A man who can’t speak…as Speaker of the House?
Thanks, but no thanks.
The General Workers Union’s news website, inews, tells us that Anglu Farrugia has had a formal meeting with Joseph Muscat.
There have been rumours about already that he has been slated for Speaker. If this does indeed come to pass, then it would be a fitting crown to the choices of Muscat’s first 48 hours of power.
The most notoriously inarticulate politician in living memory -as Speaker of the House.
A man who can’t write a simple letter or Facebook post without myriad errors and tangled syntax and the sort of semi-literate sentence construction you expect of people who never went to school – as Speaker of the House.
A lawyer who doesn’t understand basic legal concepts or the spirit of the law, and whose graduation from the University of Malta, going on the basis of what we have seen of his writing and thinking skills, remains one of life’s universal mysteries – as Speaker of the House.
This is the man who in the immediately aftermath of the 2008 general election called a press conference outside Police HQ so that everyone could film him coming out of a meeting in which he badgered the Police Commissioner to take action against those he said had “bought votes from Laburisti”. Can you imagine that? He had a thick file of names, he said, waving it about.
It all ended in tears – and a convenient excuse for kicking him out of the party deputy leadership almost five years later, just in time for the start of an election campaign in which he might well have narrowed the margin, however slightly, between the two parties with his outstanding televison performances.
We have had a tragic line-up of ministers announced already (I’m still waiting for the parliamentary secretaries) – so please let common sense prevail where the Speaker is concerned.
Serious lessons should have been learned from the last government about using posts of national and international significance to try to pacify dangerous loose cannon. It never works, and it’s absolutely not right for the country.
The country deserves the best man or woman for the role, not the man the prime minister wants off his back.
I’m sorry I haven’t posted anything these last couple of days, but I’m pulling a magazine together which should have been done last week. I planned to start again this evening, but when I heard this I just had to say something.
My views on the rest will follow later. Meanwhile I have my newspaper column to write – read it in The Malta Independent tomorrow.
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http://www.independent.com.mt/mobile/2013-03-13/news/ep-rejects-eu-budget-1128b-malta-obtained-in-jeopardy-1161494528/
Let’s see JM renegotiate this, now.
How can a person with 6 bullets in his head be a speaker?
Here’s Joseph’s first real battle as PM.
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-03-13/news/ep-rejects-eu-budget-1128b-malta-obtained-in-jeopardy-1161494528/
Frankly i dont give a sh…. about who is going to be leader of the house. Jista jamlu tal-ajkla ghalija.
Give me some commets on what you think of these:-
Is it true that Dr Demarco it is time that you shut up ? :)
Mr arrigo is saying that clique must go. what do you think.?
BTW dont offend me please.
[Daphne – Of course you don’t give a damn who is Speaker of the House. You have demonstrated already that you have no respect for the institutions which shore up and maintain our democracy, preoccupying yourself instead with the finer details of life, like what a newspaper columnist and blogger does on her day off. No, it’s not true De Marco told me to shut up, as you so gracefully put it. Aside from the fact that he would never speak like that, we have known each other for more than three decades and have a civilised relationship, something to which you may not be privy. If Mr Arrigo thinks that ‘the clique’ should go, then perhaps he should be the first to step outside. The rest of his clique – Jeffrey and Jesmond – is currently with the Labour Party or holed up in Brussels evading justice, and several members of his extended family have been boasting for months that they would be voting Labour and have now gone on Facebook to announce the fact that they did so. Not a good look for somebody going on about how things should be done.]
Of course, Dr Demarco is very civilised.
However, take a look a this then please :
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/elections2013/De-Marco-s-post-mortem-spells-out-aspirant-s-vision-for-the-PN-20130313
“De Marco similarly recognised and disavowed politics by character assassinations and personal attacks, personified by Nationalist pundit Daphne Caruana Galizia.”
Daqshekk tort tieghek tlifna. Say sorry :)
[Daphne – With skills like those, I’m not surprised you vote like a bloody sheep, following the herd. If you want to know what De Marco said, you go to his article, and not to a report of his article by a newspaper prone to lies. Here it is: http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130312/opinion/five-years-forward-together.461113 Be warned that I am going to begin deleting your comments. If you can’t debate like a rational person, this is no place for you so go back to the commentsboard of timesofmalta.com and Facebook.]
Welcome back, Daphne
Yes, welcome back Daphne :)
Ministru ghad-dawl u l-ilma, ministru ghall-UE….il-kejk jinqasam f’elf bicca biex hadd ma jibqa’ b’xejn
So far no Ministru ghal Ghawdex.
Thank you Gozo for your loyalty to the PN, you’ve done yourself proud… now, ‘hudu go fikhom’.
Min jaf Silvio Parnis x`igerrem duffrejh
I concur with you, basta they voted for him, diga insewhom.
Viva L-Labour
So Anglu Farrugia was sent by his own party to the Falklands for the duration of the electoral campaign so that he will be unable to SPEAK about his political murder by the person who is now prime minister. And now the prime minister who politically murdered Farrugia appoints him as Speaker.
And because Anglu sets himself such high moral standards and dignity, he will of course, accept the scraps.
Typical… They started showing their real colours in less than a week.
In the Golden Years – 1970s and 1980s – we had institutionalised corruption under successive Labour governments.
Now Labour will give us institutionalised incompetence.
You speak too soon about institutionalised corruption.
Why was Keith Schembri appointed head of the Labour Party’s energy working group?
Why did he accompany Joseph Muscat to Libya where he signed an agreement within days of assuming the office of Leader of the Opposition?
Why has Keith Schembri been installed in the Office of the Prime Minister as chief of staff?
Why would such an appointment pass without so much as a whisper of disapproval?
Not to mention that Allied Newspapers/Progress Press apparently owe great sums of money to Keith Schembri’s company. So now we have a situation whereby the PM’s chief of staff has the biggest independent media organisation by the short and curlies.
And how is The Times supposed to criticise the government of Joseph Muscat and Keith tal-Kasco?
He reminds me of Cikku Fenech or one of those policemen in the film Midnight Express.
Incidentally, Cikku Fenech is a very very close relative of Anglu, from his mother’s side. Something Mr. Speaker never acknowledged.
[Daphne – Oh my, now that you mention it. I used to see him every day (he owns the fields below our garden) and sometimes he’d stop and chat. And I always wondered who he reminded me of.]
Whatever happened to Ċikku?
A worthy successor to Kalcidon Agius, the patently professional plasterer/painter parliamentarian from Naxxar, perhaps?.
Many may remember that creature for his numerous attributes – especially his competence at climbing heights, smoothing-over uneven situations, and covering hidden defects.
I get the impression that the Labour administration are like a bunch of hungry children let loose in a chocolate factory. They do not know where to begin.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130313/local/anglu-farrugia-would-consider-speaker-role.461303
In a tweet, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said this will be “a blend of innovation and experience, a competent team to move Malta forward.”
The PM probably meant “a blend of past-their-sell-by-date and inexperience, an incompetent team to move Malta backwards.”
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130313/local/scicluna-vella-in-muscat-s-cabinet.461208
Did Anglu Farrugia vote for the Labour Party or not?
Ajma ghall-erwieh. Thank God you’re back. These past three days have been unbearable without your posts.
And the prizewinner of the JosephMuscatHelenaDalli Meritocracy Award goes to – you’ve guessed it:
Anglu ‘taks’ Farrugia.
His articulate and erudite deliveries will go down onderekort in the annals of the House for the delight and instruction of generations to come.
Nahseb l-ewwel haga li jaghmel jmur ifittex l-envelope li fiha r-ritratti kompromettenti ta’ Duminku Mintoff li bihom Lorry Sant kien jikkontolla lil Duminku, u li kien pogga fuq il-mejda tal-Parlament, u liema ritratti kienu twarrbu minn Speaker Lawrence Gonzi fl-interess tal-moralita pubblika.
Robert Arrigo is another one in the JPO, Franco Debono and Jesmond Mugliett mould.
He is another politician who graduated from the ‘me, myself and I’ school of party politics. I voted for him in 2008, but soon after, when he started complaining about not being given a ministry, I saw him in his true colours.
He put more than a couple of spokes in Lawrence Gonzi’s wheels, and though less conspicuous than the other three, was quite obviously in cahoots with them. When voting last Saturday I kept that in mind.
Where is Jason Micallef hiding?
He is into building closets for party members.
Smajt li qieghed rieqed fuq l-ghatba tal-bieb tal-PBS jistenna lil Joseph Muscat jaghtieh ic-cavetta halli jidhol u jibda jharbat kull ma hemm.
OK. The way forward as pioneered by One News is to ask questions rather than make statements. For instance “Can so and so tell us if he’s ever done x,y, or z?”
So here goes:
“Can the new Minister of Justice tell us whether any of his campaign was funded by the widow of Lorry Sant, and therefore from the community of aquests of Lorry Sant, and if so, can he tell us whether he detects any irony at all in this situation?”
“Since we are now operating to the same virginal standards of purity used to judge others by our new Prime Minister and his news organisations, can the Prime Minister tell us whether or not this would be grounds for resignation if it turned out to be true?”
To be clear – just in case he turns out NOT to be the new Minister of Justice, I’m referring to Owen Bonnici
Robert Arrigo is complaining about a clique in the PN. I presume that he is referring to the clique that he was in with those snakes, JPO, Mugliett and Franky.
And please, in 5 years’ time, don’t dare come knocking on my door as you did this time. For your information when I voted I did not even put a number next to your name, Robert.
[Daphne – Worse than that, half his extended family are on Facebook right now, boasting about having voted Labour. Il-vera tad-daqqiet ta’ harta.]
Wasn’t Nicky DImech (the ex mayor of Sliema) his protege? God forbid he gets anywhere near the PN leadership.
We shall be losing Lawrence Gonzi’s services – we can’t now afford to lose Simon’s, who is more intelligent than anyone else currently in the PN. His good showing is ample proof. Malta needs yo u again Simon, pleasego for the leadership race.
int adom ma harqukx hajja?
Let’s look on the bright side.
With Farrugia as Speaker, we won’t have any more equivocal votes in parliament because everything will be onderekort.
http://www.maltarightnow.com/default.asp?module=news&at=Impjant+tal-gass+se+jing%26%23295%3Balaq%2C+wara+investiment+t%27%E2%82%AC400+miljun&t=a&aid=99845540&cid=50#.UUCd3S5ktYg.blogger
I’m glad you’re back and looking forward to read your posts.
The new Pope Francis has just stated that his fellow cardinals “went to the end of the world” to elect a new Pope for the Rome Parish.
Here in Malta, Joseph Muscat sent Anglu Farrugia to the end of the world so that Muscat could get elected as Prime Minister of the Republic of Malta.
X’ghandu anqas Joe Debono Grech li jsir speaker minn Anglu Farrugia? Debono Grech ma giex sfiducjat u imkecci minn Joseph Muscat.
So good to have you back and voice our thoughts:-) what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger! So glad you are back since although only a couple of days have passed, there is so much material to comment about!
Nice to see you, to see you nice Daphne.
I knew it, your first salvo would be aimed at your favourite target – so to Speak(er). Now Wisdom will speak.
I think it is only fair that Lejber will have a taste of their own medicine. They never, but never, praised any PN government’s achievements and they should not expect a different approach taken in their regard.
And, PM-JM wants to govern with the opposition; how naive. Does he not know that the opposition has a different role to that of government?
Or does he expect total and unconditional support from the opposition because he now praised and thanked Dr Gonzi for the good he did throughout his tenure of office?
All those who voted Lejber in the past and more so those turncoats who wanted to test the waters are expecting that PM-JM will deliver, with no ifs and buts. The proof of the pudding is in the eating;let’s see whether action and of course results will speak louder than words.
The EU Parliament decision not to rubber-stamp the 27 member countries’ conclusions on the next seven-year budget should worry us after Dr Gonzi’s difficult negotiations to obtain 1,128 million Euros for our country.
Let’s hope that this sum of money will not be trimmed. PM-JM will not be asking our EU representative to hand in her resignation like he just did with the permanent secretaries.
The future beckons.
Biex qieghedha tiskanta sinjura Daphne?
Biex tkun Spijker ma tridx tkun xi gharef kbir.
Kellna Spijker li kin attur tat-tejatrin u bajjad .
Biex niftiehemu setgha lahhaq lid-Dulli !
Allura nghid jien, jekk f’Dicembru li ghadda, Joseph Muscat kien hass li Anglu Farrugia ma kienx jixraqlu li jkun Deputat PrimMinistru ghax kien ghamel rimarki fuq membru tal-Gudikatura, kif issa li Muscat sar PrimMinistru jahseb li Anglu Farrugia jixraqlu il-post Kostituzzjonali ta’ Speaker tal-Parlament?