation, Dalli effectively said that he has something to hide.

    Reply
  3. A. Charles says:
    October 23, 2012 at 1:54 pm

    With this interview, Dalli , as one of the Times commentators said, that John Dalli had dug himself into a deep hole and rather than stopping has kept on digging..

    Reply
  4. T.M. says:
    October 23, 2012 at 2:00 pm

    I just cannot believe how certain minds reason.

    So, now Dalli expected Gonzi to back him and support him, after he himself has been so unethical and disgusting, when, as an EU Commissioner and representing Malta, he appeared, more than once, on Super One television, criticising and ridiculing his own Prime Minister, for his so-called “stubborness” for not heeding his (Dalli’s) advice.

    God, I’m happy I never formed part of such a circle of minds.

    Reply
  5. ciccio says:
    October 23, 2012 at 2:01 pm

    I don’t know why, but this bit in the interview is now striking me like never before. Mr. Dalli had mentioned these details before, and no one gave them any importance.

    “The Times: So, your liaison with Mr Zammit was always about meetings, these two meetings?

    John Dalli: He said that he had somebody here that wanted to meet me and in fact he came to a hotel in Gozo where I was having a holiday and this person gave me two reports from PriceWaterHouseCoopers, which said how good the economic benefits of tobacco were. Then the second meeting was with a young lawyer who wanted to know the information on snus. And I gave her the information. That’s all.”

    Why would somebody as important as an EU Commissioner meet such unimportant persons for such frivolous reasons?

    Why would an EU Commissioner on holiday meet someone from PWC about some reports which show how good the tobacco industry was for the economy?

    Why would a young lawyer go to an EU Commissioner to get some information about snus in Europe? Wouldn’t that lawyer have full access to the internet, like Marlene Farrugia (Pullicino), to carry out her research?

    Why would an EU Commissioner seek to play down those two meetings so much?

    Reply
  6. aston says:
    October 23, 2012 at 2:18 pm

    You should have put a health warning on that.

    His answers are aggressively hostile, rude, childishly defensive, paranoid and evasive. It left a very bad after-taste. Worst of all, it makes very, very clear the mediocrity and ‘dilettantizmu’ of someone the Maltese Government deemed eminently qualified to become an EU Commissioner (implying in the process that he’s among the best of us).

    God help us.

    Reply
  7. sturdut says:
    October 23, 2012 at 2:27 pm

    ragel onest kif hareg li hu mill-kaz tat-2004, li DCG ma qaltilniex li fih kellu ragun John Dalli. ehhh

    [Daphne – Kos, u, kif huma kwazi l-Laburisti biss li jahsbu kemm hu ragel onest John Dalli.]

    Reply
    • sturdut says:
      October 23, 2012 at 3:32 pm

      kos hux, DCG ma jirnexxiliex tinduna li hawn nazzjonalisti bhali mdejqin. Skontha, nazzjonalist ghandu jaccetta kollox, anke lil gonziPN clique (far different from a truly PN)

      [Daphne – Jekk int mdejjaq bil-PN u m’intix se tivvota PN, allura int m’intix Nazzjonalist. Tkun Nazzjonalist jekk taqbel mal-policies tal-PN u tivvota ghalihom. Dawn mhumiex clubs tal-isport, ‘jiena Hamruniz’ u ‘jiena Furjaniz’. Grow up.]

      Reply
      • sturdut says:
        October 23, 2012 at 3:38 pm

        u lilna l-imdejqin jghodduna b’ labour

        [Daphne – Well, my dear, if you plan to vote Labour then expect it.]

      • Jozef says:
        October 23, 2012 at 4:14 pm

        Ghidulna x’inhu ‘truly PN’ forsi titwemmnu. Ilkhom erbgha snin ghaddejjin biha d-diska.

        Mdejqin, mhux ovvja jekk ersaqtu lejn tal-Labour? Dawk qtiegh il-qalb biss.

        Issa tara, sahansitra Joseph kellu jaghmilla cara li se jkollu joqghod b’sebgha ghajnejn ghall-istess Laburisti li mhux se jhallukhom mas-saqajn.

        Xi hlew, tafu fejnu l-vizzju tal-pajjiz u tigdmu mnehirkom biex tinku ‘l wicckom. Bambin jaghtini pacenzja. Taqghux lura bhalhom, dawk hekk iridu.

      • ninnu says:
        October 23, 2012 at 9:31 pm

        Mhux bilfors sturdut trid tkun biex tghid li int Nazzjonalist u ser tivvota Labour.

      • Mercury Rising says:
        October 24, 2012 at 6:21 am

        Mhux bil fors imdejqin. Naf x’uhud bhalek, imdejqin ghax ma jhossuhomx komdi bil-PN, mhux bit-twemmin tieghu imma ghax hassewha f’buthom, imma il-kuxxjenza qed ittiehom gewwa ghax jafu li zbaljaw jew ser jizbaljaw ghax se jaghtu rebha lil-Labour. Imdejqin ghax qed tniggizhom il-kuxjenza.

        Imdejqin ghax pretendew ferm aktar, imma jafu lkoll kemm huma li s-sitwassjoni ekonomika dinjija ma tippermettix frilli bhal issa; hemm min hassha inqas minn haddiehor, imma dan ma jfissirx li tibdel it-twemmin politiku tieghek.

        Nixtieq nghidlek ukoll, li l-imdejqin li jghidu li huma imdejqin ghax il-PN sar klikka ta’ individwi x’jahsbu li huma il-PL, angli nizlin mis-sema jiddefendu mil-klikek? Kif jghidu, “Think again.”

        U nghidlek wahda ta’ l-ahhar, min ma jivvutax, ikun qed ihalli f’idejn haddiehor biex jiddeciedi ghalih. Tridni niddeciedi ghalik thallasx taxxa bit-30% jew bl-40% per ezempju? Tridni niddeciedi ghalik nohorgux mill-EU jew le? Tridniex niddeciedi ghal uliedek ukoll kif qeghdin fiz-zifna.

  8. Antoine Vella says:
    October 23, 2012 at 2:32 pm

    You can almost hear Dalli snarling.

    Reply
  9. Vanni says:
    October 23, 2012 at 2:35 pm

    http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20121023/local/pl-to-support-tonio-borg-nomination.442308

    – The Labour Party will support the nomination of Tonio Borg for EU Commissioner because it had never worked against Malta’s interest “and it never will”, Labour leader Joseph Muscat said this afternoon.
    He warned, however, that there were difficulties with Dr Borg’s nomination because of declarations he made in the past which had already reached people in Brussels. –

    An perfect example of saying something and doing exactly the opposite. Who made sure to give John Dalli the opportunity to meet Schultz in just a short time ? This wouldn’t be possible without the backing of PL ? Isn’t it obvious that the European Socialists will be completely against the appointment of Tonio Borg ? And isn’t it equally obvious that they will request the reinstatement of John Dalli ?

    But no, they would never like to appear as working against Malta’s interest.

    Reply
    • jae says:
      October 23, 2012 at 5:05 pm

      Vanni, nahseb qed taghgel. Anke jekk il-PL dispost jaqa’ ghan-nejk billi jappoggjaw lil Dalli, ma nahsibx li s-Socjalisti Ewropej huma disposti jaghmlu l-istess.

      Reply
    • madeleine says:
      October 23, 2012 at 9:22 pm

      OK so Tonio Borg has been nominated by Malta, but is it for certain that he will be accepted in Brussels? Besides, why is that not one single woman was put forward for this position?

      Reply
  10. Mesmes says:
    October 23, 2012 at 2:57 pm

    Had forgotten all about Daewoo? And so much more.

    http://ec-eu-john-dalli.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  11. jack says:
    October 23, 2012 at 3:38 pm

    So, John Dalli met lobbyists in a Gozo hotel when he was on holiday. Silvio Zammit acted as middle-man to this meeting.

    So:-

    1. Lobbyists must be registered to ensure transparency. I think we can safely assume that meeting lobbyists, (was Snus registered as an official lobbyist?) on holiday in Gozo is not exactly above-board.

    2. Clearly Silvio Zammit had been acting as middle-man with John Dalli’s knowledge. Just think about the co-ordination here – scheduling the meeting etc; Some Snus rep flying over to meet the Commissioner, commissioning the PWC report beforehand;

    Stop digging…

    Reply
  12. Uninterested Bystander says:
    October 23, 2012 at 4:17 pm

    Has the AG got balls?

    Is there enough in the OLAF file to get JD and SZ on conspiracy to defraud?

    Hope so.

    Reply
  13. ciccio says:
    October 23, 2012 at 5:04 pm

    Do we know John Dalli’s own explanation of how he got hold of a copy of the email from Inge Delfosse of ESTOC to Silvio Zammit?
    And does he have copies of the earlier and subsequent email exchanges between those parties?

    Or have I missed this detail in the last few days?

    Why can’t anybody ask him a direct question about this?

    Reply
  14. Taks Fors says:
    October 23, 2012 at 7:32 pm

    Having a good year, this Johnny. First he was exposed as the one behind all the turmoil within PN, then Gaddafi and his henchmen had to make a run for it and leave the country, and now this EU fraud implosion.

    His PN leadership prospects were never as poor as they stand now.

    Reply
  15. jaqq says:
    October 23, 2012 at 7:43 pm

    He said that he sent a judicial letter to Zammit not to get him in trouble. This goes without saying, he knew what was happening

    Reply
  16. dissident says:
    October 24, 2012 at 1:06 am

    Why don’t they call his bluff and publish the report?

    [Daphne – Because it’s against the rules.]

    Reply

Leave a Comment