Funny how this election has brought out people’s true colours after years of pretending
A woman with an agenda, who claims she doesn’t have one.
I never liked this squawking fire-engine-haired pipsqueak with the intelligence quotient of a cunning tortoise, and boy, do I feel vindicated now in the face of all those accusations that poor Astrid has the nation and the environment at heart, so why am I “attacking” her, miskina.
Like hell.
So that’s why she set up camp for a while on Super One like all those others who have the nation’s best interest at heart – you know, pro bono activist Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, charity worker Jesmond Mugliett, and human rights campaigner John Dalli.
Bla zejt f’wicchom. In The Malta Independent (online edition) today:
ASTRID VELLA HAS NO COMMENT TO MAKE ON PL’S ENERGY PLANS
Environmental NGO ‘Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar’ coordinator Astrid Vella – who has assiduously campaigned against many developments claiming they would harm the environment – was not willing to voice her opinion on the PL’s energy plans and effects such a project will have.
Contacted by The Malta Independent online for her views on the matter, Ms Vella said that the PL energy issue is far too technical and preferred to steer away from expressing herself on the impact such a project may have on the environment.
Ms Vella said that the FAA delves into planning, air quality and water-related issues. This particular issue is far too technical and “I am not qualified to give my take on the subject.”
This is unlike other situations in the past when Ms Vella was very much in the forefront to express her opposition to several projects, both private and public, when these had an impact on the environment, some of them much smaller than what is being proposed by the Labour Party.
For example, the FAA, and Ms Vella in particular, had been totally against then PN president Victor Scerri’s private development on the Bahrija Valley floor which led to Dr Scerri resigning in order to “fight my case as a private citizen”.
The NGO had also stepped up pressure in 2011 objecting over a 2006 outline permit which formed the basis for the controversial full permit that was granted for a new filling station, Attard Petrol Station, outside the development zone in Mgarr which had actually expired.
Others cases included the proposed underground museum at St John’s Co-Cathedral.
A petition had also been launched by the FAA against the plans and the building of a new Parliament on the site of the ruined Opera House in Valletta.
Despite FAA having expressed satisfaction at the government’s plans to regenerate Valletta and rebuild City Gate, it was highly critical of the specific proposals.
The FAA had also protested against a number of other projects including the Balluta car park, Ramla l-Hamra, Dwejra, Ta’ Cenc, Hondoq ir-Rummien, the Portomaso project, the development of residential units in Spinola, St Julian’s and the application for the construction of Lidl supermarket on unbuilt fields in Xewkija Valley.
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http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-01-21/news/astrid-vella-has-no-comment-to-make-on-pls-energy-plans-726859778/
Probably, there is no money to be had from fervent objectors on this one.
One of the co-founders of the FAA is an engineer whose expertise in matters marine and plant are undisputed.
What now Astrid?
Look who’s crawling out from the woodwork…
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-01-21/news/the-pn-must-lose-the-election-jpo-725778435/
Did Roderick Galdes pronounce himself on PL’s proposal?
Miskina Astrid! Its far too technical, so what about the others, were they too simple for her to understand?
Now I understand that as a housewife she has no clue about massive gas tanks containing – 165 deg celcius liquefied gas, security risks, hazardous substance, interconnector cables or pipes from Sicily to Malta.
So now she should also stick to housework whenever another project props ups considering her limited technical knowledge and incompetency on the subject.
Is this another example of “an apple never falls far from the tree” ?
But she forays into highly technical areas of planning and deems herself an expert. But then I suppose, her definition of expert is ‘I can read English, so I know all about this’. Ask the poor MEPA PR who has to bear her whining.
Astrid might not be qualified to comment, but her fellow FAA board member Ing. Paul Cardona is. http://mt.linkedin.com/pub/paul-louis-cardona/30/6a4/24b
About two/three weeks ago, I met Paul Cardona in Republic Street, Valletta. The conversation, one sided, started by him saying in a loud voice that he is voting PL because Gonzi is no good and will be happy to see the MLP in power etc.
Disgusting behaviour from an old friend.
With water I have to assume it is drinking water. The transfer of LNG from an off quay ship causes considerable damage to the marine environment.
In her defence and as far as I know not even Mallia said a word about that!
FAA and its coordinator Ms Astrid Vella are not qualified to comment on the impact of Joesph’s proposed project for Delimara/M’Xlokk.
Ms. Vella should hang her head in shame after the fuss and trouble she caused to all the PN projects.
Has she by now decided which of Joesph’s cheeks she will be kissing after the 9th March and when the monster tanks start to be built.
Facciola.
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-01-21/news/astrid-vella-has-no-comment-to-make-on-pls-energy-plans-726859778/
Admittedly off-topic but here you go anyway.
“25” seems to be the PL’s love-child.
So far we have been promised 25% cheaper electricity bills and 25% less bureaucracy (details nebulous at best). All of this on the backdrop that those fat cats at PN have been in power for 25 years now.
As you have very correctly pointed out, the latter (and well also the former) is grossly untrue. Alfred Sant’s ineptitude and inability to govern were painfully manifest in 1996-1998.
It seems to me that Labour has revived the old practice of ‘Damnatio Memoriae’ – the custom of obliterating someone from history and all references made to him. This ignomnity was reserved to say a couple of berserk Roman emperors and Egyptian pharoahs who ‘screwed up royally’.
Seems to me that Alfred Sant, notwithstanding the short reign, not only had the necessary pedigree in terms of mess-ups but has suffered the same fate (albeit in a smaller scale). Disowned as an embarrassment by his own party.
If I remember right you have always accused Ms Vella of being a Labour supporter. Now you are saying she has an ‘agenda’ because she doesn’t speak out in support of a Labour proposal. Do make your mind up!
She has an agenda because she doesn’t speak out AGAINST the Labour proposal which is not only nonsense but would be an environmental disaster.
Maybe , like Ing. Marco Cremona, her time is money .
You can add Lino Farrugia from the ramblers association. We have not heard any statements from his side.
It is in vogue under the PN government to hide behind an NGO and go totally against the government. Try your luck with an NGO under a PL goverment and I bet you will be treated different.
You mean Lino Bugeja. To be fair he is over 80 but the Ramblers’ Association has other people who could speak out.
Malta taghna lkoll. U dan meta tal-Labour ghadhom ma rebhux. Ara x’gej fl-10 ta’ Marzu.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130121/local/man-in-court-two-hurt-in-brawl-at-mass-meeting.454090
I feel ably qualified to give my take on Astrid Vella.
But it’s not printable.
Anyone in the FAA with a modicum of self respect should ask this woman to resign her post.
That is, if the FAA has any other members apart from her.
The FAA is made up mostly of the proverbial “disgruntled Nationalists”.
You are a good judge of character. I knew her back in our sixth form days at St. Aloysius and at university.
She is a year younger than I and we were in different courses but our paths crossed often in those days.
I always found her to be the typical Sacred Heart girl of my times, annoying, artificial and pretentious. Not much has changed.
UFF Daphne, why did you wake her up?
Cos it’s not a penthouse in Sliema or another blokk of flezz but something a bit bigger.
The 50 shades of Astrid Vella.
No,canon,just one shade of Astrid Vella, RED.
Environment at heart, my arse.
Astrid Vella considers herself to be an expert on EIAs. She pontificated countless times about EIAs, pushing her weight around and shrieking in everybody’s ears on this or that EIA.
At the very least, she could point out that reviewing an EIA in four or five weeks, as stated by Konrad Mizzi, is a joke.
Proof if, ever one was needed, that she is not an environmentalist but an opportunist who uses the environment as a smoke screen to further her own agenda.
It’s not just the EIAs, although these are important as it’s likely they will have to include the seabed.
There’s also the very lengthy process of public consultation which includes dealing with objections.
And she’s not the only one.
Your column in The Malta Independent on Sunday makes for interesting reading.
To make things more interesting, next to your article appeared an old article (7 years old) on a similar subject written by none other than Marisa Micallef, now
advisor of some sort to the Labour Party.
Her arguments seven years ago were more or less similar to the arguments you presented in your article, arguments which are very valid today.
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2006-06-19/opinions/why-women-dont-find-working-worthwhile-92958/
Since Marisa is now working with Labour, does she still believe what she wrote then?
We might get to know more this week when Joseph Muscat unveils his grand plans on working women, or maybe not.
Or perhaps it is because it will be in the south of Malta, and she seems not to have any particular interests in the south
I doubt she even knows how to get there.
What a surprise – only the Irish reject bothered to swing a cudgel on behalf of the squawking chicken.
Mind you, he couldn’t defend her position coherently, so instead questioned the credibility of the interviewer.
His final attempt to settle the argument, was not with cold logic, or hard facts. No, he gave us mortals his considered opinion. Two guesses what you can do with that gem, Irish.
Astrid Vella’s comment is no surprise – Daphne has, in the recent past, brought down this phoney woman to size.
Never liked the woman – always driving up one-way roads to get to her garage in Sliema more quickly and parking on double yellow lines. And then she’s always preaching at others.