Broadcasting Authority debate between Gonzi and Muscat – on TVM now
Carry on posting your comments below.
Joseph Muscat – the usual wooden messages. And not only wooden, but dangerous and undemocratic: “The time for political parties is over. Now it’s the time for movements.”
What?
Try saying that anywhere in Europe or North America.
The only places you have (pseudo) movements instead of political parties are dictatorships, which use the excuse of a popular movement to justify their authoritarianism.
He’s proud of having voted in favour of divorce, because it’s a civil liberty. Is he as proud of having voted against EU membership, the guarantor of multiple civil liberties?
So false.
You can sum up his hypocritical mantra in Isaiah 11:16 (thank you to the reader who pointed this out) –
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
Lawrence Gonzi now.
He has just said that it is not a matter of choosing who you would prefer to run the country, but of choosing the best electoral programme.
I don’t agree. I think it’s a matter of choosing the best man as prime minister; the electoral programme comes second. No point of having a fantastic electoral programme if it’s left in the hands of a team like Labour’s. And they don’t even have a fantastic programme anyway.
Tghid mhux se naghzel lill-Guy biex imexxi? Jew Herr Flick? Mela jien mignuna, jew.
Muscat again. Oh dear God, it’s the roadmap once more. It’s not an electoral programme, remember. It’s a ROADMAP. Anzi he hasn’t yet said that it’s ‘kostid’.
Issa se jingektja fl-ekonomija…I can’t stand this way of speaking.
OH MY GOD.
NOW WE HUFF IT FROM DE HORSIS M-OUT.
Let’s blind dem wid Inglish. I can see what kind of person he’s going for there, but it’s not middle-class. It’s the first generation to go to work in a jacket and tie after having got a a bachelor’s in commerce.
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Just got this email with subject header –
If YOU don’t get out to vote on Saturday, THEY get back in
Malta taghna lkoll.
Here’s the link
http://m.tvm.com.mt/
There’s Briguglio on now. How can he be trusted having admitted that he’s a floater? As if we’re going to trust him in Parliament– opportunist u xejn altar!
There’s Briguglio on now. How can he be trusted having admitted that he’s a floater? As if we’re going to trust him in Parliament– opportunist u xejn aktar!
Skont iz-zokk il-fergha
Lots of wisdom in this expression as applied to Michael. It often does run in consecutive generations. This is layer upon layer upon layer of envy as a motivator.
Gonzi looks ever so sincere. Muscat, on the other hand, looks like some middle-aged used-car salesman, complete with hair-gelled spikes. Very appealing, I must say.
And the furrow’s made an appearance again.
I must say, a permanent appearance! Probably he lied so much in this last week that it’s a permanent fixture now.
He can always ask the chairman of MCST to Botox his furrow.
It is being said that surgeons refer to Joseph Muscat being the easiest person one could operate on:
“No brain, no heart, no balls, no spine. With the added plus that the head and the arse are fully interchangeable.”
Muscat constantly reminds me of David Brent and Michael Scott rolled into one.
Ah, blue tie for the occassion
And then he applies hair-gel, like it would appeal to anyone but … oh, better not go there.
Why can’t he get a suit that fits?
“Spicca z-zmien tal-partiti. Wasal iz-zmien tal-movimenti.”
“L-ebda obligazzjinijiet marbuta le[jjjj]hom.” Ha! Giddieb.
Baxxter! I’m going to SMS you right now so that you can me what you said. You know I live for your every word.
BTW, the snow is perfect.
I’m trying to find your SMS among the torrents of kinky messages from my fans but I can’t spot you anywhere. Are you sure the message isn’t gone with the wind? Not that I give a damn, frankly.
I ain’t kinky and you know it. Bit windy up here, so you could be right. Although the mighty blast of bullshit coming from little Joey could have also swept it away.
I have to pop over to the slopes one of these days. After all, it’s all downhill from here.
Baxxter, did you look for it in the dustbin in Hal Safi?
Is Joseph Muscat reading?
[Daphne – Yes, he seems to be.]
Will he read his speeches too, when he needs to negotiate funds and derogations at the EU?
Yes, his eyes barely blinked.
Roadmap, roadmap, roadmap.
f’gieh kemm hemm.
Joseph is speaking right now. Stop staring at me, you fool.
Joseph is reading not speaking.
Forsi ghandu contact lenses bit-teleprompter.
Watch the furrow.
Er, he just said it: kostit.
Il-kejl li “fuwwquw” il-poplu haghti il-gudizzju tieghu – Joseph Muscat.
Wasalt biex issir Prim Ministru u ghadek lanqas kif titkellem sura ma tghallimt, Joseph.
Huma pro-business hej! U pro-gopps.
Galantomi eh, Joseph? POWER STATION gdida bla bzonn. Min hu il galantom? Ja falz b ghemilek, kliemek, harstek u kollok kemm int.
Bi triq imwittija u bit-tapit ahmar ghal-kuntratturi minghajr hafna burokrazija, m’hemmx bzonn MEPA u EIA’s biex tibni naqa ta’ unit f’Delimara b’zewg tankijiet qishom tal-Melh u l-Bzar…qisu se jifthu tieqa fil-washroom.
Bureaucracy needs to be organized and increased not reduced. Bureaucracy creates jobs and money.
Chalk and cheese. One is on TV patronizing me, waffling away, and the other is in my living-room speaking my language, exhuding trust and peace of mind. How sad.
FRAUD, LIAR!
U kif tnaqqas burokrazija bi 25% ? Kemm taghmilna boloh?
This is so boring……
A commission to reduce bureaucracy…. huh? Isn’t that more bureaucracy?
Yes, Sir Humphrey Appleby’s wet dream.
There will be another commission to check that the commission does not get bureaucratic. And all this will be checked by yet another commission. So you can rest assured that there will be no bureaucracy.
As we say in Maltese “lanqas ix-xita hdejn in-nida”. How could anyone in a right state of mind give his country to this cub scout?
Qallielek `Kostid`….tghid mhux ha jinsiha.
He has just mentioned that Mater Dei is smaller than St Luke’s. What a bloody liar. Why doesn’t he tell us that this was Labour’s brilliant idea.
Joseph Muscat speaks in a monotone – pre-prepared and insincere. Gonzi, on the other hand, is a real leader with tangible proposals.
Paroli sbieh ta’ Joseph kwazi tahsbu xi Nazzjonalist.
Pero mhux naturali fih ghax kif qal hu stress hu ghadu socjalist demokratiku.
Hu s-socjalismu fisser ghaks u guh ghal Maltin.
Tefa’ wahda bl-Ingliz halli s-switchers tal-pepe ma jhossuhomx left out – “Anter his wocc”.
Kemm hu falz, jahasra.
What is this guy saying?
It seems that all Joseph’s positivity lasted just around the first two minutes.
Matthew 7:15:
Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
I think that this is more appropriate – thank you for the good work you are doing, prosit.
There he said it…in a few words he said that he puts importance on parents bringing up their own children.
Reading between the lines: we will go back to those days when women had to quit their job and stay home to raise their children.
He said it himself: we will first work on a new government, then we will work with the private sector for childcare centres. Dear Joseph, some women go out to work not because they need the money, but because they have a career they are proud of.
They have invested in their education and they want to make the most of it.
Bull a la Muscat – will be an idiom from Saturday onwards.
Kostid – there it goes.
Plus ‘to ropp Peter to pay Paul’ EFL teachers should use it as a tongue-twister with Arabic speakers.
Then we had tingektja, tiftah biznizz, tried and testit.
Aaargh!
He’s said rowdmepp but he hasn’t said rowdmepp konkreta yet.
I believe he said “trite end testit”,
Naw wi hev it from di howsis mawt. Very nice.
Funny that, same expression I used yesterday (written and pronounced properly, I might add, even when said in my head.
Has he been reading this blog?
I think they all do, judging by their various columnists’ efforts at taking a phrase or expression “at random” and twisting it out of context in their spewings.
How contrived! Throwing in yet another phrase in English. (“Now we have it from the horse’s mouth.”) Surely there’s a Maltese equivalent? “Smajniha minn ras il-ghajn” perhaps?
Oh. But he said it in “English” so that Star and Sun will understand daddy talking.
Even though it sounded more like “hawses mowt”. Hahahahaha…couldn’t stop laughing.
And crying that this man could be our very own prime minister next week. God forbid.
“now we have it from the horse’s mouth”, imbasta jipprova.
Isimghu ifaqqalu bl-Ingliz: “Naw wi hef ijt from dij horsijs mawt!”
Joseph Muscat jammetti fuq Bondi+ li hu GIDDIEB. Jekk joghogobkom, arawh sa l-ahhar u QASSMUH! Fadal ftit ijiem biss biex il-verita tohrog u terbah.
Ara kif ser nikkonvincu tnejn kull wiehed kif ghidtilna, Dr Gonzi.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtXOwr4I7uA
Meeeerrrtu
diehak
And now he’s said he’s going to get rid of himself and his ship of ghouls (inehhi l-klikka).
Issa isbah – ghandu antiporta f’mohhu.
Ma jlahhaqx ma’ Gonzi ghax mhux ta’ l-istess kalibru.
Ma kontx naf li z-zejt ghali waqt li l-gass b’xejn.
Also – I don’t know how Gonzi doesn’t explain how most of the Air Malta employees that left were more than happy to take early retirement and find another job –
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120203/local/air-malta-more-than-500-employees-apply-for-early-retirement-and-voluntary-redundancy-schemes.405149
He did on TVHemm earlier.
Imma, nies, l-aqwa li one enjoys oneself, hux. Mhux hekk qalilna Joseph?
Gonzi is thanking the people for the opportunity to be prime minister – think it would be more appropriate if we apologise to him for being such a bunch of selfish ungrateful prats.
Strange, isn’t it, that ten years ago tomorrow, during the last debate prior to the EU referendum, Muscat was present (AS A JOURNALIST), and HECKLED EDDIE FENECH ADAMI TO THE VERY END, TRYING TO DROWN OUT HIS SPEECH).
And, come 2017, the same Muscat who opposed our joining the EU will probably be its president.
Wiccu u x’imkien iehor xorta. U veru kaz.
Gonzi, in complete contrast to Muscat, speaks sincerely and with conviction, with humility and in a humane way. I am proud to be voting PN come Saturday.
Gonzi’s wet though. Especially the final bit. Does he really want another victory?
Wow. That Broadcasting Authority jingle is pure trance. That’s some uplifting chord progression there.
Is Muscat suggesting that now that he supposedly has this ‘movement’ then we should all flock to it and disband all political parties? Is this man for real?
And how long will this ‘movement’ and its cry of ‘Malta taghna lkoll’ last?
My guess is no longer than the 10th of March if collective stupidity overruns the Maltese electorate and it returns ‘Lejber’ to power. T
hen it will be ‘Viva l-Lejber, viva l-Lejber, hej, hej, hej,’ red flags, and ‘taghna wkoll.’
For those who remember the 80s it will be déjà vu. Switchers will be crying their mea culpas, but it will be too late then.
In five years’ time we could be where other European countries with socialist (‘lejber’) governments are now, miserably walking steadily to hell on the road paved with Joseph’s good intentions.
He’s going in steps.
When he said two days ago that he wanted to have campaigned and will then govern in poetry, or words to that effect, what he was really saying was:
In the campaign he has put forward his dream encompassing the dreams of any and everyone who entered the “we’re in” movement. He’s amassing the bulk crowd following, by legal means.
Now, substitute dream for possibilities.
Simultaneously, substitute movement for possibilities too, so that possibility is what you get on both sides of the equation.
There is now a state of flux: we would be going from one unknown to another.
The reason Joseph hasn’t got any concrete proposals, the reason that the evidence for this – his poor excuse of a “manifest” – doesn’t exist in concrete form; the reason why his party has no real true fixed name, is because his only true intention for the current phase of the sham is to get past the finish line first.
Once he is in, then his “moviment” will again move towards possibility: that of establishing the 2nd Republic, where I suspect he will get to stay longer than the 5 year term we now know – that is of course, IF he slinks in. But if he does, we will experience “movement” from “possibility” to “possibility.”
Joseph has a damning roadmap, from Mintoff. It is a roadmap with a route of bluff, deceit and sham.
He’s not shown his cards at all, and his people follow him blindly, because with the dinosaurs in evidence behind him, they trust him to take them where Mintoff did. Only he will do it by using tactics and violence that are psychological rather than physical, in the main. The leniency of the people will be the major strength of his plan.
This professional conman-would-be-leader is using expert techniques from a wacko mentor other than Sant and Vella.
Only Joseph is putting them to negative use on a mass synchronised scale.
His team have been laying booby-traps and snares for years, in preparation. The media is but one field that he has almost levelled.(We rest assured that upon a Labour victory all the staff at PBS will be fired on Monday 11th March).
He has already levelled other potentially instigating sources of contradiction.
Dr Gonzi won the debate hands down!
Antiporta ta’ mohhu bil-ingravata blu!
Muscat: il-flus li gab Gonzi mill-Ewropa ser jintefqu fi tlett snin fuq zejt li jniggez l-aktar ghall-power station. Ghax il-gas tixtrih b’xejn.
Patetiku ghal l-ahhar. Sirna muviment, ahdmu maghna…tell it to the marines. Jien, jien, jien, kollox hu.
Gonzi: Grazzi ta’ l-opportunita li taghjtuni, bil-mertu ta’ pajjizna irnexxejna fl-imkien.
Nafu x’ l-Maltin u l-Ghawdxin jafu jaghmlu u fl-imkien irnexxejna. Mhux jien izda inthom. Din hija il-maturita politika u d-diplomazija u mhux opportunizmu sfrenat.
Ejjew nivvotaw ghal futur fis-sod.
If either of them promised to change the debate format so it was a real debate I’d vote for them.
[Daphne – They can’t. That’s the Broadcasting Authority. No interference from government permitted.]
Nice going – Joseph managed to get his own slogan wrong. He closed by saying ‘Malta tkun taghna ukoll’
Toni Abela made the same mistake yesterday and corrected himself.
If only PN had decent Secretary-General these past few years.
If only the PN had decent customer care.
If only the PM didn’t barrier himself behind certain people whose only purpose is self-preservation.
If only ……. but it’s probably too late now.
That wasn’t a mistake. That was one of the rare occasions when you can take him at his word.
The Times is showing its bias in the adjectives being used in favour of Joseph Muscat and even had the nerve to end the report with Joseph Muscat and not Dr. Gonzi.
Stooping till the end.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130306/elections-news/ba-leaders-debate.460471
What a difference to The Malta Independent. An informative report for who ever did not see the debate.
Well done to all the editorial staff. Prosit.
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-03-06/news/a-choice-between-continuity-and-change-1072267265/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=facebook
Tax breaks for people like me who are pensioners and opt to keep on working. I get to keep all my pension. I don’t pay tax on my pension.
That’s 4500eur a year in my pocket – a hell of a lot more than the 25% that according to Joseph Muscat I’m going to save on utility bills. I’m going to vote PN.
The PL has been insinuating that the reason why the government went for oil instead of gas to run the power station was because of agents’ commissions.
I am surprised that since the beginning of this campaign nobody from the PN has ever pointed out that whatever material is used to run the power station, being fuel oil, gas or cow manure, there will always be an agent getting a commission.
Trafigura as well as selling oil also sells gas.
The answer’s the interconnector, no power station, no oil or gas and so no commissions.
Well done, Dr. Gonzi. So convincing and positive.
Daphne, just saw Labour Party spot with Joseph Muscat in his office using the usual mantra.
Did you notice that even the position of the flags is wrong? Maltese flag next to him and EU further up when it should be the other way. Can you confirm?
The worst mistake there is that it’s a prime ministerial line up. He should have included the party flag, but didn’t.
Yes, it was deliberate.
What a pity Gonzi will not be PM next week! What a difference between the two leaders.
People prefer change. What a people! You do not vote for change just for the sake of change.
A country does not usually change a government when it has the second best economic performance in the eurozone and when it has one of the lowest rates of unemployment in the EU.
Why are you going to gamble your job?
The only thing he has against Gonzi is the honoraria and he kept going on about it, but Gonzi was too much of a gentleman to tell Muscat that something like that can be fixed, but getting rid of criminal evidence cannot.
And what about the news that Muscat promised prisoners a two-month reduction of their sentence if he gets elected?
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLQ8kEg8vfc
I bet that the tv audience was as in the above video whilst hearing JM speaking! :-)
Shame on you Gonzi for providing me with a free education from the age of 16.
Shame on you for offering EU funded scholarships allowing me to study abroad.
Shame on your for taking us down the path of recession and revolution like other Mediterranean countries to our North and South.
Time for a change.
I want to bring back Karmenu Il-Guy and Herr Flick.
I do not blame the lad, he is doing his job, why is he being so ridiculed, it is him, he is what he is.
I loathe those who will not vote for the refined statesman Dr. Lawrence Gonzi because they despise him.
And I do not refer to the Labourites, it is their duty not to vote for Dr.Gonzi.
Muscat’s statement that the government is going to have to use the EU funds obtained to buy oil quite worrying.
Considering his “experience” as an MEP I would have thought he knew more about how these funds have to be utilised – you can’t just go and buy oil with them.
Joseph you’re really out.
Eight weeks down the line and still no beef. Only suet.
You mean five years.
Gonzi couldn’t keep up with the proposals whereas Joseph had to fill time.
Holding up the volume which no one got to read isn’t exactly being straight with an electorate.
Talk about sleazy bible bashers with a used car dealership.
Even offers a no-money back guarantee, if it breaks down, he’ll resign.
Joseph’s straight out of Porky’s.
Who’s kidding who.
I have been listening to Joseph Muscat during the debate and cannot help wandering how he can keep a straight face while talking so much garbage.
For a start he stated that the hospital is too small, and why the government had to build a smaller hospital. This statement is a barefaced lie, because it was his government between 96 and 98 that scrapped the original plans foe a 450 bed hospital to compliment the 1000 beds already at St. Luke’s. and then he mentioned the cancer hospital being built near Mater Dei.
Not only was a cancer hospital included, but also cancer research was to be added, and that is why San Raffael was picked, because they are experts in this field of research.
Dr. Joseph Muscat, before you present yourself to debate, at least have the decency to get yourself informed about the subject you are trying to talk about.
And then I laughed when I heard you mention how the Maltese
Worker is sixteen €uro worse off than his European counterpart. Has it by any chance slipped your mind that the Maltese worker is somewhere between thirty and forty €uro worse of today, and has been since 1981, because your beloved government, in his infinite wisdom, introduced a wage freeze from 1981 till 1987. You, Dr. Muscat ought to explain to every pensioner, the loss to their pension as pensions are worked on two thirds of wages.
All this happened Dr. Muscat, not because there was an international crisis, or because the PN was in government between 1970/80. As everyone knows, it is normal practice with the MLP to blame the PN every time the MLP governs after the PN. But in between 1970/80 it was Labour in government.
So the reason for the wage freeze was either because of the incompetence of the labour government, or else to get back to the electorate for not giving the MLP the majority of votes in the 1981 election.
So Dr. Muscat, please do try to treat us with a bit more respect, because we do remember the past because we have lived through those timees.
You might be able to get away with talking that type of thrush when you are preaching to your supporters, but not when you are on National TV. There people can see through you.
And what I can see I do not like.
When Joseph says he wants to remain positive, he means he wants to be surrounded by yes men.
I can only see an ex-Super One hack in Joseph Muscat.
He tried to ridicule his own 2009 arguments about night tariffs.
Gonzi’s question about the (capricious) 20% use of the €200m interconnector remained unanswered by Muscat.
Muscat’s simplistic calculation on our expenses for running an LNG power station over a HFO power station was that we will continue spending a million euros a day to run our power stations.
He made it seem that his power station will run on sea water like Zaren tal-Ajkla is proposing, while EneMalta would not ‘import’ 70% electricity from the interconnector cable, and that the inefficient Marsa power station would not be switched off.
When one factors in everything the PN Scenario for energy is responsible and sustainable : BWSC, 70% Interconnector(No Marsa PS), night tariffs, PV installations which help during peak hours (day time), EU funded gas pipeline.
The other option is “pjan car u costed ta’ Joseph Muscat”: LNG power station costing over €600,000,000 with no EU funds , 20% use of the interconnector, 20% cheaper flat rate for electricity tariffs, BWSC power station, no gas pipeline, PV panels would not be cost effective.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?v=10151552231629026&set=vb.102227224025&type=3&theater
I will be boycotting The Times for its bias shown and misleading reporting in favour of Lejber during this election campaign.
Prosit Malta Independent.
Lara Boffa with her handy title of business process engineering (?!) Is earmarked to be commissioner for reducing bureaucracy. Ghax Malta taghna lkoll (jekk tkun fuq il billboard taghna).
@bobajob and other doubters
No, it is not too late.
No, Muscat is not going to be PM.
No, Labour is not going to screw our lives again.
It is up to us to each take two doubters this evening to Floriana.
Let’s go for it. We have to do our part. See you at the Granaries.
Sometimes, I feel brave enough and venture into the atrocious Malta Today website and I end up asking myself, whether I am living on the same piece of rock as Raphael Vassallo, currently endorsed by Kenneth Zammit Tabona on his Facebook page.
I’ve just read Vassallo’s take on tonight’s debate. Good grief!
Has the man depleted all reserves of decency?
He claimed that Muscat’s question of whether people are discussing the (very real) issues Dr Gonzi mentioned, in their respective kitchen, is a “calculated and effective response” to what Gonzi said beforehand.
Vassallo also exclaimed that Gonzi is in a state of denial for still believing that the electorate might somehow vote wisely. I call that integrity. Adjectives including “inopportune” and “intrude”, peppered the author’s reporting of the PM’s words. One might add that Vassallo was uncritical in his reporting of whatever Muscat said.
After closing Malta Today’s page, I felt deflated, betrayed almost, by this breed of my own people for failing to give weight to substance and honesty rather than to a cosmetic, populist version of politics.”