Busuttil was brilliant in parliament tonight
I watched the whole thing. He took a while to warm up, but when he did, the members of the government were squirming in their seats, giggling like children (that would be the prime minister) or pretending they were elsewhere (Louis Grech).
He tore into the Budget and ripped it up, then got going on this government’s track record so far.
I like his style. I kind of had a feeling that his gift for the pointed remark would be exactly what the doctor ordered for Mr Tu Quoque Non Sequitur.
So Busuttil threw everything at them – prostitution of citizenship, jobs for party favourites, Sai Mizzi, Miriam Dalli from Super One reporter to Enemalta consultant, Jimmy Magro, Jason Micallef, all those others, ‘eight months in and you’ve already lost your roadmap’.
The bit I absolutely loved most of all was his wisecracks about the Minister of Homeland Security’s belief that a billion is a hundred million. “He’d better go home at take a look beneath his bed. He might find he’s got a million there instead of just half.”
And then, as the benches on both sides of the House exploded into laughter: “The Minister seems to have liked the idea. Se jmur id-dar jiccekkja issa.”
It looks like he’s found his element at last. By contrast, his performance at the subsequent press conference was a little pedestrian. But then the dull-as-ditchwater questions never help. Some reporters even asked him about his party’s choices before the election, which gave him the opportunity to speak about Konrad Mizzi’s press conference under the Mainguard tent yesterday, a Sunday, which he called for the express purpose of saying that the Nationalist Party had advice from KPMG in the last election campaign that night tariffs would not be feasible.
Simon Busuttil’s verdict this evening: “Grow up. GROW UP. You’re in government now. Try governing.”
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I missed it. Is it on youtube yet?
Growing up is not a solution to corruption and incompetence.
Couldn’t agree more.
Coffee anyone?
Earl Grey tea for me, thank you.
I would certainly agree with you. I also think it is high time that people stop complaining about Simon Busuttil saying nothing and instead spend that time listening to what he has to say.
He is eloquent with just that right touch of humour, and command of a language, to be witty.
I am with you on the press conference. And to the young lady with the excessive amount of mascara: never, but never, start a question with a categorical statement like that, which can easily be rebutted or ridiculed.
Even more so when you cannot string two words, let alone sentences, together.
100%
Brilliant. His argument that ‘getting people out to work’ is very different from ‘job creation’ belittles the minister of finance whose budget it is that encourages the former whilst ignoring the latter. Well done Simon. This was an election budget. We all agree.
He was excellent, but what worries me is that he still not appealing enough to the majority.
Excellence needs to be communicated excellently.
I really like the way Simon Busuttil is starting to emerge as a leader. He has a good command of Maltese, uses it very effectively and is a natural orator who puts his message across succinctly.
By contrast, Joseph Muscat thinks he is being intelligent when he throws in the odd English word in an argument that does not make sense.
Joseph Muscat’s behaviour during Simon Busuttil’s speech was disgusting and totally unacceptable in a prime minister.
Giggling and hiding his face behind the bench as Busuttil made razor-sharp remarks is precisely equivalent to the behaviour of an immature child in the classroom. Not even the colleagues sitting next to him engaged with him in this defensive behaviour.
Busuttil asked if Henley and Partners were meeting Muscat before the election. Would we ever get to know the truth about that?
http://www.parlament.mt/filebank/audio/audiopublic/12thleg/Plenary/Plenary%20078%2011-11-2013%201800hrs.mp3
Press Conference is online:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=os8WfVrlKAo
I loved his “we need a statesman and not a salesman” quip.
Dissident, I would not worry too much. This was his real first appearance and there is a hell of a lot more time to appeal to the majority.
His quip about the Speaker being thrown out of a political party for a small remark about a judge and the degrading comments by the police commissioner about the law courts and still not reprimanded, was a clever one.
So the excessive deficit procedure with be with us a little longer. It would be reasonable to expect repurcussions on the hunting atrocities. Now all we need is for Malta to be accused by the EU for loitering with intent.
Prosit, Dr Busuttil.
Vera prosit. I intended to watch just for 10 minutes, but was mesmerised. Dr. Busuttil is emerging as a calm and collected leader. Like the unknown village lawyer, he is slowly making his stance as an effective leader of the Opposition.
Got to watch the speech live and I agree – he was brilliant.
Muscat must have thought so too, because all he could muster in response to Busuttil’s eloquent arguments was an ad hominem with no substance (“He is out of his depth”). Once again, Muscat inadvertently exposed his own ineptitude.
Well done, Simon Busuttil. You were amazing. What a speech. Yes I do believe you can win the trust of so many that were blinded before the last election.
I enjoyed every second of it. Never was there a dull moment.
Simon Busuttil is shaping up to be just the right man to stand up to those bullies in chief, while being a model Opposition leader who has just issued a wake-up call to a ruling party that couldn’t care less about running the country properly, and which thinks now that it’s been voted into power it can stuff its face with as much cake as it pleases.
Let’s see whether ‘The Times’ stays on-side, now that Busuttil’s star appears to be rising.
The Times is still heavily censoring comments. Don’t be deceived by an apparent move towards objectivity.
Irpuzat u eccellenti – prosit, Dr.Busuttil.
The Prime Minister would have benefitted by listening attentively to his comments rather than grinning sarcastically and giggling for the cameras. It would certainly have been better for his image.
I loved his reference to ‘Issa m’ghadekx l-underdog.’
Prosit, Simon Busuttil.
Labour elves were at it again as dozens of denigratory remarks about his speech were posted on The Times comments page while he was still talking. Definitely an orchestrated effort to minimise the impact.
As if the public doesn’t have eyes and ears.
Simon Busuttil jkompli jikber bhala leader tal-partit. Intelligenti, kapaci, serju, nadif u sincier. Hekk jixirqilha Malta. Politiku li jgharaf jmexxi b’onesta’ w vizjoni cara w dejjiema.
Il-Labour Party qatt ma kellhom leaders b’vizjoni tajba ghax l-iskola politka taghhom hija wahda ta konvenjenza w ghalhekk fqira w tmut malajr.
Naqbel mal-opinjoni tieghek mija fil-mija.
Let Dr. Busuttil’s speech be a clear warning to the government that the Opposition is united and led by somebody who has clearly shown that he is more than capable of punching above his weight. He was simply mesmerizing.
A great speech – the Nationalist Party seems like its finally on track.
But look at this:
http://www.newsbook.com.mt/artikli/2013/11/11/jean-claude-micallef-fl-ahhar-mistenni-jkun-approvat-mill-pn.11888
Don’t they see he’s another Frankie Tabone?
I particularly liked his reference to the Commissioner of Police insulting the magistrates court and the ‘consequences’ that ‘someone’ had to suffer as a result, with his political assassination, that someone being the Speaker, sitting right there listening.
I’d have loved to see the camera focus on the Speaker at that moment, but of course PBS’s focus is not the public interest but Labour’s interest.
Most of us noticed how the camera never focused on the person being mentioned by Simon Busuttil. What about a close-up of Marie Louise Coleiro Preca and one of Twanny Bronka?
Either they did it on purpose or they’re really amateurs.
Is Joe Mizzi practising to be the next Joe Debono Grech ?
Also Simon Busuttil pointed out that the Eco Reduction was not being kept. Just after his speech the news came out that it was still on.
Clearly they were not keeping it as last week on Tvam, Kirsty Debono pointed it out to Chris Cardona and he answered that since they were not leasing computers any more there will be savings of 1.5 million which will go to the people. Debono rebutted that it is not enough to cover the Eco Reduction.
The one thing Dr Busuttil should have constantly quipped at the prime minister whenever the latter started giggling would have been “dawn mhux affarijiet tad-dahk, dawn affarijiet serji – meta n-nies jitilfu xoghlolhom, taf kemm se jarawk helu titbissem. Tista taghmel elf billboard, ghax ix-xoghol mhux se jigbu bil-billboards”.
Instead, Dr Busuttil had a constant smile when putting forward very strong arguments. Pity.
Also, I would be wary of statements like “Dan hu budget tajjeb”. That’s very generic, and will come back to haunt the PN and Dr Busuttil.
I would have said ‘budget li fih mizuri tajbin’. When one considers the whole picture, it is not a good budget.
I agree.
I agree with “curious”. Dr. Simon Busuttil was brilliant, but his statement of “Dan hu budget tajjeb” is going to be exploited tonight by Muscat.
Whoever wanted could understand Dr. Busuttil’s whole argument, however, considering the arguments and mantras being put forward by PL, whatever Dr. Busuttil would have said was always going to be interpreted in a twisted way.
If he opposed the Budget, they would have said he was being negative.
His speechwriters are still blundering idiots. They’ve just given Joseph Muscat the perfect riposte.
“Simon Busuttil stess qal li hu budget tajjeb.”
It’s the shortcomings of Maltese at work again. “Tajjeb” can mean anything. Muddled language, muddled thoughts.
What I loved most about the speech was that it seemed I was reading this blog, with the same strong arguments and sharp criticism of this sorry excuse we have for a government.
Dr. Busuttil is turning out to be a brilliant eloquent orator. Just perfect. No one could have done it any better.
All he needs to do is to balance his refinement against Muscat’s vulgarity.
If he takes it up a notch, it’s lost, if he keeps it close, Muscat’s outwitted. The prime minister cannot afford to heap ridicule everytime or avoid answering.
Busuttil’s right, Muscat needs to start governing, grow up and stop sending in the ONE brigade nitpicking on last year’s electoral campaign.
As for Jurgen Balzan, what’s with all those hypothetical fantapolitical questions?
The journalists were a pitiful sight yesterday. This is an appeal to Simon Busuttil to keep calm and bear with their idiocy, just give them the time to catch up, those cogs won’t manage that speed.
Perhaps some perspective is due; even though we’ve had Labour in government for eight months, the measures were GonziPN’s. Only now does Labour really start.
We’ll see.
Id-dahka sarkastika u bla sens ta’ Muscat – bir-ragun – ghaliex dahak f’wicc il-Maltin kollha kemm ta’ dawk li vvutawlu u kemm ta’ dawk li ma vvutawlux.
Dik id-dahqa se tghin biex ittellfu l-elezzjoni ghax hafna ma jifilhux jarawh hekk, qisu qed jit****ek b’kulhadd.
The best comment of the night however was directed at Chris Cardona:
“Kemm zidtu l-budget tal-festini, jaqaw thobbhom il-parties Ministru?”
Pure, sublime class.
‘U int, Sur President taf x’jigifieri, meta xi hadd tqaccat ghax semma’ l-gudikatura u l-kummissarju jibqa’ hemm.’
I think I saw Anglu Farrugia shrinking in his chair.
[Daphne – Actually, he seemed to be really enjoying the whole thing.]
How is it that Eddy Privitera didn’t comment here? He always calls him ‘Simon Buzullotti’.
Nimmagina li tant dahal f’qoxortu li jibza’ jikkummenta ghax kulhadd idur kontrih.
Well done, Dr Busuttil.
Actually I did not find Dr.Busuttil anywhere brilliant, but at least he was honest when he said that IT WAS A GOOD BUDGET.
I hope he will not be censored by his followers.
Yesterday’s speech was not his style and must have been prepared for him by someone else. who must be used to writing novenas and sermons I really was afraid that he was going to break in tears.
[Daphne – Your sense of judgement does not impress me, Mr Loporto. You are a keen admirer of John Dalli and the Labour Party.]
.
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About the indirect taxation on road licences, the leader of the opposition should have mentioned the increase on commercial vehicles.
Privately owned cars are to increase by 10 euros a year, commercial vehicles by 105 euros, that is from 180 euros yearly to 280 euros. .
Loporto, Simon Busuttil Was extremely good and not in the least afraid or abashed to bring out all the wrongdoings of this government.
He was honest, strong and sure of what he was saying and did not leave a detail out.
He did a real good job and thrashed at the Prime minister relentlessly. I’d have been ashamed to sit in the government benches yesterday.
Dr Busuttil was brilliant yesterday. Well done.
Muscat’s toast. I watched it all, and two hours went by in ten minutes.
Busuttil spoke for the nation yesterday. When Muscat resorts to snide retort tonight, he won’t be insulting the leader of the Opposition.
He certainly was terrific. ‘Malta needs a statesman not a salesman’ – I thought that was priceless.
I particularly liked his statement when he declared that Joseph Muscat stopped the judicial process on John Dalli case.
Well done, Simon Busuttil.