They’re going to bypass the rules. Typical Labour. Mintoffjani minn guf ommhom.
The most worrying line the Malta Employers Association’s declaration of praise for the cunning electricity plan sketched out by the son of one of its council members, who is also adviser to its president, is that the MEA hopes “all unnecessary bureaucracy” will be done away with to get this project up and running as soon as possible.
All unnecessary bureaucracy – you know, like rules, regulations and safeguards against abuse.
Konrad Mizzi himself has said that there will be no tendering process for this project, but only an expression of interest. And his father’s organisation, which is supposed to represent employers, backs him up on this instead of expressing shock.
I wish I could say “unbelievable”, but I was around in the years 1971 to 1987 and remember 1996 to 1998 even more clearly.
Konrad Mizzi (left) and his Great Leader (centre) – two people who really must be put in charge of the country because everything about them shouts ‘I know what I’m doing’.
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So today, both parties were commended for their work in recent months. Prime Minister Gonzi was praised by Angela Merkel, Europe’s most influential political figure and Chancellor of Europe’s mightiest country.
Konrad Mizzi was praised by his beloved father for doing such a wonderful presentation with many colours, difficult words and big numbers.
Shades of Konrad Mizzi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfTqHw0N7v4
What’s Konrad Mizzi’s own involvement in this proposal?
Is he on a commission basis?
And why exactly did he justify his unwillingness to disclose the detailed computations on Bondi+ by claiming that the computations are sensitive because his party is not willing to disclose the profit levels it will give to the private operator?
Isn’t the level of profit to the operator a fundamental value which underlies all the computations in making this project “doable” and which any private operator would want to know to do this project?
And how does the Labour Party expect to keep the figures confidential simply because it commissioned the report itself?
None of our business mid-dehra.
There can be no commercial sensitivity at this stage because this is a policy proposal, or so Mizzi says.
Policy proposals are not commercially sensitive because they are ‘sold’ to the electorate and not to commercial operators.
There is something wrong with Konrad Mizzi’s reasoning about his unwllingness to disclose the detailed computations.
He said the party is not willing to disclose the profit levels to the investor.
The investor knows exactly how much it is going to cost him to generate the unit.
He also knows how much the unit is going to cost the consumer because they are already published.
So investor knows the mark-up exactly. If the investor is going to fork out Eur 300 million or so he will definitely want to protect his investment. The conditions will be set by the investor and not the other way round.
If Konrad Mizzi’s logic and arguments are not right, then isn’t it the case that he is:
(a) being stupid and incompetent OR
(b) being deceptive OR
(b) hiding something which we should reasonably know OR
(d) all of the above?
It’s for the greater good – so just close an eye
Did Joey steal one of the irrelevant one’s polo shirts?
Could anybody enlighten me why there “will be no tendering process” for this project?
Because ” Malta Taghna ilkoll” u allura naghmlu li irridu.
Because this deal has already been done behind closed doors with a bunch of Zionists.
e dimech shame on you for being racist. What’s wrong with Zionism?
‘Konrad Mizzi himself has said that there will be no tendering process for this project, but only an expression of interest.’
So they already know who are the people who will be gaining the millions of Euros from this so called intelligent project which to the intelligent and serious people means a Konrad Mizzi + Joseph Muscat + all PL omelette for ‘tal-klikka’ to make money fast.
Where’s Astrid?
That’s a VERY good point
A klikka in the offing waiting for its share of the energy pie.
Where is that idiotic Franco?
Is he in on this mega project tipo VAT removal?
Dr. Gonzi just said that if re-elected, utility rates will be lowered. What is this? Damascene conversion?
He didn’t say that if re-elected the utility rates will be lowered. As reported by The Times he said that the conversion to gas and the use of a gas pipeline – as opposed to the PL proposal – would/could eventually result in lower rates.
No, it’s just the usual idiotic response by PN. Rebutting flippant stupidity with earnest stupidity.
Lawrence Gonzi should have said that utility rates will be raised to their real market value, because the government cannot go on subsidising over-consumption of energy.
But of course he cannot bring himself to speak without the usual bleeding heart mumbo jumbo. And so the Elezzjoni tad-Dawl u l-Ilma goes on.
He is allowing the opponent to dictate the terms of the engagement. Fine strategists he’s got. So much for the quasi-magical powers attributed to RCC.
“No, it’s just the usual idiotic response by PN. Rebutting flippant stupidity with earnest stupidity.”
You, sir, are a hero.
Not a hero. It’s just that Maltese political discourse drives me up the wall. Here’s a typical exchange:
Joseph Muscat: “The Earth is flat.”
Lawrence Gonzi: “Illum Joseph Muscat qal li d-dinja catta. Minn dejjem hekk kienu dawn tal-Labour! Izda ahna minn dejjem emminna li d-dinja tonda. Ghax ahna nhaddnu l-valuri ta’ dinja tonda! U hdimna b’dak it-twemmin! Ghax nemmnu f’dinja tonda bejna l-aqwa sptar fl-Ewropa! Ftahna l-università berah! Ftahna l-MCAST! Tajnihom l-istipendji liz-zaghzagh taghna! Tajna ghajnuna lill-familji taghna…..[and so on for the next hour and a half].”
What the correct response should be:
Lawrence Gonzi: “Illum Joseph Muscat qal li d-dinja catta. Din hija stupidagni mill-kbar. Id-dinja hija tonda. Min jghid mod iehor huwa injorant. Min jghid mod iehor f’diskors politiku huwa stupidu.”
Excuse me if I am not quite in touch with the topic.
Electricity bills. There seems to be a lot of hype about strategies as regards reducing bills.
I think that common sense should prevail and reality exposed.
I live with two young men (my sons) and my electricity + water bills amount to around EUR2.4 daily.
I don’t know (and don’t care really) what other people pay but honestly I don’t think this is an astronomical sum to pay for these vital commodities.
My priorities in life might be different from others but please don’t think that I live uncomfortably.
Unfortunately, I honestly think that there is a shortcoming in the education system if people in general cannot understand how to manage their priories first.
I couldn’t agree more with that assessment.
If people want to reduce their bills, they don’t need government policy. They need common sense and (maybe) a bit of professional advice.
The Sheniziannes as future housewives will not invest savings on electricity bills arising from The Labour Cunning Plan in alternative energy.
They’ll go towards lottu, nail art, and plastic stiletto shoes.
The new middle class will not have an education and breeding to match.
You have a point there. The utility tariffs issue is so 2010.
I wondered where that cocky twerp Konrad Mizzi sprouted from. So, he is Lawrence Mizzi’s son.
Another golden boy who kept his high-ranking position with Air Malta when the Nationalists were in government.
During that time there was quite a cosy clan of Laburisti: Louis Grech. Charles Buttigieg, Lawrence Mizzi and many others I won’t mention. They weren’t deployed as Helena Dalli suggests doing once in office.
His work experience includes from 1997 to 2002, a posting at the OPM.
Amongst other projects, he led the streetscaping and roundabout conversions.
Not kidding, it’s on his website.
Ah, so now I think I know what Konrad Mizzi plans to do with the Delimara Phase 1 chimney once he dismantles it. He probably will give it to his father to plant on a roundabout.
No Ciccio, I was referring to Konrad.
I know, one would tend to exclude that being his CV. Quite a progression eh?
You’re right, Jozef.
Konrad Mizzi’s CV states that between 1997 and 2002 he was a management consultant within the Office of the Prime Minister where he led various projects which included the first public-private partnership to improve landscaping of Malta’s main roads and roundabouts.
If the famous Luqa roundabout was his work, I would’nt trust him with the country’s energy policy, and especially with the Delimara chimney.
From roundabouts to power plants. One mini-step for Malta, one giant step for Konrad.
According to his own CV, Konrad Mizzi held a senior position with Deloitte & Touche and the post of Program Director with British Telecom.
How does he explain that he ended up planning roundabouts?
And does one really need a doctorate from the University of Nottingham to plan roundabouts?
It’s not only the numbers in Labour’s energy plan that do not add up.
If I understood Konrad Mizzi correctly (I don’t want to be unkind but his excited stuttering sometimes makes him incoherent) the new power station won’t even need an Environmental Impact Assessment because such a study was already carried out for the BWSC plant.
Of course he would need an Environmental Impact Assessment. The EU Directive states so. And if he doesn’t prepare one, he should be ready to pay heavy EU fines for breach of EU law. There you go, forget the 9c per unit.
Abysmal performance by Karl Gouder on TVHemm.
He’s being trounced by Gino Cauchi and Arnold Cassola of all people. Feeling sorry for him.
The PN really need to get cracking if they want to have a chance at winning this election.
Agree re Karl Gouder being caught off balance on not being aware of Gonzi’s afternoon declarations.
But Gino Cauchi shows he is still suffering from “deformation professionelle” with questions, smirks and body language more akin to a Super One reporter than an Onorevoli.
Some brownie points there for Gino which go down well with deep red followers.
Gino Cauchi’s following his leader. So what’s new?
Gino Cauchi is little more then a heckling Super One hack.
EX onorevoli, please. And yes I fully agree that Karl Gouder ‘s contribution was a joke.
I totally agree, Bubu. Felt sorry for the chap who simply couldn’t cope.
PN needs to do something drastic and very soon. They should start with Net TV, which is still showing stupid locally produced soaps rather than aggressively focusing on the electoral campaign.
PBO please note.
GonziPN had repeatedly stated that the electricity tarifs cannot be reduced.
Now that Joseph Muscat has persuaded GonziPN, since the latter stated that he is committed to reduce the tarrifs, I presume you will be voting Labour.
What a havoc within the Nationalist Party. Whilst Simon said that the cuts are a gimmick, in the same instance GozniPN, in Germany, stated that he will reduce the tarrifs
HELP THEM TO PUt some ORDER WITHIN THE PARTY as many people have lost confidence towards them.
Ah, the great Leader has a big pony.
Maybe he was getting ready for the pony dance, Gangnam style, with Konrad Mizzi?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0
Sorry, but only slightly off topic.
Such a shame when physicists knew about this (and had a choice) at the dawn of the nuclear age.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/finance/ambroseevans-pritchard/100022190/last-chance-to-protest-before-the-eu-snuffs-out-thorium-energy-in-europe/
Sick.
I am sure that everyone will appreciate the removal of the power station’s largest chimney stack.
What must worry those with some sense is just up where Joseph will be stuffing it.
He will stuff it up to your “lanzit”. I am a moderate nationalist of EFA times. You don’t need to fume. We are all self sufficient so a Labour government won’t affect us. This energy policy seems to be likable even by moderate nationalists. If there will be problems we can always move to another place in Europe.
[Daphne – You are NOT a “moderate nationalist of EFA times”. You are an elve. You are also slightly off message. The ‘I am a Nationalist of the Fenech Adami era but now I will vote Labour because of Gonzi’ message has been superseded by others. Consult Elve Central for the latest.]
Up yours Luigi, as I’m sure you will feel it too.
I wonder why Joseph doesn’t promise the return of COAL to Marsa, once they’re all so nostalgic about the Golden Years.
He doesn’t want to suggest anything black in case he puts off the racists planning to vote for him.
Daphne, staqsi lil Konrad ir-rwol tal-Papa tieghu please vis-a-vis MEA.
[Daphne – http://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/2013/01/konrad-mizzis-father-is-a-malta-employers-association-council-member-consultant-to-the-mea-and-adviser-to-the-mea-president/ ]
1. Good luck to them to do away with the tendering process now that we’re in the EU.
2. “All unnecessary bureaucracy – you know, like rules, regulations and safeguards against abuse.” The reality is that many things are delayed because civil servants can’t be arsed to do their job. Don’t do today what can wait until tomorrow (or next year).
Joseph Muscat is now on de rekort as saying he will bypass the competitive tendering process. He couldn’t help announcing that at this morning’s business breakfast.
Imagine if Anglu Farrugia insisted on a procedura.
Has he awarded the tender already, and from the seat of Opposition?
What will the Auditor General have to say about this?
Muscat had cut a deal with Gaddafi and returned to Malta to boast about it, rather than hiding the fact.
I almost feel sorry for the twat. He’s so out of his depth, he doesn’t even know it.
Is he related to the PL’s Joe Mizzi?
According to this article, the price of natural gas will go up to 3.74 dollars per million British thermal units in 2013 from an average of 2.75 dollars in 2012.
Increases are expected to continue in 2014, when prices are predicted to hit 3.90 dollars.
Over the following several years, the price is expected to reach 5 dollars or even 6 dollars. This would mean an increase of 118% on the price in 2012.
If these predictions prove true, the price of electricity produced using natural gas will increase tremendously.
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/business/news/us-report-predicts-rising-natural-gas-prices-in-2013-14-669602/
Earlier (around 6ish) there was an article on the Times (http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130109/local/muscat-visits-marsa-family.452579) that has since been removed.
It claimed that Muscat visited a family in Marsa; one of the 103 000 families that will benefit from the 25% decrease in tariffs.
I posted a comment asking something on the lines of (a) why is it only 103k families rather than everyone, and (b) on what criteria have been these families already been selected.
Did anyone see the article? Why was it removed? Was it some mistake? I didn’t see any reference to this on any other paper.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130109/local/muscat.452574
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130109/local/muscat.452574 last paragraph.
It took the Malta Labour Party 25 years to come to terms with the Maltese people chosing their logo Malta Taghna Lkoll. Ask Fenech Adami when in 1987 tried to hold a meeting in Zejtun if he was greeted with this kind of slogan. Labour won’t work.
EU Directive 2009/72 establishes a minimum 6 month tendering period at EU level.
Will PL be bypassing this directive?
I heard Konrad Mizzi with my own ears this evening on REALTA, implying that they have everything organized about bypassing the tendering system and getting round MEPA bureaucracy.
A similar announcement was made during a business breakfast this morning. Marlene Mizzi and Joe Vella Bonici were there. Maybe they could volunteer their opinions on the advisabiity of campaigning for election on the basis of a promise to bypass regulation?
Right, they’ve just put themselves in a corner.
If they intend to do this, it will happen again.
Fejnha Astrid Vella il-pampaluna tal-anti MEPA? Shhhh, ghax tqajmuha minn naghsa li dahlet fiha.
L-iskop taghha intlahaq issa forsi Joseph jaghmila Minestra tal-Ambjent.
MUSCAT VISITS MARSA FAMILY
After his press conference Dr Muscat visited Roland Bezzina, a 32-year-old nurse, his wife Ritianne and their eight-year-old daughter and seven-month-old baby, at their home in Marsa.
This was the first of a series of home visits Dr Muscat will be carrying out.
The Bezzina family were chosen for the first visit because they would be one of 103,000 families who would benefit from a 30 per cent reduction rate in utility bills through the Labour Party’s proposals, the PL said.
prosit Daphne. Ibqa ikxifhom. They are not to be trusted. Konrad Mizzi vera qed jahseb that we are understanding their proposal? A big NO NO.
Sieheb tac-CET din.
Labour campaign song: Gimmick Gimmick Gimmick a man after MIDNIGHT.
I was watching Realta. Konrad Mizzi was on the “penil.”
I have followed Konrad Mizzi on a number of TV programmes before.
I honestly have to ask this, and I think the country needs to ask this:
Is Konrad Mizzi’s behaviour normal?
He interrupts all the time, cannot keep his mouth shut, makes gestures like a secondary school boy and he cannot answer questions straight to the point.
This is not an ordinary candidate we are speaking about here. He is the person leading Labour’s main policy proposal about energy, which I honestly think is a joke.
Always be suspicious of a man who appears to wear lip gloss, especially if it’s pink.
Or maybe he just dribbles alot.
Reminds me of the Maltese saying about the ”qattusa ghaggelijja lI taghmel il-frieh ghomja”
I think he accidentally hypnotises himself with his left hand at times. It seems to have a life of its own.
Daphne from information I have it seems that the press release was given by Joshua Zammit who happens to be the president of MEA.
Joshua is known for being a staunch Laburist and a personal friend of Joseph Muscat. None of the MEA council members were informed and a meeting of the association is being called for this Monday to discuss the matter.
MEA council members are furious for not having been consulted.
Dalwaqt tohrog stqarrija tal-kurja fuq l-RTK kemm il-pajjiz ghandu bzonn ghaqda taht Joseph Muscat.
Here is a recent tweet from Joshua:
“Joshua Zammit @zammitjoshua
2012 has been one of the toughest to navigate through. 2013 will be a year of change. Happy new year to all.”
Huh? They’re going to commit to buy 25 years’ worth of energy from one company, with no procurement process, by direct order? What’s that, €1,000,000,000? €2,000,000,000?
More?
Who knows? Well actually if they’re not talking rubbish (yeah, right) and they run a 200MW plant for 25 years at 95% capacity paying 9c4 per unit(fat chance), that’s 4 billion euros.
Lets look at all those 0s again.
€4,000,000,000
By direct order. More or less equivalent to all our debt. By direct order.
Unf*ckingbelievable. No, scratch that. Just re-read the headline. And we wonder how they’re paying for all those billboards
Kieku se jilhaq Mintoff Prim Ministru, kieku f’sitt xhur jehilsu il-progett.
”Assessmpact what? U mur, u hallina nahdmu !”
What a load of utter bollocks! Konrad (the neurotic) really doesn’t know what he’s saying…and I mean really.
No government can possibly use a mere expression of interest to bypass the tendering process.
First off, an expression of interest does not, of itself, create any form of committment. An expression of interest is a mechanism that is usually resorted to when the market area is one which is obscure and the prospective tenderor would want to test the quantities and qualities of resources available in his geographic area.
Secondly, there are the procurment regulations which have been recently amended – and whilst I have criticised the amendments because they technically discriminate unfavourably in cases of the lower staff bracket in the appeals procedure – they have been drafted in line with EU procedural rules, as required by the directive.
Thirdly, the Opposition seems to be blithely ignorant (still) of the fact that we are now members of a supra-national structure that disallows member states from departing so radically from what is becoming a more and more a harmonised structure.
I am referring here to that body of EU procurement regulations and directives intended to create greater transparency, fairness and correctness in an area of government administration that has come under intense scrutiny following a series of news headlines on abuse and corruption that threatened to undermine the credibility of entire institutions.
Joseph knows better apparently.
He always said that it will be the private sector who will invest its OWN money and therefore there shall be no government expenditure. Right? Wrong. You see the logic is all flawed and is cursory at best. If the Labour plan goes through as they’re saying right now, these are a few major things that will happen.
1. The private sector is going to have to be given a concession for the production of energy, and it will need some form of guarantee because of a barrier-to-entry in this area given the size of the Maltese energy market.
2. This concession has already been given to Enemalta with its power stations and a monopoly protected because of Malta’s special circumstances. The ‘new’ power station cannot be given this concession because you can’t have more than one monopoly.
3. Konrad Mizzi said the new plant won’t be competing, but it will be because it will provide the exact same service in the same market area to indistinguishably similar consumers. This will endanger Enemalta’s special monopoly as aforesaid.
The Commission would likely raise the question of whether, after all, the monopoly conceded to Enemalta does in fact therefore distort comption in the energy sector in Malta, given that there is after all space for more than one operator. The introduction of another operator with a whole new power plant puts into question the barrier-to-entry criterion.
4. When you then throw the interconnector and the renewable enrgy service providers into the mix as Labour has promised, the monopoly is going to be even more difficult to justify.
5. Muscat, in what to me came across as a shocking revelation just before his’Madonna’ comment’, said that Enemalta employees will be used by the private sector company in the construction and running of the new power plant. He also said that they will not be on loan but rather given to the new company. How this would work without breaking Maltese we are not being told.
7. That this in actual fact flies in the face of taxpayer money being used to subsidize private interest is in an even greater concern. And this is because of EU rules on state subsidies. Because giving public labour to the private sector is a subsidy and state subsidy can only occur under special conditions and AFTER having obtained the requisite authorisation from the EuropeanCommission (vide Airmalta as an example).
Had this been a studied intitiative one would have been inclined to say that the PL is attempting to make a mockery of our laws ans regulations, the EU and our obligations.
It’s easy to see that no proper study has been made. This is what happens when you’ve promised something in a hurry and now you’ve got to deliver in an even greater rush. This is a half-brained dimwit plan where the schemers are now ready to say anything at all in an attempt to give a veneer of legitimacy to their ill-conceived, costly and dangerous schemes.
I’m not afraid of change, Joseph – I’m afraid of YOUR change.
Yesterday was Konrad Mizzi’s tour de force. But this must be having a heavy toll on this poor man. His eyes wander. He speaks too glibly.
And I seriously now question his credibility.
Plus the fact that he wears lipstick and blusher. Or is that what he looks like naturally? And he really should invest in contact lenses. His eyes look huge magnified in those spec lenses.
[Daphne – On that score he has my sympathy, because he needs his glasses only for reading, just like I do, and this is so unusual when one is relatively young that people don’t understand it. We put on our glasses to read and don’t need them for anything else (the opposite of short-sighted, which is the common problem from birth). In that situation, you can’t use contact lenses. They’re not an option. And yes, they do magnify the eyes extraordinarily. I always take my glasses off when I look up at people because otherwise it startles them.]
But why am I bothering ? Its not as if his plans are bad, far from it.
Technically one can build a power station to run on gas. But do we need it now? Do we need to spend all that money to get all that extra generation capacity, which we may never need?
It sounds like he has sold this idea to the MLP and agreed to push it as a candidate, with the hope of earning a huge commission if this is implemented.
This reminds me of Alfred Sant’s “inbazwru ftit ‘l hemm u inbazwru ftit ‘l hawn”. Ara kemm gej tbazwir.
It looks like big business owns the PL and from March it will own Malta by controling all the energy supply.
Where have these people gone?
http://www.timesofmalta.com/…/marsaxlokks-appeal-against-power-station...
PL cancelled the activity for women’s organisations on Friday as something more urgent came up. It shows how much they really care about gender equality. Kollox finta.
It seems that the election campaign is being carried out on the energy issue.
There are many more important issues at stake.
I honestly and fervently think that the PN needs to show some energy. Net TV should focus more to what is at stake rather than carrying on as usual.
I think that what is needed is more energy in fighting the dangerous gimmick being dangled in front of the people by Muscat’s smooth talk. All Muscat is interested in is the walk up those stairs at Castile – after that – well we shall see what the price of gas will be in 2020.
Joshua Zammit and Konrad Mizzi were colleagues at the Management Efficiency Unit at the Office of the Prime Minister between 1997 and 2000.
I calculated that our family of four will have a reduction from our electricity bills of €200.00 yearly which sums up to €50 /person /year.
I am not going to risk my future under Muscatfor €50. The Labour proposals assume that private investors will be investing and when one assumes he ends up making an ass of you and me.
It looks like Franco Debono was Joseph’s stylist.
Here’s a few more numbers. Taking the figures provided by Joey and the other daddy’s little boy as gospel, over the next 5 years each household will on average save what, €50 euros? Make it a €100 to be kind, and say €500 over five years.
Over the last 5 years, crisis included, average wages have gone up by €2000. Assuming 1.25 income earners per household, that’s €2500.
Assuming linear growth, that’s 500+1000+1500+2000+2500 or €7500.
So five years of the PN’s documented past are 15 times better than five years of the MLP’s hypothetical future.
It’s a no-brainer.