Ethics are a moveable feast
A photograph of the prime minister (left) as you might have forgotten what he looks like.
The deep vertical furrow of duplicity between the prime minister’s eyebrows is on view again this morning in a video on timesofmalta.com, as he replies to questions about the code of ethics for cabinet ministers.
That code, he says to his interviewer, needs to be changed because it was written way back in the mid-1990s – so long ago that even mobile phones were something special.
He lost me there.
Is he putting wrong and right in the same category as technological innovation, and suggesting that we should ‘modernise’ our view of ethics to accommodate whatever is required at a given time?
That is the polar opposite of ethics. That is called amoral pragmatism.
By the same token, we might as well rewrite the Biblical 10 commandments on the grounds that it is no longer practical to consider the coveting of your neighbour’s wife as wrong because so many people do it and they will be inconvenienced.
I use this particular commandment because it is the perfect illustration of how something can be legal but still wrong and unethical. Adultery is no longer a criminal offence but I don’t think that anyone – whether religious or not – is about to suggest that it is either right, acceptable or ethical. In or out of religion, in or out of marriage, cheating is betrayal, and betrayal is unethical and wrong.
Understanding of human failings and weaknesses, of what motivates people to do what they do, of forgiveness and continued acceptance of the person does not translate into acceptance or legitimisation of the deed, or its sudden transformation into ethical behaviour if it is done often enough.
Ethics were always going to be a problem for our prime minister, who has made it clear from day one of his public life back in the mid-1990s (so long ago that mobile phones were unusual) that he regards them as a moveable feast. This is a man who does and says what it pays him to do and say, when it suits him to do and say it. He is not motivated by ideology or beliefs but is 100% goal-oriented. People like that know no ethics at all and privately think that people who bother with them are stupid.
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Here’s a new-normal article for Cloud-Malta europhiles to read during Happy Hour: “Even Europhiles starting to turn against the EU project”
http://www.publicserviceeurope.com/article/3465/even-europhiles-starting-to-turn-against-the-eu-project
Wow, one eurosceptic student pens an article against Barroso and “Even Europhiles turn against the EU project”. Hyperbole much.
Read the comment by P-London under the linked article – it makes a lot of sense.
Why is Kev so surprised with this eurosceptic student. We have an ex- EU Commissioner who turned against Barroso.
Grossly misleading heading. The article is about one person.
Who’s paying you to hold your nose and pop in here with your tediously repetitive mantra?
In the meantime he is having a ball living in Brussels. If you dislike the EU so much dear Kev, get back to Malta – you might even get an award from dear Joseph – he is dishing out a lot of awards to all his Malta Taghhom clan.
kev…the master of non-sequiturs.
But what is your point kev? Eurosceptics; kicking europhile arse; what is exactly your point? Maybe you have a grand plan to dismantle the EU? Please enlighten us, dark minded europhiles – unless your plan is secret, that is.
Wifey ordered him to do it before he washes the dishes.
Now David Cameron is between a rock and a hard place as “special relationship ” buddy Barack Obama has spelt it out in no uncertain terms that the USA does not want the UK outside of the EU, now or in 1917. Barack must have told David “Read my lips”.
Oops that should have been “2017”. You have to cross your ts and dot your is for kev as he is quite a nitpicker with all that time on his hands, barring housework.
Dear Cloud Malta, the source is entirely europhile so don’t expect it to make as much sense as a eurosceptic article would, but it was fun to relish the swill oozing off your uninformed brain cells.
First prize goes to Lestrade for misreading what’s causing Cameron the mother of all headaches. It’s not Obama, Les, but UKIP and Farage.
But do carry on with your festa…. Good article, by the way, Daphne – I had thought it was about Ignauseous before reading it through.
Here’s where we stand: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2013/may/13/farage-factor-ukip-support-record
Farage now has Cameron by the balls and Miliband by his little weener. Meanwhile Cleggsy is for sale, going very cheap.
Here’s some more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/ukip/10054024/Ukip-will-push-for-early-EU-referendum-says-Nigel-Farage.html
And here’s lots more: http://www.ukipmeps.org/blog.html
Kev go back to your hole – nothing to do lately ?
Meanwhile on Cloud Goebbels, http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130516/local/foreign-minister.469857
The same Nigel Farage accused by the UKIP back in Blighty of playing a double game, deliberately confusing the real agenda, getting out of the EU, for xenophoby and plain racism.
Meantime, EU money pours into an account registered in Mosta.
By the way, how’s his embezzlement case proceeding?
You are one confused son of an angel, Jozef.
First, you can stuff your ‘racism’ remark up your colon.
Secondly, concerning your jibe on the EAF, the B’Kara (not Mosta) office is the registered office. The head office is in Brussels and the money goes into the European Party’s account. Their accounts are audited and rechecked by the EP supervision system. Their website is here http://www.eurallfree.org
As for embezzlement, I don’t know what you’re talking about, and I don’t really care to know.
You know too little to launch any form of attack, Jozef, be it political or operational. And what little you know consists of scrambled lies and incoherent suppositions.
Well said.
Is that Ignatius?
Le, dak johrog liebes velu abjad.
what else?
Who else!
Can’t wait to see the revised code.
It is expected to be entitled:
“The End Justifies the Means. A Code of Ethics for the Gvern Gdid tal-Muviment Iffukat fuq ir-Roadmap.”
It is set to contain some very interesting and insightful chapters on:
1. “Voluntary Ministers – How to share a Ministry between a couple.”
2. “Maritocracy – Why the Ministers should bring along their wife to do paid work at their Ministry and put her on the state payroll.”
3. “Meritocracy – Appointments to be given only to Labour diehards – Why not?”
4. “Waivers – Why every rule has an exception. A common-sense approach.”
5. “Technical loopholes – the holes Ministers should never stop digging themselves into.”
His nibs didn’t mention mobiles in the 1990s just as an example. He’s more than certainly planning some Pravda-style new regulations about mobiles in government offices to go with his supposedly up-dated ‘Bord ta Etika ‘ guidelines.
The emperor does nothing that hasn’t been thought out and planned in the dim corridors of his malicious brains.
With respect to mobile phones, it is perfectly understandable that we should not expect the revised code to say anything like “Mobiles held by guests should be in the switched off position when taken into meetings with the Moviment’s Ministers.”
This is because there are some brassnecks around who have mobiles which ring even when switched off.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZYg3W7qdUk
Hence, the only reasonable solution is that mobiles should be left at reception, or confiscated.
And for those who cannot get enough of him, here is another one.
By the way, I wonder when Willie will be getting his iced bun.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151348029413174&set=a.10151287044538174.464555.522848173&type=1&theater
And who, pray, will get to modernise ethics?
Every appointment, unlike his electoral pledge, made without ‘consulting public opinion on the internet’.
Muscat, given that he is what he promised, has been sidelined, not that he’s particularly upset.
So he’s prime minister. Junior cabinet secretary more like it.
He would probably give it to Franco. If he can be trusted to remodel the highest law of the land, then I’m sure he can deal with the nitty-gritty of smaller-scale ethics. Because he’s proven himself to be so very ethical himself, of course.
And thw worst part is that, after having just typed the above in part to joke, I’ve just realised that it could be a possibility.
Purely utilitarian! He said it himself, “The ends justify the means”
Pathetic.
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-05-15/news/pm-gives-no-answers-on-permanent-secretary-resignations-1599045632/
He lost me too. What does the code of ethics have to do with having a mobile or not?
You still have not mastered our Joseph’s sense of humour. He even giggles at his own ‘perceived’ jokes.
What is your email address, please?
[Daphne – [email protected]]
Even if the PM beleives that the code of ethics should be changed, first change it, then apply new ethics code. In the meantime he needs to apply present ethics code.
Well let’s face it, this ‘morti di fame’ mob are headed by a hungrier person than they are – how embarrassing for a Prime Minister to chose to use his car in order to pocket an extra Euro 7,000 pa.
He’s set the pace and all the moghoz are following, at this rate they’ll all be having two and more jobs.
The ones who had no profession, might just as well get back to their old jobs anyway (or invent a new one).
I mean if one person is allowed two jobs, why not all? That’s what this change in the code of ethics is going to lead to. Just watch this space.
`He set the pace….`
He set the tone, or rather the lack of it, more like it.
The sheer greed manifested by these people `morti di fame` led by Joseph Muscat has set such a bad tone to the Labour Government.
Did somebody mention good governance not too long ago?
U mbaghad tkazaw biz- zieda ta` Eur500 ghal Ministri tal-Gvern precedenti li kienu jahdmu 7/24 u kull Ministru kien jahdem daqs tnejn tal-lum.
U halluna. Diga` xebbajtuna – u dan lanqas ghadkom tlett xhur fil-Gvern.
Can some journalists of the independent media check with the Cabinet Secretary whether the Ministers have submitted their declarations of assets and interests?
According to the Code of Ethics, such declarations should be made within 2 months of taking office.
Those declarations should be interesting reading.
A movable feast for immovable beasts.
Sounds like mobile phones may play some part in defining ethical behaviour.
The ‘mobile phone’ bit was a quote from The Great One?
Could he maybe be giving a nod to George Vella’s no-phone-in-my-inner-sanctum policy?
I’d invest in string and can if I were you, guys.
http://www.maltarightnow.com/?module=news&at=Aktar+%26%23295%3Batriet+mill%2DGvern+Laburista+g%26%23295%3Bal+nies+%27%27tal%2Dqalba%27%27&t=a&aid=99847177&cid=111
Unbelievit.
Willie Mangion – konsulent fuq il-baned?
Should I barf or ROFL? On second thoughts, I’ll do both if that snippet is confirmed.
And one comment on this report published on The Independent said something to the effect “what do you expect if the Opposition claimed that they do not want to co-operate”.
Do you believe the level of intelligence of these people?
That link has been deleted.
Joseph Muscat politically never made sense, but since he has been elected as Prime minister, with his statements and replies to journalists, he is showing us that as a politician he is a disgrace.
A court room drama, sometime in the future, in the Democratic Peoples Republic of Melita:
Prosecutor: is it true you were skinny dipping in public at noon?
Accused: yes.
prosecutor: and there we have it, from the horses mouth, an admission of guilt.
Judge addressing accused: What have you got to say for yourself?
Accused: I am morally convinced the code of ethics relating to public bathing is faulty as it was what my mum and dad had to abide with, in the time when floppy discs were all the rage, and I believe they should be amended.
Judge: you can walk free, after all there is a precedent related to ethics and mobile phones.
Ghidli ma min taghmilha u nghidlek x’int . Two of a kind – dilettanti.