Scrap the Independence Day party and use the money to pay your people
So first the Nationalist Party says that it will be celebrating Independence Day with a mass meeting – as if anybody feels like a mass meeting right now, and as if it is even remotely appropriate – and then a few days later it says that its employees have been asked to forgo two months’ salary completely or have that salary paid at some unspecified date in the mysterious future.
Here’s some free advice and also some insight into the human mind.
You can’t persuade PN supporters to give you some of their hard-earned cash to help you get back on your feet when, instead of paying your staff, you blow money you don’t have on a big party you don’t need.
And you cannot, will not, motivate party supporters into an ‘all hands on deck’ spirit of enthusiastic involvement without showing some leadership and a proper sense of priorities yourselves.
How about leading by example, always bearing in mind that the typical PN voter is vastly different to the typical Labour voter, which is why we vote PN and not Labour?
The proper thing to do in this context would have been to announce that the Nationalist Party is not holding any Independence Day celebrations this year, because of a severe shortage of funds which makes it appropriate to prioritise its employees. And would all those who ordinarily go to the mass meeting, or who would have gone this year, please make out a cheque instead to the Nationalist Party Staff Fund.
This is the way to:
1. motivate party supporters and make them feel involved and responsible, and that they are playing their part and doing something worthy by helping pay those salaries even with a token donation;
2. show solidarity with PN employees and widen the scope of that solidarity to a public level, so that they know people are grateful;
3. convey the full gravity of the party’s financial situation to people who won’t believe you if you say that you have no money for salaries but then find the money for a mass meeting;
4. show people that you have your priorities in order, because they will not give you their money if they know or believe that you are going to waste it while leaving employees unpaid.
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Oh how good it feels to hear a sane voice among this madness!
First and foremost the PN should stop analyzing the election 2013 result and saying that those who switched to Labour cannot be wrong because there are so many of them.
If that were the case, it would follow that the 132,426 who voted PN cannot be right.
Independence celebrations seem a big expenditure, however I am sure the party makes some profit out of them. Spending some money there or buying lottery tickets is also an indirect way how we can help the NP.
[Daphne – That is not the point. One does not throw parties when one wishes to convince others that one is in financial dire straits.]
Daphne this is not a party. This is just a celebration. A party is something where guests are treated freely.
At the Independence celebration one has to pay to get something to eat and drink. Giving up this celebration will be a mortal blow to all who have worked so hard to see Malta independent.
Geez, I know you do not appreciate praise all that much. However, your comments on this thread deserves even more.
We’ve known each other for close to twenty years, not ‘close’, but, on the same wave length.
You have just admirably advised the Nationalist Party the responsible way forward.
They have to soon get to grips with their shambles.
The Yahoos are running out of control.
.
If Daphne sets up a party, I’d donate. Honest to god.
Second that! This incredible woman is in a class of her own.
If you can declare the amount, Baxxter, I’ll match it with twice as much panache.
[Daphne – Oh, you’d donate to the Fool and Idiot Woman’s Party, would you, Kevin?]
Hopefully that’s not what you’re calling your party, Daphne.
[Daphne – No, Kevin, that’s what you call me.]
What panache, kevin? You haven’t got any.
Twat.
I would love to watch that 8:30pm debate Daphne vs Joseph on national TV.
[Daphne – The bitchy comebacks will flow thick and fast…from him.]
I DESPERATELY need someone to vote for next time round.
Set up your own party, Baxxter. Call it the ‘Someone to Vote Party’, or perhaps the ‘Desperately in Need Party’.
That’s one thing I’ll never, ever do. I’m the most unpopular man in Malta, and no one would vote for me.
I would.
Me too.
I would too.
Life teaches you that you vote for the least worst (or worse in the case of Malta).
Me too.
Honestly, what are they thinking?
I have an uncomfortable feeling that the PN has far more problems than they would care to admit. And I don’t mean financial problems.
But if they scrap the Independence Day party they wouldn’t have any pictures to post on Facebook.
Yes they would. They could make a show of the stream of donations they receive.
Just the same like labour scrapping Freedom Day.
Fair comment. If only you were more critical of them when they were in power.
[Daphne – Ah, so not a regular reader then, Raphael. I was extremely critical of the Nationalists in government. But one does not criticise policies one agrees with and has voted for.]
For once I agree with you
Il-mass meeting tajjeb li jsir.
Din is-sena l-PN f’dawn il-granet sa jkun qed jorganizza diversi attivitajiet u sa tkun kompletament differenti l-Indipendeza.
Il-fondi sa jingabru minn diversi attivitajiet, mhux mill-lotterija biss.
Il-PN dan l-ahhar hadem hafna maz-zghazagh fejn kull gimgha kienu qed isiru laqgħat u ghadhom isiru fejn dahlu hafna zghazagh godda u esprimew l-opinjonijiet taghhom min diversi aspetti u qed ikunu nvoluti f’kull distrett.
Kulhadd iffukat fuq il-linja tieghu, min politika, min attivitajiet socjali u min sport – kien hemm hafna dahlu ghal l-ewwel darba d-Dar Centrali. Fil-fatt l-istess nies sa jkunu hemm mill-18 sa 21 u sa jiehdu shem fil-girja mal-kap, football tournament, arti marziali, stands godda, u bosta sorprizi … skond jien il-PN verament qed jahdem u sa jkompli jissahhah.
[Daphne – Hemm zghazagh tal-pepe, Stephen, jew tal-PN ghadhom jemmnu li “grassroots = rahlin tal-kazini”? Ghax issa xbajt kompletament. Mela z-zghazagh ta’ certu tip se ggibuhom bl-attivitajiet fil-kazini, attivitajiet socjali ma’ nies li qatt ma joholmu jaghmluha maghhom, u girja mal-kap? Nahseb il-PN ilu li nesa li you have to set a thief to catch a thief.
Xbajt u tqallajt nispjega ghaliex ‘working-class image’ huwa izjed attraenti ghan-nies tal-pepe milli huwa ‘lower-middle-class image’. Imma fil-fatt, hekk hu.
Issa ha naqleb ghall-Ingliz.
Tal-pepe people are contemptuous towards anything that looks, sounds, feels and thinks like the lower-middle class, and don’t want any such associations. But they are more than happy to feel democratic by patronising the working-class. That’s one of the main reasons they fled to Labour and behaved so contemptuously towards the Nationalist Party/government.
The Labour Party has already cornered the market in working-class-with-a-bit-of-fake-posh-and-hip. It therefore follows that the only possible competitive edge for the PN lies in truly embracing tal-pepe values, manners, mores, attributes and above all, people.
Not only will this attract the tal-pepe back from Labour, because tal-pepe people would much rather be with a tal-pepe party than with a working-class party they feel comfortable patronising, but it will also prove magnetic to the emerging swathe of savagely aspirational people who want what their perceived betters have, which is why they voted Labour in the first place.]
tal-pepe ? le ta jien zgur li mhux tal-pepe u welcomed kont . Biss biss Fit-tnax-il distrett qedin numru mhux hazin over 30.
[Daphne – Stephen, il-PN tilef l-elezzjoni li ghadda, u kwazi tilef ta’ qabel, ghax tilef bil-kbir il-voti ta’ nies bhali. Il-problema hi li s-sistema uzata ghall-polling f’Malta m’ghadiex addattata ghal dawn iz-zmienijiet. Li tkun socio-economic group A ma jfissirx li int tal-pepe, ghax tista tkun hamallu kbir bil-flus u job tajjeb. U li tkun socio-economic group C2 ma jfissirx li int working-class jew lower-middle, ghax tista tkun gej minn familja ‘pulita’ u taghzel li tahdem ta’ electrician.
Imma fis-sistema tal-polling, wiehed li trabba tal-pepe jitqieghed fl-istess keffa ma’ wiehed li trabba f’kerrejja bin-nanniet illiterati, jekk it-tnejn ghandhom l-istess tip ta’ xoghol jew income. U l-istess, jekk tkun mastrudaxxa titqieghed f’kategorija C2, ikun xi jkun is-social background tieghek.
U dan meta naf rgiel li jahdmu dan ix-xoghol li gejjien minn familji tal-pepe, u xejn ma jahsbu bhal mastrudaxxa li trabba mod kompletament differenti. Ma nistax nifhem ghaliex fil-polling jistaqsu sa liema livell tal-iskola wasalt, imma ma jistaqsux liema skola. Car mechanic gej minn familja tal-pepe u li mar skola St Edward’s OVVJAMENT muhiex working-class allavolja huwa mechanic. Il-valuri u l-mod ta’ kif tahsiba ma jigux mix-xoghol imma mil-familja, l-iskola u l-hbieb.]
Jien mat-tnax id- distrett nivvota. Sincierament, ma kien hemm hadd fil-lista tal-PN li xtaqt nivvotalu. Hadd tal-kalibru ta’ Mark Anthony Sammut, allura kelli naqbad u nitfa n-numri kif jigu.
Daphne prosit! ma stajtx tispjega ahjar.
It’s like comparing Silvio Parnis ma’ Albert Fenech.
Imbaghad tridu tattiraw ‘kandidati ta’ kwalita”.
U morru skuzi tnejku.
Min ghandu nofs cellola cerebrali qed jahrab il-PN bhall-pesta.
‘Tal-pepe people are contemptuous towards anything that looks, sounds, feels and thinks like the lower-middle class, and don’t want any such associations.’
Not sure how that can help. But then, I’ve seen tram drivers reading Kundera and retired metalworkers restoring steam trains.
The real problem with transport reform was when the morning babble badmouthing is-sinjura was disrupted. Even worse, a new breed of commuter took those seats.
Great article! It would seem that these inexplicably idiotic decisions are taken by men who never, ever had to bother about trying hard to make the family budget stretch till the end of the month. Ban the festivities and pay the employees instead.
OK ma jimpurtax l-aqwa li jien u anke shabi nkomplu nahdmu sabiex jidhlu iktar zghazagh maghna, pepe u m’hux. Iz-zmien ghad jghati parir u jkolna sudisfazjon bil-hidma li qed naghmlu.
Bir-rispett kollhu Stephen din taz-zghazagh xi tidu tajdu bija? Mela iz-zghazagh kollox? Jekk tahseb hekk lesti ghal-telfa ikbar. Malta u d-dinja kollha hedin fazi li hawn hafna aktar anzjani milli zghazagh. U l-anzjani Nazzjonalisti ta’ Kalibru bhal ta zmien Nerik Mizzi, Borg Oliver (Sr) u early Fenech Adami, insejtwhom?
The Party was build for a particular class , you cannot compare Labour strategy to the Old PN strategy.
Nies bhallek itelfu il voti kuljum, specjalment b’kumenti vojta, stupidi u medjokri bhal dawn.
Il-PN kien partit jigbed in nies lejh b emilu mhux bid diskors.
Adding insult to injury:
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi presented the President with a €10,000 cheque and Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat presented a €1,000 donation.
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2011-12-05/news/presidents-fun-run-a-warm-up-for-l-istrina-302820/
Stephen you sound really appalling. Bl-isport, u bil-festi se jattira l-elettorat mieghu il-PN. Ezempju jien qatt ma mort kazini, u niddejjaq nassoccja lili nnifisi man-nies tal-kazini u tal-festi.
Immagina mmur niehu café il-Kazin tal-Labour ir-Rabat u jkolli nissaporti quddiem wicci lil mara tal-barman. Oh god, I’d rather kill myself or spend time reading for the rest of my life. Li ghamel tajjeb il-PL huwa li bidel l-image kompletament and that really counted.
Kulhadd huwa importanti sabiex partit ikun elett però trid tahbi lil dawk kollha li jaghtu image ikrah lil partit. Insomma nawguralkom li tibqghu ddahlu z-zghazagh maghkom u aktar importanti zzommuhom ghal hames snin li gejjin.
Agreed. Perhaps it’s time to revise the function of those clubs.
Get those pool tables out of the way perhaps. The M5S has its meetups even though it exists primarily on the internet.
The best social club I ever saw was the infamous Leoncavallo casa occupata, supposedly outlaw, it had a cinema, extremely well endowed library, conference hall, recording studio and four different ethnic restaurants.
Bulk 182 was another one next to Garibaldi Station, this one mixed highbrow culture with six individual music rooms.
Get those budding designers, architects and students to think PN. You’d be surprised.
No work goes unpaid. SOLIDARJETA’ mal-haddiema, Simon. Inkella min int?
@ Luigi.
Personalment wara l-elezzjoni bdejt ninvolvi lili nnifsi fil-partit kif ohrajn ghamlu biex jghinu fil-partit mhux ghal xi gwadan imma ghal sudisfazjon.
Kellna laqghat fejn kien hemm analizi tat-telfa u anke kif sa nimxu l-quddiem, anke t-tema tal-kazini giet diskussa ghax ghanda interpritazjoni hazina bir-ragun interpritazjoni ma’ hamalli, xorb, vizji etc.
Anke din il-haga li l-partit kien ta’ certu klassi ta’ nies biss kienet diskussa. Dan kollu qed jinbidel, minn kif rajt sa issa.
Kif semmejt iz-zghazagh qedin kulhadd fuq xogholu. Jien li qed niehu hsieb l-isport fil-kumitat narah ta’ importanza kbira ibda minni. Wara li kont wieqaf mill l-isport seba snin, il-partit stess kien li ntrigani biex nerga nibda nitrenja mill-gdid u qed ninvolvi l-isport fil-partit ghax le?
Pjuttost bil-kontra rigward xorb etc, ghax dak li jkun inhajru jiekol u jixrob ikel tajjeb ghal l-isport sa anke tkellimt biex issir laqgha fuq nutrition. Haga li qal Simon u qedin nahdmu fuqa hi “let’s make politics fun” u dak li qed naghmlu u nemmen la l-partit taghna din l-opportunita sa nkomplu nahdmu.
[Daphne – Stephen, I think both you and the party leader need seriously to distinguish between a political party and a social club. Political parties are not there to organise sporting events and outings for the otherwise lonely and bored. They are there to make policy and be taken seriously. If politics is ‘fun’ then it isn’t politics. It’s fun. Those who want to spend time kicking a ball around don’t (or rather, shouldn’t) need the framework of a political party to do it. This is so invasive and all-pervasive. Maltese political parties need to understand what they are for and stick to that.]
Simon Busuttil qal hekk? Possibbli daqshekk stupidu?
(U aqtghuha din tal-first names only. Hija stupidagni Maltija.)
I see where you’re coming from, and totally agree that it is not appropriate to party whilst ‘your people starve’. However, I don’t believe that the Independence celebrations should be scrapped either, for various reasons.
The ONLY way they can redeem themselves from this PR fiasco is to make an announcement saying that ALL proceeds and money raised during the festivities will go towards these unfortunates.
And in that announcement they should drop the bombshell that all PN MPs will be donating their parliamentary emoluments towards the workers.
After all the MPs owe a lot to these workers as without them they would not be in Parliament.
I am morally convinced that a mass meeting at this time would be a complete fiasco. The great majority of PN supporters are not at all happy with their party. There is something fundamentally wrong.
Giovan will you be there?
mAny valid points from all. SOMETHING TO CHEW ON! Independence celebrations in some form are a must.
Use these functions/celebrations to collect funds firstly for the stAff awaiting their salaries and hopefully even more to strenghten the party’s financial situation.
Exactly. I’ll be there, but when it’s clear why. Come clean, even because it’s not something that can be pushed away anymore.
As for the leader, if he has to go out to meet people, he must rid himself of the usual suspects first.
“An army of lions led by dogs will die like dogs.”
The 2013 TeamPN’s version of “Let them eat cake. ”
Sad.
I think the Independence Day activities are actually a money-spinner for the PN not the contrary so I think it would be unwise not to organise such a fund-raising event.
The PN would do well to heed your wise words in this post.
This is not a party but a celebration of Malta’s birthday which has been going on for 49 years.
Does not our national day deserve this celebration by the party which brought it about?
[Daphne – No, most certainly not. Independence Day is a state occasion, not a party celebration. It’s about time these things stopped. They are a celebration of mindlessness. Mass meetings and other celebrations by the PN to mark Independence Day were a response to Mintoff’s refusal to mark the day as a state occasion. In that context, they were entirely justified and even desirable. Now, they are not. It’s time we grew up. This sort of thing actually alienates the very people the PN needs to attract, its natural market, so to speak. If the PN is going to insist on marking Independence Day with a big splash and a mass meeting, on the basis that it was responsible for the achievement, then why not do the same with Malta’s entry into the European Union, and make that day a big thing as well? There’s no justification for either. Neither is a partisan occasion.]
Daphne, I think you mixing things. The workers at the media print were generously treated when the going was good, but as happens in every commercial entity things are no what used to be and something had to be done.
Writing in such a way does no good neither to the workers who many of them have found a job already nor to the party which you hopefully want to see in government instead of the Labour Party.
[Daphne – It is precisely because I think the Nationalist Party should be in government (the verb ‘want’ is incorrect and inappropriate) that I am impatient with this sort of behaviour and attitude.]
Well, maybe it shows what tight-fisted is.
I mean, if you made a mint, then share the stuff.
Ma tantx nixtieq ikkumenta fuq dan l-artiklu. Li xtaqt haga wahda – appell lil minn ivvota lil-Partit Nazzjonalista jaghti donation imqar ta 1 euro.
Nahseb hekk jingabru il-pagi tal-haddiema.
I think the PN should celebrate the achievement of Independence from Britain on that special day in September of 1964 (I was there in person with my father watching that ceremony on that day in 1964) as an anniversary but do it moderately and don’t incur super expenses. Wait till September of 2014 for the 50th anniversary to go hog wild.
It’s not “independence from Britain” but “independence”. Important nuance, but you PN nostalgics always give the game away.
Like that pompous ass Mifsud Bonnici and his utterly revolting “dmugh f’ghajnejja meta rajt il-gakk Ingliz [sic] niezel.”
Għal darba naqbel miegħek Daphne.
Never dreamt that I would agree with Daphne.
The world must be changing?
Imwegga hafna- Jiena ma naqbilx li l-gurnata ghaziza tal-Indipendenza mill Inglizi ma tigix mfakkara- pero nissugerixi li flok Mass meeting fuq l-fossos jsir Celebrazzjoni quddiem D-DarCentrali fejn t-Team gdid PN jindirizza lil folla, jghati tgharif attwali fuq l-organizzazjoni tal-partit- jsir gabra ‘ghala GeorgeBonello de puis’- u l-fondi li jingabru jmorru ghall haddiema milqutin li bosta minnhom ilhom jservu lil partit ghall dawn l-ahhar 25 Sena-u lum jinsabu mwegajn mal familji taghhom- Ovja jintwera fuq Screen Kbier ic-Ceremonja tal 21 ta’Settembru1964- gurnata li zgur tqanqal min gewwa lil min hu ta’rieda tajba.-s-sena diehla imbghad niccelebraw iktar bil kbier-