Simon Busuttil is the new Nationalist Party leader
What a huge relief it is, how consoling, to see men behaving well after all this time spent watching and listening to a series of ill-mannered, graceless, spiteful freaks who have forced their way onto centre-stage.
I have in mind not only Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, Franco Debono, Jesmond Mugliett and John Dalli, but also so very many others in the Labour camp.
Well, they were given a lesson tonight, but they are incapable of learning it. People like that are too far gone and are beyond hope of rescue. They’re not normal and they’re not decent.
The trouble is that because they were constantly out there, given validation by the huge Labour machine, they were presented as normal, presented as the decent ones who were hard done by.
I watched Ray Bugeja concede defeat with a graceful speech in which he said that he will now become involved with the Nationalist Party and will work within it. And there wasn’t an iota of spite, anger or resentment there. If there was disappointment, it didn’t show; it was more that he seemed generally moved. If he wants to stay on and work, then that’s a good thing. His fiancee, Sara Grech, could give a valuable contribution too, if that is what she wants to do.
I watched Francis Zammit Dimech, too – as jolly, decent and beaming as ever, even in defeat. He spoke of his commitment and loyalty to whichever of the other two is confirmed leader. He didn’t really need to say it. As others said of him afterwards, he is the very definition of loyalty and decency.
What I say of him is something those others can’t: that he makes the aforementioned scum look even worse. Or rather, exactly what they are.
Mario de Marco’s speech was a lesson in grace and dignity. And his immediate withdrawal from the race, with the words “the time for competition/contests is over”, and promise of unswerving loyalty to Simon Busuttil, was a lesson in honourable behaviour. I should have known that Mario would have planned what he would do in these circumstances, and that he even had his words and messages ready and prepared. I should have known, too, that there would be no two days of agonising between now and the next round, on whether to step down or not. He would have done that agonising well ahead of the event, and then taken his decision, having considered all scenarios.
Mario said to the councillors that it is now his wish that all of them vote for Simon on Wednesday.
And that is the end of that. Or the beginning – for we now have a curious situation in which the prime minister and the Opposition leader both started out in electoral politics at exactly the same time, and together, as MEPs in 2004.
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Well now we congratulate Simon and wish him luck for the coming years. Hopefully and as it look the other three contestants will work together so we will win the next election.
Faqqa subajk !
Se jkollna bzonn pulizija ghassa hdejn kull hanut tal-grocer , b’Simon Kap !
My aching sides!
Le, Privitera, se jkollna ‘tal-kontroll’ ghassa ma tal-grocers biex jinfurzaw il-prezzijiet tal-bulubif kif stabbiliti mill-gvern.
Mur inheba x’imkien fid-dlam, Eddy!
I agree with you, with Simon as leader, we will surely win the next election.
Indeed with Simon having fought for us to join the EU and Joseph muscat fighting against it. Right from the start Simon was on the right side and Joseph not. That Joseph would go on to contest as MEP when he fought so hard against our membership takes shows the extent of the man’s hypocrisy. Several Maltese expressions come to mind but none which are particularly polite.
Good on Mario for having done the correct thing so swiftly. Let us hope he commits his many resources to supporting Simon and does not slip into the background as I felt he did in the last national election.
Simon is best placed to know how to deal with Joseph Muscat having worked in Brussels during the same period that JM had his stint there. Not sure that JM actually did any work then. He seemed too busy following personal pursuits like a doctorate which he probably had a ghost writer write. It can never be a fair fight though. Simon is essentially decent whilst JM is not. JM is never going to be beaten if one plays by the book. So the gloves have to come off.
Good decent men like Simon know how to fight too.
This action being taken after every other route has been tested.
He will use his intelligence and rock solid integrity to stand fast against this government of ‘pimps, thieves and scoundrels’.
Agree 100%. Off with the gloves and put on the knuckle duster. This is positive thinking, because it will help wipe off Muscat’s smirk.
Min jaf ta’ min se jara “wicc ta’ nazzjonalist “, issa li lahaq Kap ?
Relax. Zgur mhux tieghek.
@ Privitera
Ahjar wicc Nazzjonalist minn wicc Mintoff, KMB, Sant u Muscat.
Simon ma sarx Kap tal-Partit billi mexxa xi kampanja kontra l-kontestanti l-ohra bhal ma ghamlu Gowzef u Jason kontra Abela!
“Right from the start Simon was on the right side and Joseph not. ”
Playing the EU card again is a risky argument. PN tried hard in the campaign but to no avail. They almost wanted the 2013 election to be a sort of a second confirmation to 2003. But the stra-majority thought otherwise. At best, they did not care, and at worse, given a chance they would want out. There is no doubt about it.
Whether the decision was good or bad is besides the point now. Still projecting Simon as the champion of the EU will make him the symbol of anything wrong and dysfunctional in the EU (of which, we are spoilt for choice). Of course this will be done subtly, lest PL will appear too Eurosceptic.
Yes, a demonstration as it should be done. Calm, cool, collected individuals, a tribute to the PN.
Unfortunately, it will not penetrate the yahoos. Rabid, greedy, ignorant idiots.
“Or the beginning – for now we have the curious situation in which the Prime Minister” had “politically assassinated” the person serving as Mr. Speaker because of the latter’s poor performance in a debate with the Leader of the Opposition.
So Simon Busuttil is Mr. Speaker’s only hope for delivering justice with his “political murderer.”
Minn jaf il-prigunier ta’ Brussel kif jahsibha?
There must be other important things on his mind right now. The name of Giovanni Kessler must be giving him a lot of headaches, I think.
True gentlemen. Their speeches were impeccable.
Thank you Raymond, Francis, Mario and Simon.
Simon has shown incredible clarity when he was instrumental for Malta to join the EU. Eddie Fenech Adami entrusted this young lawyer and he came out with flying colours.
I will sleep the sleep of the saved tonight thinking that Simon will take this glorious party back to the real Malta taghna lkoll not the corrupt stinking Malta that is only theirs plus their spouses, pogguti u kornuti on the state payroll.
Labour is already sulking in the shadows probably saying the time of fun is over because now we have another new boy facing the fury.
Congratulations to all four candidates. They gave a true lesson on how internal party politics should be conducted. They all excelled with their integrity, loyalty, professionalism and respect for their adversaries.
Grazzi Mario ta l-irgulija u s-sens komun. Il-partit ghandu bzonnok. U bilhaqq proset kemm ghandek mara helwa.
Awguri lil Simon. Determinat u integru. Bidu sabieh li jawgura tajjeb ghal dan il-partit.
So are they all, all honourable men.
I can now willingly and heartily retain and renew my PN membership card which I have proudly held since the fifties.
All that unsolicited self-serving malicious advice from the Labour movement to the Nationalist Party to discard Simon as a future leader rejected by both electors and contestants with a decorum that contrasts with the gory backstabbing and the rush to guzzle lucrative unmerited jobs shocking Malta’s society since the last election.
With Mario having taken this very courageous step, the contest for deputy leader takes on a new meaning.
With Beppe having already thrown the hat in the ring, it will be interesting to see if the councillors will simply want to reward Mario for following his father’s example or whether they will consider all the candidates on their merits.
“…the prime minister and the Opposition leader both started out in electoral politics at exactly the same time, and together, as MEPs in 2004.”
The difference is that Simon jumped in the rough waters to save the PN from an electoral defeat which was written on the wall and he got elected to parliament on his own steam, without being co-opted.
Muscat went for the party leadership race when the electoral ’war’ devastated everything in his party, he was the ‘last straw’.
He left parliament waiting for months so that he could become eligible for an MEP pension and targeted a poor MP lamb to get his seat in parliament as leader of the opposition.
Gonzi treated Muscat with velvet gloves instead of killing the serpent in the egg. Muscat was a zero as much as KMB was.
Muscat stays away from battles. He sends others to fight, and if they win he’ll be on the forefront to loot.
Incidentally, I noted Simon’s graceful way of getting rid of JPO and Franco in the Xarabank interview with Peppi: “Franco and Jeffrey are practically working for Labour and I respect their decision”. In other words, good riddance to bad rubbish.
Just in case nobody said this to Franco I would like to echo what he told Carm Mifsud Bonnici, but in the more polite form: Take that!
Extemely valid points you make, Gahan.
And especially that Gonzi treated Muscat with velvet gloves. I hope, and I belief, that Simon will expose Muscat for what he is: an incompetent opportunist.
Mhux ta’ b’xejn jismek GAHAN !
X’hemm hazin fl-isem li ghazilt? Jekk jien semmejt lili nnifsi Gahan, dak ghax gharaft li xi cuc bhalek jkun stupidu u idjota iktar minn kemm jahseb li Gahan kien, u jipprova jzebblahni b’ismi…bilhaqq int ivvutajt Labour.
Bla ma taf, bill-kumment tieghek tajt ragun lil Ciccio.
Ghax tghid, l-isem Eddy ifakkar hafna nies f’Fenech Adami, allura ma jmissekx tibdlu?
Donnok xi bozza tal-elf, Eddy!
The PN has always been spoilt for choice for competent, dedicated, well mannered and professional leaders. Throughout its years in government, it has created work, social justice and freedom.
I am sure the best man won and the other contestants will continue to give their all to see the PN back in the driving seat for another 25 years.
Winning the next election is not an impossible task as Muscat is preparing his own rope to hang himself with every bad decision taken on a daily basis.
Decency my friends, unfortunately is not so common on the island, however those few who are have achieved the best deals for our islands whatever our national ignoramuses have to say.
Well done gents, well done indeed.
Hear hear.
Without removing merit in any way from gentleman Mario de Marco, loyal Francis Zammit Dimech or well meaning Ray Bugeja, Simon Busuttil is set to become that positive spark that the PN requires to move ahead towards an electoral victory.
Simon is the welcome change and the breath of fresh air that is not only necessary after a such a humiliating electoral defeat but an absolute requirement after the party had derailed itself so horribly over these past five years.
Lawrence Gonzi was misled by his entourage but ultimately his leadership was lacking on his home turf. He only saw what blinkered picture was framed in his mind oblivious to the fact that who was closest to him would be in the most favourable position to stab him in the back.
Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, Franco Debono and Jesmond Mugliett were merely the visible pawns. John Dalli, while still resentful, had no hope of achieving party leadership so while they collectively inflicted damage, none of them had the final objective of achieving PN leadership but someone else may have and possibly still does.
Simon will now have to surgically weed out the chaff from the straw so that a united PN will obtain parliamentary majority in the shortest time possible and hopefully before too much damage is inflicted on Malta by the party in government.
With Simon as leader an ideal deputy would be Beppe Fenech Adami as this would restore the balance and weld the differences between the liberal and conservative elements within the party.
Because of his vast experience, organisational abilities and reconciliatory capabilities, I would have seen Francis Zammit Dimech as the ideal secretary-general, but perhaps he may have burned his bridges. Time will tell.
There are certainly exciting times ahead.
“after the party had derailed itself so horribly over these past five years.”
Does NOBODY judge a party by its success in office? And would we have had the same success if the government had ‘listened to the people’?
If the government had ‘listened’, we would be in the sorry mess that other countries are in.
And we’d still have a huge carpark and piss-pot for an entrance to our capital city. And we’d have hunters taking over the countryside for weeks on end. And we’d still have those ecological nightmares for public transport etc, etc.
I would like to thank Dr. Lawrence Gonzi for taking on himself a drubbing so Malta didn’t have to.
Lawrence Gonzi failed to heed the party ‘roots’. These councillors are there precisely to transmit the general feeing around the country and to help the government, through the party structures, to rectify any failings.
What the councillors transmitted was regularly ignored so much so that all four contestants for the top job pointed out that the PN has to ‘listen’ to the people.
Listening to the people means ‘communicating’ and in no way would have ‘communicating’ meant what you state.
When people communicate they transmit views mutually and clear any misunderstandings.
Communication simply was not there and you can look at it from any angle you want, that is where Lawrence Gonzi failed miserably.
Now it’s time to move on.
Well said. I agree with you 100%. Thank you Dr. Lawrence Gonzi.
I agree wholeheartedly with Futur mill-aghar. Gonzi is the best possible thing that could have happened to this country during the past five years.
He knowingly paid the steep political(and personal) price in order to avoid us citizens doing the same and for that, he will have the eternal gratitude of those who have the wherewithal to understand this basic fact.
As for Bob-a-job’s comment regarding hidden hand controlling the visible pawns, my thoughts have been going pretty much been in the same direction for some time now. I sincerely hope that Simon Busuttil will be savvy enough to neutralise the blade that will undoubtedly be poised to stab during the coming years.
But I am optimistic. After all the first step in avoiding a trap is knowing that it’s there.
“With Simon as leader an ideal deputy would be Beppe Fenech Adami as this would restore the balance and weld the differences between the liberal and conservative elements within the party.”
I disagree with you. Beppe Fenech Adami is not the ideal deputy leader.
All contenders for the post must be given their due credit. Yes, the PN is well and truly spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing the right people for leadership.
Well done, Simon. Your first responsibility is to see why 49% of the counsellors chose one of the other three candidates.
[Daphne – I hardly think so. And your attitude runs contrary to the quite obvious spirit of good sportsmanship last night. They chose one of the other candidates because it was a democratic election and not a North Korean one. End of story.]
In the end, you could only choose one candidate. If I had had a vote, I would have been in a conundrum to chose between Dr Busuttil and Dr de Marco. It was a difficult decision for a lot of the Councillors. Having cast their vote in favour of one did not mean they were against the other.
Joe Aquilina, when it comes to democratic principles, you know f**k all.
In 2008 Joseph Muscat obtained 2.5 votes less than the 50% mark whilst this time Simon Busuttil obtained 2.5% votes more than 50%. So Simon faired slightly better in his leadership race than the present prime minister.
Sorry, they chose the others because they thought they were better than Simon for the job !
Correct! But as soon as it was evident that all others combined were a minority the other contenders democratically and enthusiastically endorsed the will of the majority of the councillors in a frank demonstration of solidarity.
In my opinion Simon impressed by his determined stance regarding an NP refusal to become complicit in a revision of the constitution insultingly under the tutelage of a traitor to the Nationalist Party and its leaders.
I hereby pour my congratulations to Dr. Simon Busuttil as leader of the Nationalist Party and agree that he well deserves
it .
I hereby send my congratulations to Dr. Simon Busuttil for his having won the nomination for the leader of the Nationalist Party. He has shown great talent in the electoral campaign and never failed to win an argument.
I believe he is the most capable to rebuild what is missing in the party, and to awaken it to light through his intellectual speeches, so that the present hypocritical
government and its tremendous cabinet will finally have to face the challenge that they truly deserve.
Mario De Marco’s decision was the first step towards an electoral victory.
He simply closed the horrible chapter the PN had to go through when a number of individuals claimed the party for themselves.
Simon Busuttil carries the weight of that decision, that he recognise Mario encompasses the party in its entirety.
It can be done.
Labour must be grinding their teeth at this flawless and smooth process underlined by formidabe unity. I see a bright future for PN. I`m optimistic we are already back on the trail…lots of work to do but we will get there.
Yet again, timesofmalta.com’s comments board is full of “Nazzjonalisti imwegghin ghax ma sarx Mario De Marco kap tal-partiti.”
What has turned Nationalist supporters into such fragile and puerile beings?
There was a race, there was a winner. Accept it.
Any excuse seems to suffice for this spineless lot to pout and threaten to not vote or vote Labour. “I did not get an appointment”; ” I did not get a promotion”; “I was refused the umpteenth favour”; and now “my man did not win”.
This attitude has become intolerable and pathetic.
There is so much to be positive about. Why not compare Simon Busuttil to the Joseph Muscat of six years ago?
Simon Busuttil would win hands down, irrespective of his yet unpolished public appearance. If, on top of that, we look around at what is happening in government after only a couple of months, we realise that there is a great deal to go on to rebuild the strong winning Nationalist Party of a few years ago.
Am I the only one who thinks that if the Nationalist Party plays it right and its supporters stop wallowing in self pity and self flagellation there is a good chance that the pendulum will swing the other way sooner than one may think?
The biggest challenge that Simon faces is strengthening the mind and the backbone of some party supporters, not so much that of the party administration and its finances – that will follow as a natural consequence.
This is where he will need the support of all his colleagues, particularly that of Mario de Marco who, we have no reason to doubt, will be a man of his word.
I can assure you that the “Nazzjonalisti imweggghin” are the elves who are still at work from their Hamrun HQ.
How can anyone who supported Mario feel hurt , when the said candidate is now encouraging those who supported him to vote for Simon?
I think that the PN is building on solid ground with this esprit de corps in the leadership race.
Well done to Mario , Francis and Raymond, your behaviour was impeccable.
Mario DeMaco is wise enough to know that Simon will be a loser in 5 years’ time. It is then that Mario will contest again for the leadership. That is why he doesn’t want to contest the vice-leader post so as not be a part of a losing leadership in 2018 !
Mario De Marco is wiser than you think which means wiser than you, Eddy.
Sometimes Gahan has to spoon feed certain people who think in a twisted way and that people are ungentlemanly schemers like they are.
De Marco knows fully well that by backing Simon he sealed a great friendship and gained all round respect.
Keep it simple , and be positive, Eddy!
Probably our friend Eddy is confusing DeMarco with Dalli.
Kif jistghu in-Nazzjonalisti jkunu mwegghin jekk Mario stess ddecieda li jirtira?
Dal-paroli m’ghadhomx, jekk qatt kienu, tan-Nazzjonalisti.
Only one winner – others must follow if they have a commitment to serve the party and the country.
The winner happened to be another loyal, politically trained, intelligent, well-meaning and full of genuine enthusiasm to serve.
He was courageous enough to leave behind his fabulous Brussels career after being himself a true national representative of the people’s membership in the European Union from the very earliest stages of Malta’s attempt.
A man who has had a massive vote in the recent general election because he inspires confidence in thousands of people who are receptive enough to see truth in the man. The man with an encouraging smile is none other than Dr. Simon Busuttil.
Others who delve in sour feelings within the party should decide at an early stage which party they belong to. The well-meaning were always loyal, faithful and determined to give a hand to the party not paralyse it.
Congratulations to Simon Busuttil who is writing another historical chapter for the Nationalist Party and well done to the other three contenders who are three feathers in the PN’s cap.
Are you sure they are real ‘Nazzjonalisti mweggghin’? Do not be so gullible. I am convinced they are not who they claim to be.
Congratulations to all four gentlemen.This is the meaning of team work.PROSIT
Our councillors chose the right man.
Whilst most heartily congratulating Simon and, more so, Mario, Francis and Ray, I am very proud this morning to declare that I am a member and councillor of this glorious PN. I was present after voting and listened attentively to Ray, Francis and Mario. They gave all and sundry a lesson in loyalty and democracy.
Simon (and eventually the new deputy leader and the new secretary-general) has a hard task ahead of them but I am more than convinced that the party is already much stronger than it was after the election results.
We shall all now join forces with the new administration team and, whilst working in the interest of the PN and the country, expose in clear terms the indecency of the PL – their pre-election gimmicks which are now proving to be divisive and disgraceful.
Good Luck Simon and thank you Mario, Francis and Ray without forgetting a thank you to Lawrence Gonzi.
It is worth highlighting some contrasts between what happened yesterday and some other recent leadership contests.
Putting the 2/3 majority per statutory requirement aside for a moment, an absolute majority of PN delegates yesterday voted Simon Busuttil as leader in the first round of the leadership elections. It was honorable behaviour by real gentlemen when all other contestants withdrew from the race and put their support behind Simon.
In 2008, in the first round of the Labour leadership elections, Joseph Muscat obtained less than 50% of the vote, even if marginally. So he secured the leadership only after the second round of elections.
In 2004, Lawrence Gonzi obtained 59.3% of the vote in the first round, and John Dalli came second with 25.3%. Despite Lawrence Gonzi’s absolute majority and substantial lead, John Dalli did not concede.
http://andrewazzopardi.org/2013/05/05/pn-councillors-who-voted-in-the-2004-elections-for-gonzi-and-dalli-were-filmed-on-micro-camera-saviour-balzan/
[Daphne – Jahasra.]
Is this what is referred to as intentellectualism in Malta, or is it just sucking up to the new masters so that one obtains airtime on prime time PBS?
Obviously, I am not talking about the erratic Saviour Balzan since his grudge has been bordering into the paranoia/insanity territory for quite some time.
X’qed jistenna l-partit biex ifittxu fil-qorti u jzarmalu gazzetta?
Kemm jiflah jigdeb u jivvinta dar-ragel. Rikatti wahdu.
Ahjar joqghod attent minn fejn igib l-informazzjoni u kemm izommha mistura. Kieku kixef dawk l-erbgha kummidjanti f’l-Enemalta konna niffrankaw mill-kontijiet tad-dawl.
Mbaghad ghax Austin ghamel konferenza stampa dahal nifsu maqtugh u denbu bejn saqajh, b’Matthew Vella jiccassa lejn il-karti.
Iblah.
Daphne, ghax ma sfidajtux igib il-provi, jew tibza li dak li qal Saviour Balzan – u li ma giex innegat mil-PN – pprobabbli veru ??
[Daphne – Sfidah int, Privitera. Jien nigi naqa u nqum minn Saviour Balzan.]
Din mhiex risposta Daphne, ikkonfermajtli li int probabbli TAF li dak li qal Saviour VERU !!!!!
[Daphne – Lanqas xejn, Privitera, imma jien – mhux bhalek – naf lil Saviour Balzan.]
@ L.Gatt – I am afraid you misread the comments of those who claimed that they wanted Mario for PN leader and are thus now disappointed.
Those same labour elves had the same comments, substituting ‘Simon’ for ‘Mario’ had Mario won the race.
Yes hudha go fik, Franco, as the Maltese say. I came to learn this and I also learnt something else Franco Debono, iz-zejt jitla’ f’ wicc l-ilma. Maybe one day it will or has it already?
What a breath of fresh air and hope to these four perfect gentlemen take the stage yesterday. And let us not forget the fifth one, Dr. Gonzi.
I wish to congratulate Simon and also to say a big thank you to Mario, Francis and Ray for their gentlemanly manners.
I think that with a formidable team like we have, we are capable of winning the next general elections.
dear L Gatt,how dare you calling,pn supporters spineless,after a lifetime supporting pn,you mean if you have a daughter with 3 kids,acording to you,you cannot ask for a bit of help.she’s only been waiting for 14years.i’m sorry i dont agree with you,the only thing i agree with is,that no one has the right to use their vote as a weapon.we did’ent anyway.now you tell me WHO do you think is going to help my daughter.NO ONE my friend.regards.frank
[Daphne – What’s wrong with your daughter and why does she need help from politicians? You’ve lost us here, Frank. If she needs help, why can’t you help her? Or her husband? What has she been waiting for, for 14 years? Please don’t say ‘a flat’ or lots of people who had to work and buy their own, despite having children (or rather, because they have children) will lose their temper. Governments and politicians have nothing in their gift that hasn’t come from other people.]
i wish it was as easy as that,and if other people lose their temper,i dont really give a dam about them,i would have thought that you had an idea,that some people have big problems,but it seems,that you dont.frank
[Daphne – It is practically impossible to reach a certain stage in grown-up life without having big problems, Frank. Everybody has them, and some are bigger than others. But some people, and you are possibly one of them, think that their problems are the biggest of the lot and that despite being adults, they should not have to solve them. You are not going to impress me by telling me that your daughter has three children and problems. I had three children at 24 – do you think that was easy? But I didn’t go crying and banging on the government’s door for help. For a start, with the first two, the government was Labour and the PM was KMB. That was fun, I can tell you – two babies and no water in the pipes, walking down to the beach with a bucket to bring up sea-water to flush the lavatory, then taking the babies to a friend’s house, somewhere they had water, every day to wash them (both my parents-in-law and my parents lived in Sliema too and had no water either). Nappies? Don’t even ask. U kollox awtovstokk. Tell your daughter that she doesn’t even know she’s born and that her children are effing lucky to have been born now and not in 1964, like me, practically straight into a solid wall of Labour deprivation from primary school to marriage and two children. Tista toqghod teqred ukoll, it-tifla tieghek. You should help her yourself. You’re her father, after all. Why do you expect other people’s fathers to pay for whatever it is your daughter wants?]
Frank: Ftakar f’dak il-qawl Malti: ” Iz-zaqq il-mimlija tigi taqa u tqum mill-vojta ” !
[Daphne – Why am I not surprised that it’s a qawl Malti. It kind of sums up the attitude of people who vote Labour.]
Daphna. Il-kintra ta li ktibt int. KIen il-Labour li DEJJEM haseb ghal dawk li huma fil-bzonn u fl-ewwel skaluna tas-socjeta. Il-PN , il-Kontra, tant hu hekk li – kif taf int sewwa – kien maghruf bhala l-partit tas-sinjuri u tal-Knisja !
[Daphne – Parties with you must be a lot of fun, Privitera.]
I hope Eddy solved your daughter’s problem!
Frank, there are institutions and social services for people in need, but not for lazy people.
If your daughter has three kids she gets children’s allowance. If she got married she should be responsible enough to fend for herself.
Privitera,
Mela, u meta Mons.Gouder pprova jrazzan l-eccessi fil-festi, qamet rewwixta b’Marlene, Debono Grech u Natius fuq quddiem.
L-aqwa li l-‘fqar’ jixxalaw, jekk jew hekk ghal flus hemm it-taxxi tas-sinjuri.
well that’s the way,you want to look at it.and please dont cry and say you were born under kmb,as it does not impress me,as i went through all that shit,so please,spare me all that.people like you have no idea what people like me went through.and belive me when you tell me that i’m crying you are more then mistaken it takes much more than that to make me cry . you said you found a solid wall i found a solid fist.i’m just stateing a fact.i also think that a lot of people that left the pn,is beause they were treated the same way that you treat people.(as i told you before i’m not one of them).just imagine if you were an mp,and you tell people the same things that you told me.you would’ent get half a dozen votes.regards and so long.frank
[Daphne – The point is, Frank, that I am neither a Nationalist politician nor an MP, and I am tired of dealing with the utter, sheer stupidity of people like you who insist on seeing me as a representative of the Nationalist Party when I quite patently am not. The Labour Party portray me as such for propaganda purposes, but it is the deficient reasoning skills of people like you who make that possible. Your ignorance is so great – and I have to say this because probably nobody else will point it out to you – that you can’t tell the difference between the completely different roles and duties of a newspaper columnist/blogger and a member of parliament. I am not here to be nice to you. That’s your MP’s job, but only because he wants your vote and not because being nice to pests and idiots is a democratic requirement. I hasten you to read the interview given by Carmelo Borg, a specialist in education, to The Times yesterday. I have been saying pretty much the same things for years, but coming from an academic they carry so much more weight: Malta’s education system over generations has given us a democratic deficit because it trains people NOT to think critically, to be passive and to receive information unquestioningly. You are one such example of many thousands, I’m afraid, and the rest of us have to pay the price. It is irrelevant to me whether you stopped voting PN or not. That’s not the point. The point is that we still have to live with your reasoning, and come up against many other such examples every day, which make even simple conversation intolerable to those who reason normally and think critically. And no, ‘critical thinking’ does not mean ‘negative’ or ‘criticism’. It means rationality, factual assessment and logical reasoning. I have long been aware that there is something really wrong and different with Maltese people/Maltese society, so much so that the few examples of normality actually stick out as abnormal, which is what they effectively are. And it’s now nice to be told that I haven’t been imagining it or exaggerating.]
frank’s real name is Franco.
Then it isn’t daughters but songbirds and cocks, surely?
I would like to congratulate Simon and wish him all the luck in the world. I think he needs it.
I’m relieved to hear that Raymond Bugeja didn’t win and that he didn’t gather much support for leadership of the party. I hope that he doesn’t play an important role in the party. This may sound unfair given that he hasn’t had a chance to prove himself but I cannot trust anyone who approached the Labour Party.
Congratulations to Simon but also a big thank you to Dr. Lawrence Gonzi..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwyIJJxml2g
Nifrah lill-Dr. Simon Busuttil ghal-hatra ta’ kap tal-Partit Nazzjonalista u nifrah ukoll lill-kontestanti l-ohra tal-imgieba perfetta taghhom wara li hareg ir-rizultat.
Tassew ghandna team, sod daqs il-Four Musketeers.
Niskanta kif hadd ghadu ma ikkumenta kif gab ruhu is-sur Godfrey Grima fuq Dissett.
Nghid ghalija qazzizni, ma nafx kemm il-darba qal “ghax jien m’ghandi minn hadd”.
Hallina sur Grima, tahseb li mhux kullhadd jaf “ma’ min ghandek”. Li tipprova tnaqqas mill-hila ta’ Dr.Gonzi fis-success ekonomiku bizzejjed hu biex turina fejn thabbat qalbek u kemm int gurnalista newtrali.
You missed my comment in the previous post. How could I not comment when he was wearing a yellow tie and fuchsia socks?
He must have modeled for Godfrey Farrugia’s birthday cake. Or did John Bencini do the honours?
I agree with Zunzana, Godfrey Grima was sickening. I had to keep on switching channels – couldn’t listen to him for any length of time. I don’t think much of Michael Falzon either.
I cannot understand why so many MLP supporters rallied behind Mario Demarco and against Simon Busuttil.
Do they perceive a greater threat in Simon or does it boil down to appearances?
Ghax jixtiequ jaraw Kap tal-Oppozizzjoni ftit aktar serju minn Simon Busuttil !
Kemm ghandek ragun! Jien, per ezempju, nixtieq nara lil Joseph Muscat bhala kap tal-Oppozizzjoni.
Eddie Privitera is like those Gozitan flies that somehow stick to your skin and are so irritating they make you want to scream.
As for Frank, frankly (no pun intended) ma fhimtx x’qed jghid or how what I wrote is connected to his daughter.
I am assuming that he is an imweggha because his daughter was denied something or other.
As I said before – puerile.
And for the record, the government never filled my belly and much less my pocket and, believe me, I too went through my fair share of difficulties.
As I see things developing
Simon: leader
Beppe: vice leader
Chris Said: party secretary
Claudette involved in communications
Raymond Bugeja : CEO or directorships in the party’s companies.
Mario and Francis will always be there to land a loyal helping hand to Simon, there’s no bad blood between these three gentlemen.
dear Eddy.i an inclined to agree with you when you said. Iz-zaqq il-mimlija tigi taqa u tqum mill-vojta .regards.ed.frank
[Daphne – If that were the case, there would be no relief programmes, no charity work and no social services, Frank. Yours and Privitera’s reasoning is totally absurd. It is in fact the reasoning of peasants, which is why it is an old ‘qawl Malti’. It is those who think in terms of basic survival who don’t give a damn about others as long as their own stomachs are full. Those who have more than enough for their own stomachs can begin thinking of other people’s. That’s why it is only the most civilised and highly developed societies that take care of those less fortunate.]
i still thinks eddy is right.frank
[Daphne – Yes, obviously. You have a Labour mentality like his. You are yet another person who doesn’t understand that political parties are not clubs into which you’re born, but political organisations whose sentiments, policies, beliefs and attitudes you’re supposed to share. Let’s take two infamous examples: both Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando and Franco Debono thought in terms of supporting the PN like belonging to a club. Because of their upbringing, they never had to think about it and just drifted into it. But it was quite obvious from their way of thinking and their general attitude and mentality that they are Labour in sentiment and politics, though they finally got there by the most torturous route possible. You too are Labour. You just don’t know it yet.]
did you say peasants?at least not arrogant,
[Daphne – I am not arrogant. I am merely fortright. No doubt you are one of those social and cultural unfortunates who believe that a woman should know her place. Nor do you seem to know the definition of arrogance, which is this: demanding that the state (for which read ‘other people’) supports and houses your three grandchildren because you and your daughter, their mother, refuse to do so yourselves.]
dear daf, i think you have to calm down a bit,you take everything so personal.i have a very good idea what you need,but i am not going to be so rude and write it down on your blog.relax a bit life is to short.frank
[Daphne – I am perfectly calm, Frank. Clear and factual speech is not the result of anger but the result of clear and factual thinking. “I have a very good idea of what you need” – no doubt, as with all vulgar and crass Maltese men from the lower orders, you believe you do. People like you are the price that has to be paid for aliving in a place so small that you can’t be avoided.]
you see,that was supposed to break the ice,instead you’re calling me vulgar and crass maltese, and low .How mistaken you are.well my dear,i lived for most of my young life in the uk and belive me i dont need you to tell me how to be polite.still angry?hope not i love reading your blogs.regards.frank
[Daphne – You are obviously in search of the sort of level of engagement that certain types of stalkers are after. I will therefore cut this exchange short. I have rather too many weirdos on my case already. Certain types of personalities, like mine, seem to be a magnet for them.]
In which part of the UK did you spend your youth, Frank?
jiena LABOUR imma din hmerija ga qed imaqdru lil simion dan mhux sew adu kemm laqaq u dik li qed tikteb SUR PRIVITIERA qed tamel hsara taqax fin nasba tal PN jalla ikun hemm oppozizjoni denja li nispera tkun nifrah il SIMION jalla ikun ahjar minn ta qablu
M’hemmx j’Alla jkun ahjar, mhux kelma postha. Gonzi kien tajjeb, u Simon huwa tajjeb ukoll fil-fehmiet politici tieghu bhala persuna differenti li ghandha kull persuna differenti tohrog il-valuri taghha sbieh mal-mixja politika.
Infatti diga rajna il-Kap il-gdid taghna Dr. Simon jitkellem fil-parlament u gheleb bi shieh lil Muscat. Allura x’se taghmlu, meta minflok id wahda tal-hadid u mohh wiehed intelletwali se jkollna tlieta kollha jemergu s-sahha taghhom politika individwali?
Dawn huma Dr. Simon, Dr. De Marco u Dr. Fenech Adami. Mhux il-kwantita tghodd imma il-kwalita.
Hloqtu cabinet enormi biex timpressjonaw li se jintefa ghal kollox.