The energy minister on the government’s oil-buying: “This is a learning experience. We’re taking it a step at a time. I think we’ll get there.”
Published:
January 12, 2014 at 9:09am
Konrad Mizzi was asked at a press conference about the recent fuel price increases. He replied that the government is still learning about the right time to buy fuel (on the international markets).
The worrying thing is that he looks and sounds so genuine. That would not ordinarily be a disadvantage – certainly not – but in this case, it just escalates concerns.
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About time after 26 years!
I thought these nitwits had a ‘roadmap’.
Yes, but to the bank.
They had no roadmaps, no nothing and the majority of the dimwits believed them and voted them in government. As for ‘learning’ they should have contacted Marlene Mizzi who owns the Early Learning shops. So now they are ‘learning’ at our expense.
‘Learning experience’? So how/why were they able to say that the previous government was doing it wrong and they had a plan to do it better? Not!
On another note, at 12.56pm yesterday, we had just exited Sliema Road, Kappara, and had edged out slowly onto the highly-congested (ex-‘gas tank’) roundabout, along with the rest of the slow-moving traffic.
I could hear sirens in the vicinity, and urged my husband, who was driving, to pull aside quickly to make way, thinking there was an ambulance. Instead, it turned out to be a large, silver/light metallic-blue car, possibly a Mercedes, with a blue siren temporarily attached to its dashboard. It sped up Regional Road in the direction of St. Andrew’s, followed by a large black Alfa.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t see who was driving the Alfa, nor could I see its number-plate, but why do I get the sneaking feeling that somebody was late in collecting his daughter from football training at Melita, in Pembroke?
Some people cannot help showing off their Christmas presents and the pleasure extracted from playing with toys on the road which is, incidentally, very very dangerous.
As they say in Maltese – telghalhom ghal rashom sew !
Meanwhile, based on what is reported online here, Mr. Swoboda has captured the essence of Muscat’s Citizenship for Sale scam: it is a direct attack, and it undermines, the freedom of movement within the EU.
In my opinion, faced with this scam, European countries may retract into defensive border controls, damaging the freedom of movement of European citizens. Such defensive action is more likely to take place if other EU countries seek to copy Muscat’s “cunning plan.”
Muscat is no European visionairy. We actually do know already that the strongest sense he has is called “hindsight.”
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/Citizenship-sale-undermines-European-values-Swoboda-20140111
Good article. Too bad the comments beneath it are just, to be frank, moronic.
They’re biding their time so as to announce lower rates on the eve of MEP elections. Just you wait and see.
We already know the rates will be lowered starting from March/April. But it remains to be seen whether people will actually be receiving the bills – and checking how much they have “saved” – before the MEP elections.
Imbasta hafna arja qabel l-elezjoni! Roadmaps u kollox costed my foot. Now it has become a learning experience. He is learning at our expense, not his. Konrad Mizzi and his wife together earn over 200,000 euros per year.
Nice stipend for a couple who are learning how to govern.
How much did they increase the students’ stipend – by as much as a weekly coffee?
And I’ll tell you what – Muscat’s coffee leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.
Konrad Mizzi duped Muscat with management jargon.
This energy consultant suggested liquified gas could be pumped via flexible pipes bobbing up and down on floating booms. The industry’s challenge is to engineer better Rigidity and strength of pipework to make them safer.
He also managed to suggest liquid gas can actually be stored underground, implying it’s already been done. In the industry’s bible it’s imperative to put any storage vessel in open, isolated and preferably ventilated locations, leaks building up the definite no-no.
This man, clown, is a charlatan.
Yes, and he also said that a large ship could bring LNG to Malta, deposit part of the load here and would then take the rest of the LNG elsewhere. This is impossible as sloshing of the liquid natural gas would topple the carrier in rough weather. LNG carriers have to be either completely full or empty.
Also, while he was a guest on a tv programme I realised that he did not know the meaning of LNG. Someone else repeatedly referred to it as Liquid Nitrogen gas. He did not point out the mistake as he did not even notice.
He IS a charlatan.
Alfred Sant had used the same line of defence: “I was learning on the job”.
Alfred Sant said on Xarabank a couple of weeks ago that it takes 2 years to learn how the ropes of government work.
So by his own admission, he never learnt how government works.
Thought they had a solution to everything. Seems this minister needs a bit if Tiger Balm rubbed on his brain.
What do they mean “learning about the right time to buy fuel (on the international markets).”
It’s an internationally traded commodity, with speculators, investors and other interested parties taking part. There is no “right time” except with hindsight.
The PN in 1987 only had one MP who was a minister 16 years before, otherwise the whole cabiinet were newbies, but despite this they excelled in their work and by the end of the legislature had transformed Malta. In the first year we didn’t hear of any cock-ups similar to this government’s.
It has always been my believe that the PL is the party of hindsight, it is only after he decides on something and makes it public that it realizes that that was not the right decision. e.g. EU membership, citizenship scheme, hospital tent, new airport etc. etc.
I would say that even with the gift of hindsight, they still stick to their original plans and/or ideas deep down.
He seems to have aged drastically since the general elections.
I thought we are getting fuel from Libya at a preferential price.
Konrad Mizzi’s only major commitment in Malta was the landscaping of roundabouts and supervising IT for Enemalta.
Instead of “hitting the ground running”, they just hit the ground.
Learning experience? No hurry, Mr Mizzi – there are still 4 years to go.
It’s the usual Maltese ‘cart before the horse’. Learning on the job is not acceptable in politics. Admitting it is even less acceptable as this shows that you can’t judge the impact of your acts (in this case, a statement).
Imagine what would happen if the PL did not have so many experts and consultants amongst it…
Dom vs Konrad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJCgVQLq1v0
Amateurs in everything but faking it prior to the election. Not that I fell for it. It CERTAINLY wasn’t me.
Can the words “genuine” and “Labour” coexist in any positive sense here in Malta?
You forgot ‘artistic’.
This proves beyond a shadow of doubt that the election campaign was a big gimmick.
It was so obvious that they had no constructive plans. Yet they managed to fool all those thousands of people.
Doesn’t say much for the Maltese, does it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yZluF4rwdI#t=200
Start from 3:00
BEFORE the elections Konrad said that HFO emissions will be reduced because they contribute to asthma, cancer and respiratory diseases.
HFO will be used in emergencies only. Solar energy will be given top priority. Marsa power station will be closed.
Marsa will be closed when the interconnector starts providing power; that’s thanks to Gonzi.
If the BWSC plant is burning HFO, does it mean we are in some sort of emergency? People are dying of asthma, cancer and respiratory diseases because of the power station. Isn’t that what we were told?
As for PV panels, read about the uncertainty there is on the new “feed-in tariff’ in today’s Times of Malta.
If we weren’t passengers in this ship of fools, it would have been funny to watch the real plan unfold. But we are paying through the nose for this horror, for this horrible show.
If they’re still learning on the job, on what basis did they ask us to vote for them?
Good looks?
Learning experience ….. http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-03-06/news/energy-tariff-reductions-by-the-end-of-the-month-4169039872/ ……
They are now practically in line with what the PN has been saying from day one . Energy can be reduced once the interconnector is in place, the floating storage unit is nonsense, gas can be supplied with a pipeline in the future.
Big u-turn .