In the US, the taller presidential candidate always wins. In Malta, prime ministerial candidates have no such problem.

Published: March 21, 2014 at 9:10pm

tall PM

They’ve all been equally short, right back through to the first ones. And once more, we have yet another short prime minister who stands out in ‘family photos’ of fellow leaders for that reason.

It would be so good to have, for the first time ever, a prime minister who is of normal height – of normal height, that is, for the continent, and not normal height for Malta, which they were/are.

Napoleon was 5’7″ – a good two inches taller than Muscat – yet he has gone down in history as a dwarf, even bequeathing his name to ‘short man syndrome’ (the Napoleon Complex).




32 Comments Comment

  1. canon says:

    Jieklu min fuq rasu.

  2. Alexander Ball says:

    Don’t want to nitpick but Kerry was a tad taller than W.

    http://www.threadforthought.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/bush-kerry-side-by-side.jpg

  3. Harry Purdie says:

    The little twerp must return from every Brussels meeting with a crick in his neck.

  4. ciccio says:

    David Cameron cannot contain his relief as he finds out that ‘his fan’ Joseph Muscat is on the other extreme end of the group.

    Enlarge picture here.

    http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressData/Pics/photoGallery/%7Bb3280b70-aef8-4f5d-bda5-dd26294ccc20%7D.jpg

    • ciccio says:

      Oh, and another thing. The man who is no longer the youngest prime minister in the EU is now also not the shortest.

      • Denis says:

        If we are thinking on the same lines Ciccio I cannot imagine Mr. Muscat with a helmet on a moped.

  5. Joe Fenech says:

    In Malta, it’s the one with the biggest waist who wins.

    [Daphne – We’ve never had an overweight PM, either, in living memory. This is the first one.]

  6. pale blue my foot! says:

    But then Joseph wins hands down in width.

  7. Nik says:

    Rutte is talking to Kenny over his head. Talk about ignoring him.

    • P Shaw says:

      Joseph Muscat seems to be lost in this conversation. He is desperately trying to catch up (and up) with what they are saying.

  8. Antoine Vella says:

    The government has made it a point to publish two photos showing Joseph Muscat in conversation during the summit. They want us to believe that he is the soul of the party and so popular with the other European leaders that everybody wants to talk to him.

    The truth is different, as this link shows.

    http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/photo/2014-03/21/133202385_13953598017811n.jpg

    Incidentally, going through various ‘family photos’ of EU summits, I noted that Lawrence Gonzi used to be in the back row but obnoxiously pushy Muscat (can’t think of an English word that fits him as perfectly as our ‘żatat’) is always in front, where his isolation becomes even more evident.

  9. jerry says:

    But I think Muscat is taller then Gonzi.

    [Daphne – No. He isn’t taller than Simon Busuttil, either, despite popular misconceptions to the contrary. Fenech Adami, Gonzi, Sant, Muscat and Busuttil are all the same height, and Borg Oliver and Mintoff were shorter, but the same height as each other. Peculiar, isn’t it? I wonder what that’s all about.]

  10. QahbuMalti says:

    This photo really does say a thousand words

    http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressData/Pics/photoGallery/%7B2c4dd1ac-8d47-4b90-86f8-8b6749f82e8d%7D.jpg

    Whilst everyone else is casually chatting with those around them, as they would in a family, Joseph has put on his “Look at me I am a statesman” pose in readiness for the photo. The master of marketing and spin doesn’t give two hoots about those around him because they are not his family. But he does give a damn about how those back home would see him – so he puts on that pose but sadly has no idea how to carry. Respect is earned not acted out!

  11. marks says:

    At least he gets to stand in the front row

  12. Anthony says:

    The fourth prime minister was certainly no dwarf.

    Gerald Strickland was, in fact, tall and handsome.

    But then he had his Sizergh genes to help.

  13. lol says:

    Joseph Muscat is 5’8″ not 5’5″. He’s a good 4-5 inches taller than the chief justice, and the chief justice is not 5 foot.

    [Daphne – Muscat is not four inches taller than the chief justice. And he is most definitely NOT 5’8″. Five foot eight inches is actually pretty tall for a man in Malta. A man that height would stand out above the norm, and he doesn’t. Look at the way most people regard me as spectacularly tall, even though I always wear perfectly flat shoes. Do you know that I’m only 5’7″? I know that Muscat is shorter than I am because I’ve stood next to him.]

    • Marlowe says:

      You’ve stood next to him? There’s an anecdote for a cocktail party.

      [Daphne – You and many others forget that he was a Super One journalist from 1992 onwards, and that I was part of the routine media throng for years before sticking to being a columnist.]

      • H.P. Baxxter says:

        I sat next to him on a flight. Quiet as a mouse, he was.

      • Harry Purdie says:

        Talked to him once at a consultants gathering. Came up to my chest. Figured he was still a growing young pup. Got that wrong.

      • H.P. Baxxter says:

        Then we know whose fault it was for bringing doughnuts to the office. You should have been a lettuce merchant. Then we’d have a slimmer Cabinet.

      • Harry Purdie says:

        ‘Lett us’ rejoice, donuts reign.

  14. catharsis says:

    Even his “buddy” Martin Schulz is at a safe distance away.

  15. François-Marie Arouet says:

    I fear that “Napoleon complex” is an unjustified term probably invented by his English enemies who conveniently forgot that the much admired Admiral Nelson is said to have stood 5’4″ tall.

    The intellectual “giant” Voltaire was 5’3″ tall and it would be pointless to mention the many other short men who have left an indelible mark in history for one reason or another. While most lists of famous short men in history drawn up in English-speaking countries almost always include Napoleon, very few include Horatio Nelson.

    As to short women, some of the most beautiful and desirable women, past and present, were/are quite short or even diminutive.

    I find it difficult to understand why Daphne, who is in most instances rational in her arguments, attributes so much importance to height as if this has anything to do with ability.

    [Daphne – Height does not affect men’s ability but it affects their perception of themselves, and that in turn affects events and those around them. Women tend not to be similarly afflicted.]

    In case you wish to psychologically analyze me and unearth the reason for my writing this piece, I am male and barely 5’6″ in my boots. I like to think that I was not totally unsuccessful in various spheres of life. Please do your worst. BTW, in case you’re wondering, I have not written this in defence of the PM about whom I am indifferent. I do not feel that he or I or anyone else needs defending about their genes.

    [Daphne – Thank you for proving the point with your dramatic chippiness. I’m really not interested in you, your achievements, and least of all, your lack of height.]

    • Tabatha White says:

      “[Daphne – Height does not affect men’s ability but it affects their perception of themselves, and that in turn affects events and those around them. Women tend not to be similarly afflicted.]”

      In fact they should mentally zero that perceived handicap because others, not ever stigmatised by it, are always struck at how it effects the short set in a very specific way: as though the climatic conditions really are from two different hemispheres.

      It is only because it happens repeatedly that we are able to see that being short is a really big deal to those who are short. One would expect a sense of humour to take over at some point. Instead, sadly, it is often – but not always – envy that takes its place.

      For this self-conscious short sort, proportion of perspective materialises into a reality gap.

      In as far as tall goes, one would then need to further qualify into tall (for Malta) and elegant, which Alex Sceberras Trigona isn’t, for example.

      When I read this piece I immediately thought: one of the AM Cassar Torreggianis would fit the look perfectly, as would one of the darker-haired Tabones. (I’ll mention these because they have a certain amount of political exposure).

      Otherwise tall and slightly stocky would garner a couple of more candidates, but very few in the pool that would fit the bill remarkably.

      That’s if we’re sticking to male candidates only.

      • H.P. Baxxter says:

        As a male short arse, I think I am more than qualified to chip in here.

        Leaving aside the aesthetics, being short is a disadvantage in many ways. Your stride is shorter, so you have to make more steps to cover the same distance. You struggle to carry a backpack because you’ve got a shorter back. You struggle to walk uphill because you’ve got shorter legs. If everything else is in proportion, you’ll weigh less so you cannot carry as much weight. You have shorter arms so you’ll struggle at anything involving arm movement (rowing, racket sports, swimming, martial arts).

        Since you’re small, you have a larger surface area to volume ratio so you struggle in colder climates.

        There are no sports where being short is an advantage. When you’re short, you know you’ll do perform worse than everyone else.

        The only advantage is that you present a smaller target so there’s less chance of getting shot.

  16. MB says:

    Napoleon wasn’t particularly short for the times he lived in. In those days people were shorter.

  17. Anthony says:

    I do not feel his height is really relevant.

    In fact, I do not think he is the EU’s pygmy mascot.

    It is his whole shape and looks that are so pathetically funny.

    He looks like an advert for Cow and Gate (forty years later).

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