Muscat talks to ‘Tony’ – and the government issues a press release and photograph of the momentous occasion

Published: October 14, 2013 at 12:42pm

More ‘qatt ma raw xejn’ syndrome: the prime minister had a telephone chat with former British PM Tony Blair up ahead of some visit Muscat has scheduled to the Occupied Territories.

He was photographed during the telephone conversation at his ‘busy desk’, looking completely wrong, and the government released the picture with information about this Important Chat With Wiehed Mill- (ex) Kbarat.

Oh, and the makk is a snazzy touch.

Muscat Blair

Muscat_Tony

muscatleadtelephone-t_620x0




37 Comments Comment

  1. La Redoute says:

    The DOI headline writers really need to get their act together and mow down the coconut before he does any more lasting damage.

    “Prime Minister Joseph Muscat in a telephone conversation with Mr Tony Blair, the Quartet Representative.”

    How very provincial.

    Tony Blair is the Quartet’s representative in the Middle East. ANY head of government going there in a show of resolving tensions should speak to Tony Blair first. It’s what heads of government do. It’s par for the course. It’s news if they don’t do it.

    But the DOI was constrained to issue a press release and photograph to tell us that Tony phone Joseph.

    Why is this considered news, outside of Burmarrad?

  2. Gordon says:

    If body language is anything to go by, then he is:

    1. being told off/feeling insecure and inferior;

    2. reading from notes;

    3. not interested in what Blair is saying and reading something else;

    4. checking the time…because he’s got a whole pile of files to get through.

    Also, what’s with the desk light on during the day!

    • H.P. Baxxter says:

      If the body language is anything to go by, our PM is a thirteen-year old chatting with her girlfriend.

    • Min Jaf says:

      The thing was obviously staged after the event. Reminds one of the pre-election photo of Joseph Muscat ‘playing’ with a dog. It is most unlikely that Muscat has a camera crew on 24/7 standby just in case Tony Blairor some other ‘ras’ phones – though no doubt we shall get to that eventually.

  3. follower says:

    L-aqwa li l-lampa mixghula bin-nhar, ghax mhux hu qed inhallas il-kont tad-dawl, imma l-poplu.

  4. Carmelo Micallef says:

    `Tone, you want me to bring you somethink from duty free? No fucking problem eh`

  5. Osservatore says:

    Palestine is an old issue that it should be put on back burner. The real issue now is Syria.

  6. Bertone says:

    That green table lamp – what a cliche. But there’s one in the White House, so…

  7. La Redoute says:

    The latest headlines tell us that Joseph Muscat cares about Palestinian territory but not about Palestinians.

    Has he waddled down to Hal Far to meet any of the ones who were dragged out of the sea?

    • Jozef says:

      He prefers toeing Letta’s line, sort of, too busy seeing to his agreement with Libya’s frail government.

      Lawrence Gonzi would have been in Rome and a joint statement issued. Definitely no whining or gratuitious anti-Brussels rhetoric.

      This place needs integration policies, knowhow, education campaigns, long term solutions.

      Fantapolitics is what’s left.

      • Jozef says:

        «Noi non possiamo aspettare i tempi dei parlamenti e delle istituzioni europee, quando ci sono di mezzo vite umane dobbiamo agire subito. Ed è questo il motivo per cui l’Italia mette in piedi da subito una missione militare umanitaria impegnativa», operativa da domani.

        That’s decisive action Joseph, patrols in the seas around Malta, Lampedusa down to the gulf of Sirte.

        It’s not pushback, it isn’t even contrasting smugglers, it’s just avoiding women who’ve just given birth drowning with their newborn still attached.

      • Tabatha White says:

        Jozef. This is the stuff I thought all Maltese were made of.

  8. Antoine Vella says:

    For all we know he could have been on the phone with Tas-Serkin to order pastizzi for the upcoming Spanish princesses’ birthday ball.

  9. Mr Meritocracy says:

    Where are his legs?

  10. P Shaw says:

    Did Tony Blair understand Muscat’s cut-glass accent and British humour?

  11. Natalie says:

    Is Malta being given the cold shoulder by the rest of Europe, that Joseph should rejoice at communicating with an important person, so much so that a telephone call makes the news?

  12. sunshine says:

    The Malta Independent published the news item at 12.21; but according to Muscat’s watch the time is 14.30.

    If you look at the tie in this photo and compare it to the tie in the visit-by-the-AFM photos…

  13. The Observer says:

    And what’s with the facial expression and pout? Bored stiff already, are we?

  14. r farrugia says:

    in-nannu kien jghidli ibza minn min qatt ma ra xejn u jilhaq xi haga.

  15. Joe Fenech says:

    An encounter between two compulsive liars.

  16. Alexander Ball says:

    I can lip read.

    He’s saying, “deep pan, extra cheese”

  17. ciccio says:

    Why did he call Tony?

    Can’t he take Shiv Nair with him to establish ‘high level contacts’? Would be nice to get the best value out of 6,000 euros.

    But then maybe there are no Chinese interests and no oil and gas in the Occupied Territories…

  18. Gahan says:

    It’s Tony Bliar not Blair.

  19. jose says:

    Is that an AC Milan mug? Just right for the desk of the Prime Minister of…Malta.

  20. anthony says:

    The makk is there for Tony Bliar to smell the coffee.

    Cempillu miljunarju Ingliz iehor.

    Champagne socialist if ever there was one.

    The unchallenged master of spin.

    The politically correct description of a compulsive liar.

  21. Watchful eye says:

    How very childish to say the least. Running a country takes much more than that.
    I wonder if Tony Blair was photographed as well.

  22. J Borg says:

    Mela m’ghadux bil-Mac? And what’s wrong with his eyesight, that he needs a calculator the size of a frying-pan?

  23. doris says:

    Who told you for sure that it’s Tony Blair at the other end of the line, and not Michelle saying ‘Is-selitt lest.’

  24. Dez says:

    Facebook status in caps is a must: IL-KAP TAGHNA FUQ IT-TELEFORN MA TONY BLAIR. PROUD OF YOU HI. KEEP IT UP AND SAY HELLO TO LADY MICHELLE.

  25. Joe Micallef says:

    Michelle and Joseph have gone to the Occupied Territories to meet Tony and be photographed with him. Then we will have a DOI release about it.

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