It gets worse – the 27-year-old ex mayor of Dingli is now responsible for the EU presidency and EU funds
The new parliamentary secretary responsible for Malta’s EU funds and for Malta’s EU presidency (centre back)
Within minutes of the news that the European Parliament has rejected the EU budget and that Malta’s Eur1.2 billion package is in jeopardy, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has announced that the parliamentary secretary responsible for handling Malta’s presidency of the European Union, and EU funds, will be Ian Borg.
Ian Borg is 27 years old and his only experience has been as mayor of the hamlet of Dingli.
He received an extraordinarily high number of first-count votes last Saturday and I imagine that Prime Minister Muscat is keen to avoid having to deal with the nightmare former Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi suffered through the psychiatric tantrums of Franco Debono, who felt similarly entitled.
But Prime Minister Muscat has a comfortable majority and so the ex mayor of Dingli has no such leverage.
My view is that it is catastrophically irresponsible to place responsibility for Malta’s EU funds in the hands of a 27-year-old who has only ever managed the Dingli local council budget.
And who will probably now have to renegotiate Malta’s share of the EU budget, along with that hotshot and energetic negotiator Louis Grech, after Muscat’s socialist friend Martin Schulz organised its rejection by the EU parliament.
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No problem in renegotiating the EU budget for Malta. According to Joseph ‘been there, done that’.
Start worrying, people, this could be catastrophic.
Ian Borg is only just 27 years old. His birthday’s on 28th February.
That’s why the Malta’s EU budget figure is II28 million. February 28th.
WELCOME BACK…well, you never left.
Maybe he is one of the few people in the current cabinet who voted Yes in the EU referendum. X’pulcinellati. And all this in the first 3 days.
His Facebook page says he was born 28 February 1986.
That means he was only 17 years old in 2003, and he was ineligible to vote.
I’d love to hear a journalist ask him how he voted in the EU referendum.
Of course, he was only 17 then, so he couldn’t have voted one way or the other.
He was too young during the EU referendum to even have voted yes.
Was he old enough to vote back then?
[Daphne – No. He would have been 17.]
Mhux problema, ta, we have a whip round on the plane, no worry.
They will soon write in to tell us that he has experience in EU affairs.
“As from January 2010, Borg served on the Committee of the Regions as a member of the Maltese delegation in this European Union institution, affiliated with the Party of the European Socialist.” (from his election profile)
Prophetic words?
Ian Borg
February 23 via mobile.
Hrigt niekol qabel jaqa’ l-Ghaks!
At least this new government is going to provide you with plenty to talk about.
27? Wasn’t there anyone else better suited for the role?
RCC perhaps?! With all this talk of –
Malta Taghna Lkoll;
Tistghu ma taqblux maghna imma nistghu nahdmu flimkien;
Ejjew maghna, tibqghux spettaturi, kunu protagonisti;
Moviment inklusiv li ghandu jwassal ghal Gvern Inkusiv,
Bidla fid-direzzjoni ta’ kif naghmlu l-politika;
Il-politika tal-ahmar u l-blu hija antikwata;
and all the other conciliatory appeals from diverse Labour spokesmen and MPs,
The above guess can still be possible.
ROSES ARE RED VIOLETS ARE BLU U BIEX NILHAQ MINISTRU MA TANTX BAQALI FILL-QUE SAS-SITTA
Dan il-bniedem ghandu wiccu tad-daqqiet ta’ harta.
Webcam footage of tonight’s cabinet meeting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhBIPZCVj84
I really don’t see the issue. Managing the budget of Had-Dingli and prioritising which ‘centraaalstripppp’ is to be given priority in which year is no different to re-negotiating the 1.128 billion with the EU.
Day one – cabinet not yet announced and the first challenge. Easy does it boys and girls – you can do it – you’ve been saying so for years and years – its your turn.
Now go quietly and do your bit but forgive us if we snigger when you come back with excuses….
Well, what about CHRIS CARDONA for INVESTMENT?
Sorry for the caps, but couldn’t stop myself.
Ian Borg “tal-gabillott” from the town of Dingli will save Malta’s EU budget. Interesting.
This picture should be plastered all over the walls of Mater Dei to discourage inbreeding.
Hmmmm…and with George Vella as foreign minister!
I’m holding my breath to see Mr “Wishful Thinking” (as he once said regarding EU membership) representing our country in international fora.
Probably he`ll do a good job in North Korea or maybe Cuba, but elsewhere? Who knows. God help us.
I am in a state of shock. This is as outrageous as the nomination of Peter Andre as Valletta’s ambassador of culture.
[Daphne – It is much worse, Luke. Peter Andre couldn’t do any damage really. This one has the potential for a ‘terremot’ of damage.]
He seems to have many bright friends who can help him out.
Ara vera m’ghandekx xi tghid ta. kont qtajt figura ahjar meta ma kont qed tikteb xejn ghax ma taqax f’livelli infantili b’dak il-mod.
Ma tahsibx li Ian Borg mux ha jkun qed jahdem wahdu ? Possibli daqshekk difficli li tinduna li ha jkun qed jahdem id f’id mal-ministru ghal-Ewropa, Louis Galea, illi ghandu esperjenza diga fil-UE ?
*Louis Grech
* Louis Grech
This is the last setence in Ian Borg’s Bio on jm.com.
Ħa l-edukazzjoni tiegħu fl-iskola primarja ta’ Ħad-Dingli, fil-Junior Lyceum tal-Ħandaq u fl-Università ta’ Malta fejn kiseb Baċellerat fil-liġi u Diploma ta’ Nutar. Bħalissa qiegħed fl-aħħar sena biex jiggradwa bħala avukat.
Seems like he has all the credentials to administer the funds – great choice.
U iva mhux fuq ftit zeros zejda qed nitkellmu bejn budget ta Had-Dingli u budget ta l-Unjoni Ewropeja?
Welcome back Daph……..we missed you !
vera gahan biex imisjajt mara pastasa u injoranta bhal daphne
Can’t believe that most ill-tempered of them all is being sworn in just now as minister for foreign affairs, the one with dementia as minister for tourism…
And George Vella is Minister for Foreign Affairs. What a pair in Brussels?
Our new diplomatic and tactful foreign minister:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsGpkeYvBPY
Forsi issa Joseph isaqsi lill-RCC biex jghin lill-Ian Borg u b’hekk ikun zamm kellmtu li “tista ma tkunx maghna izda tahdem maghna”
(Daphne can you please ensure that my nom-de-plume is not used on your blog by others, especially by someone who does not conform to my views.)
What is Leo Brincat’s ministry exactly? Didn’t quite get it.
[Daphne – I bet he doesn’t either.]
Keep it up Daphne, the show has just begun.
To all those people trying to justify the amount the new Ministers are getting paid, you’re a bunch of hypocrites.
If it was wrong for Lawrence Gonzi’s bunch to spend so much every month, it’s wrong for your lot.
The tide has turned and it’s your turn to take the criticism.
Day 2, and already it’s looking really bad.
Am I not right to look into the future with fear and apprehension?
Five seconds that brought the change, yes, a change for toil and tears. Give me maximum of two years and we will have hoards seeking to appease their misjudgment.
Simon’s cliché of ‘gas down’ to disaster will go into our political history as prophetic.
Now that Dr Muscat achieved his dream, I must humbly say I will respect his office, but frankly, he never succeeded in his campaign in making me trust him.
I would have still preferred a weak Nationalist Party, but people have decided. To all who voted Labour in Government, it is wise to keep in mind that Socialism never worked anywhere, ever and yes, in the History of politics, mass hysteria and the consequent follies are too frequent and real to be underestimated.
Unless a person is extremely dim-witted to perceive this, it’s quite obvious that Ian Borg will be acting under the mantle of Louis Grech who has been given the responsibility for European Affairs. Let me qualify that – either a dimwit or a person who is intentionally mentally dense would have the public believe otherwise.
ALBERT FENECH
Qawra
[Daphne – That’s not the case at all, Albert. Parliamentary secretaries have their own responsibilities. They do the job and they report back. In any case, Louis Grech is worse than incompetent: he is one of the laziest men alive, and over and above that, he is 66 years old and ill with cancer. And he has a tremendous portfolio of his own. This is a disaster waiting to happen. By the time Valletta 2017 comes round, Louis Grech will be SEVENTY YEARS OLD – my parents’ age.]
Good. So we will be paying him to work under someone else’s mantle, a sort of apprenticeship.
Who was it who mentioned meritocracy?
Tick,tock,tick,tock.
age is just a number….
Joseph may think otherwise. L-izghar prim ministru etc.
Mental illness is just a state of mind ….
I am very sorry to read comments like these as it clearly shows that none of you ever got to know Ian in person. He is responsible and throughout his 8 years as the Dingli mayor, he truly made the best he could, eventually managed to make the ‘hamlet’ a successful one.
I KNOW that Ian is capable to shine in his position as it in his character to be the best at what he does!
I do not side with the labour party and I am not a relative of his, I am saying this as I truly know what Ian is capable of and I believe in him. You can never judge a person’s capability until you know what he is really capable of!
[Daphne – Oh for heaven’s sake. Your comment simply shows that you have no idea of the mammoth scale of what’s involved in his portfolio: the EU presidency and the management of EU funds, compared to being the mayor of Dingli. Where’s that suitcase and my credit card?]
With regards to the age..
Mark Zuckerberg – age 27 co-founder & CEO of facebook
Naveen Selvadural – age 29 co-founder of Foursquare
Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi – age 28 & 25 founders of Dropbox
Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger – age 25 & 27 creators of instagram
… Moral: Age is not equal to ability or success
[Daphne – That’s right, Anonymous. EXCEPTIONAL INTELLIGENCE is – and Ian Borg hasn’t any. His intellect is pedestrian. Another point: what you are talking about here is the creation of something new. Management of something – like funds and situations – is another ballgame. Mark Zuckerberg developed Facebook, but he did not run the company himself. There is a reason why 27-year-olds are not running major corporations. The skill-set required comes with experience.]
Yes, but …..
@Anonymous – so you are comparing the Dingli Local Council to the EU?? Please tell me you’re not. If you and most of the Maltese population are, then we are much much worse then I thought !
Anonymous, he might be a competent person and he might have done wonders for Dingli.
But do not try to compare a small village in Malta with negotiating a package for Malta, when he will be up against hardened negotiators, whose countries are faring extremely poorly.
He is fresh out of university with little to no real life work experience.
The same could be said for Joseph Muscat and Louis Grech who might have great experience in writing reports but little to no experience in negotiating things for the benefit of Malta.
I should know as I had approached Joseph as part of an industry association, way back when he was an MEP responsible for financial services affairs, to assist us in lobbying for changes in certain legislation affecting us.
Not only was he unable to do anything tangible, but he did not even have the decency to update us with what he did. Which leads me to believe that he did nothing.
This does not bode well for Malta.
Ian and his young buddies look like they are about to hit Paceville or go to a football game in their exuberance of youth in that photo.
Are you sure he isn’t 25?
[Daphne – Positive. He turned 27 a couple of weeks ago.]
I thought Ian Borg’s responsibilities are for the SPENDING of the EU funds.
Jien haga wahda nixtieq nghid li Dr. Ian Borg huwa persuna bk’kapacatijiet kbar u konvinta li ha jkun qed jaqdi dmiru ghal pajjiz taghna lkoll.
Don’t judge a person’s capability before you know what actually he is capable for !!!!!
So if Labour chose someone with experience, you would have moaned about the old timers, and because he chose someone young and fresh, you’re complaining that he is too young and inexperienced.
Arrogance arrogance….this is what cuased the PN the election, and yet they have not learnt the lesson. They still talk with arrogance.
Go labour….time to clean up the mess left by the PN!
[Daphne – The trouble is the experience of Labour’s experienced people, Mark. It’s the very same experience that made a mess of Malta and got them voted out.]
That guy on the left iktar mohhu biex jikol milli f’ Ian Borg.
He has done an excellent job as Dingli mayor, he is a go-getter.. and please.. Dingli is NOT a hamlet!!
He will be outstanding in his new job as well!
Allahares m’ghamilx xoghol tajjeb f’rahal zghir b’hal Had-Dingli u qed nitkellmu fuq Kunsill.
Had-Dingli m’hix Parigi jew Londra.
Ahna l-Maltin niskantaw biss fl-affarijiet frivoli u zghar. Ara fl-affarijiet kbar li ghamel Gonzi – dak le. Dak qas isemmuh.
U le, ha jgennuni hawn Malta.
Boris Johnson is to turn two miles of the A40 Westway into a cycle lane as part of a 15-mile segregated “Crossrail for cyclists” linking west and east London.
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/truly-a-cycling-revolution-boris-johnson-reveals-his-15-mile-segregated-bike-lanes-from-east-to-west-across-the-heart-of-london-8524002.html
Haga bhal din thallini impressjonat.
The successes in Dingli consist mainly of the upgrading of residential and other rural roads, in the latter case thanks to EU funds and to Transport Malta projects.
Those projects were possible mainly because of the hard work of one of the PN members of the Dingli Local Council, Architect Mr. David Vassallo, who is also a leading Architect with Transport Malta. He personally led most of the road projects in Dingli.
Besides, the Dingli Local Council benefited from the PPP scheme promoted by central government in connection with residential road works.
http://www.maltarightnow.com/?module=news&t=a&aid=99834553&cid=19
Which means that Ian Borg has taken all the credit for work done by Mr. Vassallo and the central government led by the PN.
Sincerament ma nafx jekk hux impressjoni zbaljata tieghi izda, cert l-media pro PL (tal-GWU) kienet irrapurtat (u bl-artiklu ghadu online) li darba thabbar il-Kabinett, Louis Grech kien se jkun fil-kariga Vici-Prim Ministru u Ministru Responsabbli mill-Manifest Elettorali BISS u Ian Borg bhala s-Segretarju Parlamentari ghall-Affarijiet Ewropej u Presidenza tal-Unjoni Ewropea fl-2017.
LINK
http://www.inewsmalta.com/dart/20130313-il-membri-tal-kabinett-jie-du-urament
Probabli li dawn kellom komunikazzjoni kmieni minn sorsi infurmati u ghamlu copy / paste tal-informazzjoni li rcivew. Bhala stretegija taghmel sens li politiku specifikament ghall-UE jkun Segretarju Parlamentari taht il-Ministeru tal-affarijiet Barranin.
L-affarijiet juru li wara ftit sieghat tal-Gvern jider li nbidel kollox probabli meta qamet l-issue li kien ser jitnaqqas il-Budget mill-UE ghal Malta. Issa f’Malta l-gurnalizmu investigattiv huwa skars hafna… izda kif gew l-affarijiet issa Louis Grech huwa l-Ministru ghall-UE probabli ghax sahansitra l-PM wara li nduna bir-riponsabbilta vera tal-kariga qal…. ma tarax li se nhalli lil Borg hawn… B’dan il-mod l-Ministeru Importanti tal-Affarijiet Barranin issa gie qisu xi spiritiera fuq tlieta.
Note ftit separata dwar il-Ministru ghall-Intern u Sigurta Nazzjonali, ic-cajta hija li xhin taqbizlu, Dr Manwel Mallia jista’ facilment jaghmel Kolp ta’ Stat darba l-Pulizija u AFM (kif ukoll l-PBS) spiccaw ‘storikament’ fl-istess Ministeru. Minn jaf… forsi ser nergaw nibdew naraw lil AFM ghassa mill-bieb ta’ TVM? Meta ghandek sistema ta’ Kabinett b’numru record ta’ membri, ma taghmilx sens li jkollok Ministeru enormi bhal dan. Dan il-poter kollu f’idejn dan il-ministeru ma jaghmilx sens u juri nuqqas serju ta’ hila fis-settur tas-Sigurta.