A picture the newspapers won’t give you: this morning’s prime ministerial press conference
Thank heavens for members of my international worldwide network of spies and their iPhones, because I have a strong suspicion, going on experience, that some newsrooms will not understand that the format and location of the prime minister’s press conference this morning is one of the news points, alongside the announcement of a Commissioner Against Bureaucracy and the fact that the prime minister is now also Minister of Justice (though most people haven’t woken up to that yet – they’ve only noticed that Manuel Mallia has lost the portfolio).
Look at this: they actually built a pen on a platform for the reporters, at a sizeable distance from the prime minister framed in his grand doorway.
It’s all about staging, about the visual grammar of power and ‘untouchability’, and guess what, it only works in undeveloped societies.
So if it works in Malta, what does that say about us? And if it works on you, worry.
In any case, this is a photograph of a typically ill-mannered prole brought up like a Maltese savage: he invites guests to come round and then provides them with chairs on the doorstep. If the Auberge de Castille had a garage, all nice and tiled and with an everyday kitchen in it, and a spare lav, he would entertain them there so as not to let them into the house proper.
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Were those cannons loaded?
Nahseb li iva ghal min ifettillu jiftah halqu u jsaqsi xi mistoqsijja mhux prudenti ghal widnejn il-Prim Ministru
British Prime Ministers sometimes speak to journalists outside No.10, so Joseph must copy that, complete with bodyguard on the alert.
There is a difference: the PM of a big country which ruled an empire speaks in front of a rather normal-looking terraced house on the pavement at street level, and practically rubs shoulders with journalists; the PM of one of the tiniest countries in the world must address the media from a bombastic (like him) baroque palace and stands alone, several metres away from the reporters, using a lectern and a special enclosure for reporters.
PS – And what about the heavy artillery staring pointblank at the journalists?
Jeez. Aren’t those journalists feeling intimidated with those two cannons pointing towards them?
The man in sunglasses is one of Muscat’s main security men. He was ready, full suit and all, at the counting hall.
Hudu go fikhom, switchers.
“Hudu go fikom, gurnalisti bla b*jd.”
How telling this photo is. The sheep-pen for the journalists is placed right in front of the cannon. How symbolic that is.
One gets closer to wild animals at zoos and parks than the honourable PM gets to the journalists. They must be his nightmare and yet most of them are so tame.
They eat out of his hand. We could do with some ‘wilder’ ones.
And since he was one of them until a short time ago, they should know him and know what buttons to push.
Not to mention the cannon pointed in their direction.
Why did Manuel Mallia lose the portfolio?
Ghaliex Joseph jaf x’qed jaghmel.
Why not?
He knows he has to address those who never bothered with a press conference by the previous PM. These wouldn’t recognise the courtyard.
So, is the press platform a permanent fixture from now on?
Sweet, the Auberge’s facelift nearing completion and this barbarian spikes it with his turret.
Dik il-platform ghandha permess tal-MEPA ?
Muscat gets to shelter in the shade while everyone else burns in the sun.
Nice.
Trust Muscat to overdo it with the compensation. One cannon would have been enough.
Yeah and as he says ‘any questions?’ his security guy hovers over the cannon with a smouldering fuse lighter.
Does this make him bi?
Isn’t there a species of slithering lizard with two penises? Therein lies your answer.
Yes, one for the heteros and one for the homos.
It was him! Daphne, I never said nuffink!
OMG
Wannabe Obama-style ‘state of the nation address’. At least in the White House everyone is seated in a civilised environment, but for us miserable Maltese we have to bear the scorching sun.
Poplu, issa hu go fik.
AND close the road to traffic.Such an important press conference. And after his speech to the nation.
The “Great Leader” will opt for pomp and ceremony. Perhaps the great academic within the ranks has been reading up on models to follow.
Yes I was thinking about that, the Brandons and Clints trying to deliver beer cans and chicken nuggets.
Must have cost him some votes.
X’affarijiet dawn.
On first seeing this photo and blogpost, I seriously thought it was a bad joke.
Ara jekk ma jghidu xejn dwar din l-oxxenita’ il-gurnalisti il-veru bla b**d.
Mela konferenza stampa barra, f’xemx taqli l-grieden, mat-triq, u bis-security mad-dawra ta’ Kastilja.
Ghaliex ma ghamiliex fil-bitha kif kien issir qabel jew dan huwa l-moghod il-gdid kif naghmlu l-politika?
U setghu jisimghu x’qieghed jghid jew kellhom l-earpieces biex jisimghu ghax b’dik id-distanza bejniethohm u mat-triq ma nistghax nifhem kif semghu kelma wahda, sakemm ma kienx hemm xi loudspeakers taht ghajnejhom, jew waqfu l-karozzi sakemm spiccat il-konferenza stampa?
Wara mitt gurnata ghadu lanqas hu cert lil min se jaghmel ministru. Ftakru li ftit granet wara li hatar il-ministri id-DOI hareg stqarrija biex caqlaq xi responsabiltajiet.
30 Celsius in the shade.
Konferenza fuq l-ghatba tal-bieb ta’ barra. Hekk jigu stmati il-gurnalisti mill-ex kollega taghhom tas-Super One?
Qisna F’Salib it-Toroq ta’ Karmelina. Fejnu Frederick Testa?
This is hilarious.
My mother recently turned 85 and though she is aware of technology she doesn’t know how to use it.
Whenever I visit she always asks me to update her on your blog.
I just showed this thread and she laughed… and then she laughed some more and said (and I quote) “this woman has balls. X’inhi helwa”… and she laughed some more.
Then I went into the kitchen to make us a cup of tea with two Morning Coffee biscuits at the side, and she asked me to see whether you’d updated your blog in the meantime. You had.
And she laughed some more.
(thank you)
[Daphne – My pleasure.]
Issa fhimt ghalfejn imur il-gym. Biex jippoppa sidru aktar, mela biex jirqaq.
It’s the cannons that bother me most. It’s as if the whole thing is symbolic of what is to come.
Actually, I can imagine that the image the press got, of Muscat standing with two big cannons on either side, must have been similar to a full frontal picture or Yosemite Sam with two over-sized guns in his hands.
The boy is pompous, look at that press enclosure on the steps of Castille, typical drama queen.
Oh yes, that enclosure. Looks like if any one of the journalists asked some daring question, they would have brought out the hungry tigers from the dungeons of the Auberge.
From now on Castille will only be used to host fashion shows for the high society.
http://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/OPM_10052013_c.jpg
The soirees.
OMG! Things are not looking good at all.
This platform must certainly have cost the country some money plus the eyesore it created to one of our finest Auberge facades in this beautiful city.
Wasn’t there a place already within Kastilja for meetings with the press? Was it really necessary to make such a “show”? Are we going to have this platform permanent or are we going to have similar ceremonies like these during the legislature?
I had to look twice to realize that this was not a film set for the King’s Speech.
How bloody ridiculous. Il- veru buffu. Are the switchers still impressed by the glitz.
I honestly cannot decide whether it’s hilarious or extremely sad.
How ridiculously pompous he is. Not that I had any doubt that power would go up to his head in no time at all.