Has Belgium accepted Ray Azzopardi as Malta’s envoy?
Published:
September 9, 2013 at 12:04am
I ask because we haven’t heard anything further. And also because I needed a reason to publish these cute-pics-hon!!! of him taken this weekend at some marc tal-banda.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J1zzrCjglo
Xaghra Feast
Malta has bloody lost its mind…not that we didn’t know it, but still.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130909/local/plans-for-cctv-on-taxis-dropped-after-pre-election-deal.485374
Was there a pre-election deal with the devil as well ?
Just thought you’d welcome the tidings that it can only get cooler and cooler, and that goes for our would-be-perhaps-if-only ambassador to the Kingdom of the Belgians:
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/427980/Global-warming-No-the-planet-is-getting-cooler
They are concerned that he’ll become as popular as the Manekken Pis in no time.
I’m sure that Belgium will reply in time for him to MC the upcoming Malta Independence Day festivities to be held at the Maltese Embassy in Brussels hosting the VIP who will surely admire his talents being a formidable MC at Band Club functions. I saw him in Birgu at the Prince of Wales Club flamenco night pompously smiling the night away.
Oh God – Biex irridu nghabbu.
Dan f’xi marc tal-banda jifhem u mela fid-diplomazija.
Jista joqghod id f’id ma kuginuh Vincent Azzopardi ex direttur haddiem tad-Dockyard jisimghu il-marci ghax ghalhekk biss tajbin. (qed nirreferi ghal dak li kien jirribatti mieghek fuq il-gazzetti.)
An unbelievably misleading headline. The Times Editor, where are your journalistic standards?
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130909/local/Expats-accuse-Arriva-of-censorship-over-adverts.485350
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130909/local/marsascala-family-park-to-reopen-within-days.485442
Herr Flick should resign asap.
This is scandalous. He first orders the closure of a multi-million Euro park financed by the EU solely on a “recommendation” based on no scientific data.
Then, only after the Opposition publishes the scientific information which shows the opposite of what the Minister had claimed, he says that he will open it.
No wonder he was waffling with long meaningless replies to simple questions on TVM and with the Times.
And if I can read his line of thought correctly, he is now blaming the expert whom he appointed.
What an incompetent Minister. And he thinks that he is a beacon of professionalism with all those reports he commissioned from “experts” about which he was boasting on Twitter (or was it Facebook)?
Plain ridiculous. And scandalicious.
Did anyone watch Ta Bundy this evening? Franco Debono was imparting his legalistic knowledge on the program.
http://www.economist.com/news/international/21584335-making-fun-leaders-pleasure-enjoyed-ever-more-people-satirical-verses – Politics and humour: The satirical verses,
The Economist.
Worth reading
I wonder which festa that is.
Can a country reject an envoy? Under the Vienna Convention Is the host country under any obligation to give a reason why?
[Daphne – In response: 1. Yes, and 2. No.]
Pretty reliable sources say it has.
Where is data protection? do you know any rights as an advocate? A photo of me speaking with Ray Azzopardi published with out my permission? Should I take further actions?
[Daphne – I wouldn’t bother, dear sir. People, including the ambassador himself, might conclude that you’re embarrassed to be associated with Malta’s ambassador to Belgium.]
‘Klikka’ changed to an other ‘klikka’ Blue eyed loved boys changed to new blue eyed loved boys ( and girls ) so nothing has changed !
[Daphne – I’m sorry, but I fail to agree. My greatest objection to these appointments is not that they are of Labour supporters, but that they are blatant rewards for serving narrow party interests and that the incompetent have been placed in positions where they can either do damage or, equally bad, not maximise the potential benefit. Recent Nationalist governments at least ensured, with a few exceptions like Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, that appointees were competent and not an embarrassment. Their voting preferences were an irrelevance or a side issue. And as it turns out, Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando was and still is a Laburist.]
Then young gentleman conversing with the ‘potential’ ambassador in the second picture is a person I know. He – Alan Saliba – is a ‘laburist’ ‘di prima classe’, still praising Mintoff and attacking anything and anyone that has to do with PN on his facebook page. To his merit, this youngster is a very promising trombone player and we’ll see more of him in the local bands’ scenarios.
Ray is what he is and he can never improve: he can do well with local folk, simple people who cannot offer him any serious challenges at political level…he is respected by many… but definitely not the type of person Brussels could accept as Malta’s ambassador…I honestly wish him not to make it as ambassador for his own good and our country’s.
Ray LACKS both the quality and the stamina required for this significant role.
How sad for Malta!
Was watching with interest the PAC meeting….. until the clock hit 7pm and all wanted to pack up and leave.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130910/local/former-enemalta-chairman-expected-to-break-his-silence-today.485573
“Iktar ghax sar il-hin” said Justyne.
Oh wait, so all this charade is important only it’s time to go home?
http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/news/detail/articolo/parolin-27714/
“It is always good for a diplomat to be reminded that his job is to make a difference. The public image of diplomats too often remains that of the stereotypical cocktail party, and the focus on protocol for its own sake. I am glad to say that that is largely outdated. British ambassadors are appointed for their resilience, their strategic sense, their ability to react fast in tough circumstances, their analytical skills and their readiness to roll up their sleeves on behalf of the British public, British business, and British interests and values, not the deftness of their social small talk.”
….
Wait… so this was Konrad’s Magic Formula? Selling Enemalta to the Chinese? Are we serious?
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130911/local/china.485621
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130911/local/china.485621
That’s right. China will now become a minority shareholder in the Enemalta Corporation. Is this government nuts or what?
Do you keep refreshing this page and coming back several times a day to check for any updates? Do you find yourself scoffing at happiness index results and wish that you could find somebody to eloquently and humorously put your feelings into words?
Then you might be suffering from ADD.
Acute Daphne Deficiency
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3dfb8eb0-10b5-11e3-b5e4-00144feabdc0.html?siteedition=intl
And the prime minister has let them in through the front door.
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/businessdetails/business/businessnews/Union-welcomes-Chinese-acquisition-of-Enemalta-stake-20130911
Does the EU come into this? I mean… does no regulator need to check and oversee that this deal is OK ?
Who fixed the price at 200Million Euro ? Can we repeat this figure again… 200,000,000 Euro!
If that is 20% of the value of Enemalta…. the whole company is valued at 1000 Million Euro. Not bad for an ‘ailing’ company they are trying to depict it as.
Why wasn’t a public share offering an option for funding? Why wasnt this offer put on the market to see what bids Malta can receive?
That’s massive sale of shares in Malta’s ONLY power generation company…. is it going to be tabled in parliament for scrutiny?
Whats going on here? Aren’t they on holidays ? The PN is fast asleep and LP is signing shady deals.
This is only the start…. we will soon be referred to as the
People of the Republic of Malta.
Malta run by criminals… and nobody does anything about it
http://patronmagazine.me/2013/09/10/861/
[Daphne – I have strong reservations about this story, for reasons which I won’t disclose. Michelle Sullivan, described here as a ‘pre-op transgender female’ is actually a man. That’s what is known as obfuscating language. It therefore follows that Michelle can’t be his real name and that his passport and customs documents say something else. But that much should have been obvious: those are not the vehicle choices of a woman. Nor is he saying the full truth re GFI and what happened, so I suspect that we’re not getting the full truth here, either.]
Saw this status on Facebook recently, with a link below it and a further link within this link to the blog of the person who posted this status – sorry, bit complicated. Thought you might be interested if you hadn’t seen it yet:
Well I posted this article: http://patronmagazine.me/2013/09/10/861/ and my blog to Joseph Muscat, and I was pleasantly surprised that I got a response, and was very surprised he did so within about 10 minutes of my message. He’s handballed it to the Police Commissioner, so we’ll see where it goes, but that he is aware of it is a step forward in the right direction. — feeling surprised.
http://patronmagazine.me/2013/09/10/861/
patronmagazine.me
[Daphne – See my reply to Il-Ginger, on the same subject. This is the sort of thing that was possible in the 1980s. It is not possible now. The paper trail is too strict. You have the answer in the closing lines: procedure was followed, Sullivan ignored the notices and the case is closed. Besides, bond applies to vehicles only and not to the contents of the boot. Also, this is a man we are talking about, so the name on the documents is not going to be ‘Michelle’. This might sound boring, but a report should stick with the facts.]
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130911/local/china.485621
Where does one start to analyse and criticise the implications of this MOU with China?
It has to be highlighted at the outset that this is just an MOU, and therefore it may or may not materialise.
But the MAIN ISSUE here is that the proposed sale by Joseph Muscat of a stake in our state owned energy company Enemalta to China for the reported price of Euro 180-200 million is no more than a BAIL-OUT carried out by Joseph Muscat under the disguise of ‘foreign investment,’ only to cover-up his blunder of exposing Enemalta to bankruptcy with his electoral promise to reduce electricity tariffs – and hence the future revenues and cash receipts of Enemalta – by 25%.
This BAIL-OUT had been predicted before the elections by the PN. Instead of resorting to the IMF or the EU, Joseph Muscat chose to finance his BAIL-OUT from China.
In his announcement to the Maltese media soon after the signing of the MOU in China, Joseph Muscat himself has clearly tied the deal to the debt of Enemalta, and hence to the existing guarantees by the government to cover the debt of Malta. The government’s propaganda has in fact argued that this deal would improve the credit rating of Enemalta and possibly that of the government.
If Joseph Muscat is claiming that this ‘investment’ is necessary for Enemalta to save it from financial doom, then why has he been proposing to reduce the revenues (electricity tariffs) of Enemalta by 25%?
Why would the Prime Minister claim that a state-owned electricity supplier, which holds a monopoly over the electricity supply in Malta, is in financial difficulty and at the same time promise to reduce the revenues of that entity for the future by 25%?
This is a clear contradiction in the Prime Minister’s argument.
In effect, considering that Joseph Muscat will leak the Euro 180-200 million that would be received from China into reduced tariffs, one can argue that China has footed the bill for Joseph Muscat’s electoral promise and that this was necessary to save Enemalta from the bankruptcy which Joseph Muscat’s electoral promise would lead Enemalta into.
The credit ratings of Enemalta and the government may or may not improve if this deal is executed, but what is sure is that Malta will loose its political credibility. Malta will be viewed with scepticism and suspicion in Europe. Malta will be perceived as a satellite, or double agent, of China.
What’s worse from Labour, Malta is now no longer neutral and non-aligned, at least from an economic perspective.
The Labour government has just sold not only a stake in Enemalta, but also Malta’s economic sovereignty to China. Energy is the life-blood of industry and commerce, and now China has its hand on the very entity which supllies that blood to the Maltese economy.
Meanwhile, Joseph Muscat should explain how his government has determined the price of the stake in Enemalta that has been sold to China, who determined that value, the timing when that value was determined, and whether any commissions and fees were paid or are payable to third parties and ‘middlemen’. Joseph Muscat should be asked to be transparent and publish the reports explaining the determination of that price. Joseph Muscat should also explain the involvement, or otherwise, of the Privatisation Unit in this deal.
Finally, Joseph Muscat should explain the strategic gain for Malta from this agreement, considering the strategic losses that we suffered. The strategic meaning of this deal is the essence of any such transfer agreement, and unless Malta stands to make very clear and specific strategic gains with this particular partner, the purpose of this MOU is highly questionable, like that with Libya. Why did the government agree to sell this strategic asset to China?
Only last week, Joseph Muscat gave away the disputed oil exploration areas with Libya, and now he is surrendering part of Enemalta, whose assets, it is understood, will include an interconnector with Sicily.
natius
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=371538809640845&set=gm.10151474448115404&type=1&theater
Where are you Daphne? Missing you sorely.I enjoy reading your blog and feel empty without it.
Lovely bunch of Lejburisti tonight at Hugo Terrace Paceville: Nuxellina the Qormi Mayor, heliport director Christina Sammut and Nikita Zammit Alamango sipping cocktails…
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130915/opinion/Flunking-Maltese.486217?
What a blinkered perspective.
How about taking into consideration those parents who refuse to let their children learn such adulterated grammar.
It’s true, I was brought up in a primarily English speaking household, but correct use of language was a priority, whether we chose to speak or communicate in Italian, English, etc. Language assimilation was certainly not limited to the usual three in our household.
Maltese, in my day, was taught at private schools where the assumption was already in place that there was a minimum of Maltese spoken in the home. For us, Maltese was the language used for business. We came into proper contact with Maltese at age 15. At that point, it was important to use it properly and full immersion in specific contexts later guaranteed that. Prior to that, all classes at school assumed a basic knowledge that was never there and attempted to build on no foundation and no comprehension, at least in our case – which wasn’t an isolated one.
Claire Bonello also makes a number of negative assumptions where none may have existed. Such instigation of intolerance may be due to ignorance or a wish to willfully slur those who make a conscious choice of opting for English rather than Maltese- on-a-grammatical-descent. (There are villages in Malta and Gozo that have retained a wonderful turn of phrase, but if, for example, the use of “L-Imnieghal” in an O-level paper is normal to some, it isn’t acceptable to others.) Rather one widely-used language with set and respected grammatical reference points, than a grammatically confused language that only applies in a limited geographical context.
It may also be another case of envy: because pronunciation isn’t up to scratch or due to a number of the other usual misgivings.
Career diplomats are being recalled to Malta and this Labour mass meeting/Super One compere and ex Alfie Rizzo boyfriend with no qualifications whatsoever is going to be ambassador to Belgium.
You have no idea what career diplomats are going through. This sort of thing is so demoralising. One works and strives and does one’s best, and then a tacky, sleazy Super One show host is made high commissioner in London, a Super One show host in his 70s is made ambassador to Belgium, an 80-year-old is sent to represent Malta in Saudi, a reject from the skip is sent back to Paris, a cheap and conniving turncoat (intent on chasing men) is made ambassador to Washington and her equally cheap and conniving cousin (also intent on chasing men) is made ambassador to Madrid.
You have to be in it to know. Seriously, Daphne, don’t waste time writing about these shitty people. It’s not even worth getting heated up. I am not reading Maltese news anymore, and I feel better for it.
The ministry of foreign affairs is going to be full of career diplomats who have worked hard over the years and given their all, now stuck in a room in Valletta doing nothing or serving the pricks in charge .. a psychological nightmare.
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/Chinese-company-to-control-around-35-of-Enemalta-Zammit-Lewis-20130916
If the information revealed by Edward Zammit Lewis is correct, then the governments of Malta and China have valued one third of the Enemalta at about Euro 200 million – this being the highest sum mentioned that the communist single-party government of China will pay for a 35% stake in the share capital of Enemalta.
This means that 100% of Enemalta has been valued at about Euro 600 million.
But it is reasonable to believe that the Chinese government will not be paying for the existing debt of Enemalta, which according to the Labour government amounts to Euro 800 million.
This means that the Labour government has valued the total business of Enemalta at a negative figure of Euro 200 million (Euro 600 million less Euro 800 million).
If the information given by Edward Zammit Lewis is correct, serious questions need to be asked about the resulting worth of Enemalta according to Joseph Muscat’s government.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100221/local/roadblocks-police-and-army-abusing-their-power.295160
In this article, back when PN where in govt. a lot of noise was made about how police have no right to just stop people in roadblocks and as you can read in this article Manuel Mallia was lambasting these roadblocks and gave his comments.
Now that he is the police minister he found a loop hole and roadblocks have become a fixture especially in the south.
Hi Daphne, what gives? Heard nowt from you for over a week!
It’s been a week since Joseph Muscat, the totally inexperienced Prime Minister, sold Malta’s sovereignty to the Chinese by signing an MOU giving China control over our monopolistic energy sector.
I find this event to be very similar to the handover of Hong Kong to China by the British once their lease agreement there was over. The only difference being that Britain had given independence to Malta in 1964, only so that 50 years later, Joseph Muscat can hand Malta over to the Chinese. We are now effectively a Chinese territory.
It is evident that Alfred Sant’s “Il-partnership – l-ahjar ghazla” is still high on Labour’s agenda. Only that Muscat’s version says “Strategic partnership with China – l-ahjar ghazla.”
It is also clear that Labour still has a problem with Malta’s membership of the EU, and they have started the process to isolate Malta from the EU and associate it with China. Which means distancing Malta from western democracy and human rights and associating it instead with a communist single-party government (“zmien il-partiti spicca”) reminiscent of Mao Tse Tung, who, we are continuously reminded by Joseph Muscat, 40 years ago got paid a visit by Dom Mintoff (and Karmenu Vella and Alex Sceberras Trigona). Mao Tse Tung is credited with the deaths of about 80 million Chinese.
The irony of it all is that while it took one referendum and at least one election (2003) to get Malta into the EU, it has taken the current Labour government only one trip to Dalian to make Malta the new province of China in the Mediterranean. If Joseph Muscat wishes to reduce Malta to a province of China, like a “Taiwan tal-Mediterran,” (remember “Svizzera fil-Mediterran”?) shouldn’t he at least hold a referendum?
It is also ironic that this deal is signed by the same party that was fomenting ultra-nationalist sentiment against the “barrani”a month ago when a few boat people arrived in need of help. This xenophobic movement was claiming that Malta was going to be taken over by the “barrani.” At that time, the PM led the anti-barrani force by resorted to stamping his feet and preparing coffee for the Europeans to wake up and smell it.
Ever since he signed the MOU with the Chinese government, Joseph Muscat has been repeating the mantra that Enemalta has found a strategic partner. But there are a series of problems with that claim:
1. We were never told by Joseph Muscat and his “movement” that Enemalta was looking for a strategic partner.
2. There was no public announcement and process for interested parties to come forward and offer themselves as potential strategic partners of Enemalta. In such circumstances, an international expression of interest for a strategic partnership would have been the proper route.
3. Joseph Muscat never announced any benchmarks for the desirable characteristics of the preferred strategic partners, and what obligations and conditions he would impose on them. Therefore, we do not have any basis to conclude that the involvement of a government-controlled Chinese company is the best strategic partner for Enemalta. In fact, we have no public information to even conclude that this is a strategic partnership.
Since the Chinese company is controlled by the Chinese government, it is the Chinese government that is entering Malta’s energy market and taking control over Malta’s monopolistic operator in the electricity market, and therefore the lifeblood of Malta’s commerce, industry and households, no matter how much Muscat attempts to deviate attention from this fact.
Which means that the government of China will in future control and dominate the electricity and energy market in Malta. Which is why I cannot understand why the short-sighted associations that represent the business community in Malta have endorsed this agreement and congratulated the government. Are they aware that the future of their business will now not be determined in Valletta anymore, but in Beijing or Shanghai?
Joseph Muscat has in fact betrayed one economic argument he used to make. In the new year’s speech of 2011, as reported by Malta Today, Joseph Muscat said that “it seemed that there has been little liberalisation and competition in our privatisation drive.”
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/Much-privatisation-but-little-liberalisation-Joseph-Muscat-s-New-Year-address
The deal with China does not liberalise the energy market. While not necessarily privatising Enemalta, that deal consolidates the monopoly while passing it at the same time into the control of a foreign government.
In fact, I do not conceptually agree with the Opposition that Joseph Muscat has actually privatised Enemalta, and therefore I am not very concerned that he has violated the electoral manifesto of the Labour party (the “roadmap”) in this instance. Joseph Muscat has really and truly transferred the control of Enemalta from the Maltese government to the communist government of China. This is the fact that I think should concern us most.
Given the circumstances, Joseph Muscat should publish not only the MOU he signed last week in Dalian, but also the MOU he had signed with the Chinese Communist Party during his visit to China in April 2010. I remember that news about that MOU was first revealed on this website. We are entitled to know all the details signed in that document, and if it contains any more concessions to the Chinese related to our sovereignty, democracy and fundamental rights.
And Muscat should explain the role of Alex Sceberras Trigona in this deal. AST was among the selected few to appear on the balcony at the Mile End on 10 March 2013 (an observation I had made many months ago) celebrating victory, after he had been locked up with many others somewhere out of sight for the whole duration of Labour’s electoral campaign.
Meanwhile, the tune in China last week was not “Ma zaghmlu zejn, mal-Peziz Minzoff, ma zaghmlu zejn, ma zaghmlu zejn, ma zaghmlu zejn…” It was, instead, predictably “Malza zaghna lkoll… zaghna lkoll… zaghna lkoll…”
And perhaps Joseph Muscat can now become the Emperor of China’s province in the Mediterranean, giving birth to the Muscat dynasty, while future political propaganda on Super One will be provided under the name of “Made in Beijing” rather than “Made in Brussels.”
Did I say “Made in Beijing”? Make that “Made in China.”
OMG. With a man like that by one’s side, who needs a hook-up account while in Washington?
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130919/local/new-ambassador-meets-obama.486801
She now needs to sit down and tell him all about Labour’s “stamping of the feet” policy on black African immigrants.
Enjoy your well deserved break. In the mean time, do us a small favour and blank out that Azzopardi fellow.
Saturday, September 21, 1963
Dr Borg Olivier in London
Reuters reported that Dr Borg Olivier, Prime Minister of Malta, has left New York for London on the completion of his visit to the US to attend the Commonwealth Economic Conference. Interviewed at London Airport on arrival, Dr Borg Olivier told Reuters: “The main object of this visit to the US was the signing of a loan agreement with the World Bank for the loan of $7.5 million for the construction of a generating and sea water distillation plant. The plant will double the electricity supply of my country and provide an extra one million gallons of distilled sea water every day.”
Hi daphne
Can I have your email please.
Thanks
Vince
[Daphne – dcgalizia@gmail.com]