To all my friends/colleagues/associates in the media
I will pay good money (and I am NOT joking) for the first picture of the government head of communications standing next to David Cameron.
I know this is going to be difficult, because the prime minister has shown absolutely no inclination so far to take his pocket coconut to places where he might further compromise his image, but you never know.
And I don’t necessarily want it for this blog, either. I’ll stick it in a frame, put it on my desk, and laugh at it every day. Oh, and incidentally, it’s not because he’s such a peculiar size (that isn’t his fault, miskin), but because he’s a peculiar size and such a nasty, stupid piece of work.
The irony is that it is some of those who are most obsessed with image who voted in this style-cramping bunch. What were they thinking.
Until then, I’ll have to make do with this artist’s impression sent to me by a reader.
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I cannot get rid of the thought that the PL would dearly love to get their hands on the laws that were enacted in South Africa during the dark years of the apartheid era , they would then have an easy to use guide book on how to shut you and this blog up .
They’re working on it. They’re pulling together a commission to review media regulation.
And David Cameron is the epitome of the British gentleman *sigh*
Allow me to make a donation to cover the fee as I would thoroughly enjoy seeing it too.
Not what you’re looking for but still ‘funny’ (just behind Scicluna)
http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/c0.3.403.403/p403x403/429608_10151824527374741_1193897624_n.jpg
He’ll soon be referred to as the prime minister who goes around with his youngest kid.
Hurry up Super 1 there’s Super Joe. Unbelievable now mentioning George Borg Olivier.
Forsi l-coconut intghazel apposta biex xi hadd ma jkunx l-iqsar wiehed.
Kurt might well have been the inspiration for the King character in the Wizard of Id cartoon now running daily in The Times.
The Times, formerly ‘of Malta’, is now ‘of Partit Laburista’ as was amply demonstrated by its biased reporting in the lead up to the general election.
Blokka Silg u n-Nanu Wiehed.
Dear Daphne, I have only recently accessed your website and articles in the independent and I cannot decide whether to think of you as a gossip columnist or an investigative journalist. Most of your writing is clearly based on researched areas associated with your opinion. These are interesting to read, well written and very informative. Unfortunately sometimes you then taint the article / essey / blog with pointed personal insults which detract from your piece and to be frank spoil it. Perhaps you could consider working with a cartoonist to depict your personal insults so you can focus on the investigative journalism and your comments on that. Because that is what you are very good at. The other stuff just makes you sound bitchy and nasty. I don’t know who you are and I don’t think I have ever met you so I don’t know what you are like. I just like your investigative pieces and find your opinion interesting (but I hate you personal insults).
[Daphne – Thank you for writing in. Because you have only just discovered me, you won’t be aware that I’ve been writing a newspaper column since the age of 25 (23 uninterrupted years) and in all that time, I have continued to stick with what is clearly a successful recipe, because if it were not, I wouldn’t still be here. Given that I belong to the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ school of thought, I won’t be making any changes any time soon. I believe I am correct in my judgement because this site – which, after all, is just a blog written by one woman – is ranked no. 13 on the list of top sites in Malta, beating all the mainstream news media bar The Times and Malta Today. I really appreciate your comments, and I mean that because you sound truly genuine rather than somebody who just popped in for a spot of unpleasantness, but the media market is very diverse with all sorts of gaps that need filling and also a wide variety of choice. What you think of as insults are actually wisecracks and they are part and parcel of writing about politicians. It’s normal everywhere in the democratic world, as you will no doubt have noticed even if only through observing teh Italian media which take rudeness towards politicians to unprecedented heights, perhaps because they have the worst politicians in Europe.]
Dear Daphne, people who come to these conclusions about personal insults must have never read any UK articles where the former one-eyed prime minister was mentioned on a daily basis.
Sophisticated comedy can be a start to get people to realise that, hey, ‘Malta taghna lkoll’ is only a buzzword that got them elected.
His movement is rooted in a joke that caught the PN with its pants down. Its promised levels of high glorious expectations need to be shown for what they really represent.
I am a regular reader of your blog and I tend to agree with the comments of Pundit except that I wouldn’t say that I ‘hate’ your insults/wisecracks.
They do have me in fits at times and often express what many of us are thinking but don’t dare express. However, I feel that they do diminish the quality of your blog and detract from your excellent political analysis.
I know many who feel the same way and find certain comments as unnecessary. Having said that I’m not going to stop reading your blog anytime soon and to all those who say you incite hate, I strongly believe that this is not true and it is a failing on those who are unable to take what you write with a pinch of salt.
Daphne, there is a precedent in history.
Reminds me of Goebbels minister of propaganda and the Ubermenchen.
Goebbels was effing ugly and shared no resemblance to the blue eyed, blond-haired Aryan race.
Anyone ever bothered asking the Fuhrer whether he considered Goebbels a descendent of the Aryan race?
Will you also pay good money for a picture of Kurt Farrugia standing next to Konrad Mizzi? He’s the tallest member of the cabinet and it’s more likely that Kurt will be around him.
better still, coconut standing between Kondrad Mizzi and Ian Borg.
Daphne, you had a picture of a carved coconut some days ago, which resembled so much the real C, could you kindly show that photo again? I’d love to print it and stick it on my computer monitor.
[Daphne – https://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/2013/03/malta-is-expected-at-the-eu-summit-tomorrow-this-is-what-our-delegation-will-look-like/ ]
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=533125923396920&set=vb.281230721919776&type=2&theater
Neil Kerr (real surname Baldacchino but he changed it to Kerr) is the man behind Joseph Muscat.
The Monday after the general election he told his staff (he is a director at MEDE) that he has been promoted to head EU.
He knows nothing about the EU funding and EU policy other then wearing a nice suit and flirting without any success with his female staff.
This is truly meritocracy to be promoted head EU only after 24 hrs of winning the general election.
Joseph Muscat must be really efficient to contact his top personnel so quickly or otherwise they knew beforehand who they will promote and who not.
U ejja, now we have Toni The Missionary Lawyer Abela.
A PL Party deputy privy to what is said and done at Cabinet level.
Party + Government + Judiciary = governing by Labour
Is this government a joke?
So we have Toni Abela advising Cabinet for free and now Dear Joseph has just told us that Perit Buhagiar will be helping him on national projects for free, as well.
This is dangerous. Government administration is not a charitable institution. You do a job, you get paid. Have they already forgotten their own dictum ‘hadd ma jaghmel xejn ghalxejn’.
And then there is the other ‘joke.’
Apparently Dr. Muscat will be distributing “karigi” to each of the back benchers in order to avoid any back stabbing.
Unless they are also going to be appointed for free, doesn’t that mean that the back benchers will be receiving a salary in addition to their MP honoraria?
Doesn’t that mean they will have two salaries?
Remember Muscat’s and his party’s claim that Nationalist Ministers had awarded themselves “paga doppja”?
http://www.maltarightnow.com/?module=news&at=Iktar+kritika+fid-diskors+ta'+Joseph+Muscat&t=a&aid=99825666&cid=19
Doesn’t this mean that he is “buying” his back benchers who are “selling themselves” to the Prime Minister?
Scandal Number 1.
This comment was a reply to maryanne’s.
And now Joseph will personally listen to all your individual problems apparently.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130316/local/labour-will-continue-to-listen-muscat.461732
MPs are now to be paid by the hour, based on the duration of attendance in parliament, remember? Or so Joseph Muscat promised.
But not this year, as JM is implementing the Gonzi drafted budget that JM had made a point of voting down.
So the MP punch clock cannot be put up until the 2014 budget – that is, when the electorate will have forgotten about the whole thing.
Scandal number 1: appointing Keith Schembri as chief of staff.
Scandal number 2: appointing Mario Cutajar as cabinet secretary and head of the civil service.
Scandal number 3: demanding the resignation of permanent secretaries, appointed by the president, rather than the government.
Scandal number 4: asking board members of constitutional bodies to resign.
Scandal number 5: asking Central Bank board members to resign.
Scandal number 6: asking members of judicial appeals board to resign.
On the 7th day, God rested.
Buhagiar will be consulted on the revision of all planning policy, down to local plans, specifically building heights.
Whereas the PN had agreed to self-certification to a certain extent, Labour won’t specify the limit.
Buhagiar will also be Joseph’s advisor for the structure plan itself. Musumeci will be the interface in the new authority. Thye made various appearances together on ONE.
To date they haven’t specified what their targets are. With Musumeci we’ll never know.
What matters is that permits can be renewed ad infinitum and policy be subdued to these, rendering any application free of any constraints introduced after its submittal.
It’s so one sided it basically removes the reason for policy, ‘developers’ will be able to do as they please, when they can or feel like it.
Karmeny Vella was very specific when he said that with Labour, applicants will be considered clients who will always be right, or better, the authority always wrong.
No wonder the latest calculations indicate a campaign costing up to 8million euro.
Perit Buhagiar (nicknamed Moncici during 1996-1998 hiatus) of Zebbug street lighting fame ?
Maybe we can get plummy talking David and coco Kurt together to shoot hoops for charity in Brussels next time around.
People can wager on who will dunk the most balls and all proceeds going to a good cause.
There is always celebrity photos taken at these type of events.
Such a picture might tarnish David Cameron’s image. The British might think he is receiving a BJ in public.
Oh behave.
Where does JM fit?
http://m.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2011/oct/18/world-leader-heights-tall
Kill ME now!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=590353237661256&set=a.102403843122867.5705.100000597548904&type=1&theater