What ‘the best in Europe’ means to Muscat

Published: April 23, 2014 at 4:30am

The Malta Independent reports on the Labour leader’s speech which kicked off his party’s EP campaign:

The government is transforming the country from a conservative backwater into one of the best in Europe, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said at a rally kicking off the Labour Party’s European election campaign.

So now we know what being ‘the best in Europe’ means to Joseph Muscat: not a strong economy, not education, not a great place to live. No.

To him, being ‘the best in Europe’ means having the most of the legislation and factors he clearly regards as being symbolically European. Does he mean safeguards for the free press, freedom of expression, of assembly and of information?

No.

He means liberalising the drug laws, same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex couples. These are his symbols of Europeanness. But mention abortion, as some people have done over the weekend, and he becomes hysterical, as he did over the last two days, issuing statements of categorical denial.

But that’s only because he thinks he stands to lose more votes than gain them. Until a couple of years ago, he was on the record as saying that he doesn’t think there should be such a thing as same-sex marriage, though he’s OK with something inferior called a union that isn’t the same, and that he doesn’t agree with adoption by same-sex couples.

But needs must when the devil drives and then, if you will allow me to mix my metaphors, it’s all grist to his mill.

Muscat’s only belief is in what is useful to his purposes.




21 Comments Comment

  1. Rahal says:

    Hallina, Muscat. Bqajt reporter b’mentalita Mintoffjana li trabbejt fil-gid ta’ 25 sena qabel tlajt int fil-gvern. X’bniedem imhawwad bla karattru.

  2. Makjavel says:

    We will now have abortion and assisted suicides as next positive best in Europe laws.

    Then it will be positive Chinese free medicine delivered by rickshaw.

  3. M. Cassar says:

    The Maltese were weighed and measured and a bespoke electoral campaign and governing style were churned out.

    Unfortunately, in the case of widespread stupidity, such strategies work.

    One does not counter this tactic by endless apologizing and being meek but by recognizing the pattern and taking on a bold approach. Admittedly this is not easy with a lack of funds but for goodness sake do give those lacking in independent thinking counter arguments and a glimpse of a vision.

    High value targets at the moment are the party leader and party unity. Previous Nationalist Party exponents’ opinions are being sought only to be paraded in the media to further damage the NP.

    There must be someone out there looking at NP faces and body language for any hint of squirm and then parading that person’s quotes in the media just to ‘show’ a divided opinion.

    The ugly mind and mindset is not pleasant to study but it must be done because the rules of the game have changed and pre-election resources have just become humongous because our taxes are paying for experts to fool us.

  4. perpless says:

    Definitions according to Joseph Muscat:

    “Best in Europe” – giving the boot to a highly competent CEO in the mental health sector and replacing her with a political appointee who has zero knowledge and experience on the subject.

  5. Calculator says:

    “But mention abortion, as some people have done over the weekend, and he becomes hysterical, as he did over the last two days, issuing statements of categorical denial.”

    Denial, but only “at this point in time”. It may not have been Muscat himself that sat that, but Helena Dalli’s words cannot but unwittingly expose how much a ‘pinnur’ her master is.

  6. Had it up to here says:

    If Joseph Muscat is a liberal with balls he will go the whole hog and legalise abortion. Those thousands of women who go abroad for abortions have rights too although they don’t make their voice heard for obvious reasons.

    You cannot cherry-pick civil rights as it suits you and your chances at gaining votes.

    [Daphne – Hundreds, not thousands, though of course over the years the numbers would have accumulated into a few thousands.]

    • ken il malti says:

      They kill you as a fetus or they kill you as an adult, it is always killing when it is convenient for someone to do so.

  7. albona says:

    He personifies populism.

  8. C Portelli says:

    Did Joseph state that “government is transforming the country from a conservative backwater into one of the best in Europe”?

    Said by someone who so vehemently opposed Malta’s entry in the EU… well, he must have quite a nerve.

    Or was it perhaps a pun?

  9. marks says:

    The PM, by his own admission, is a great admirer of Spain’s Zapatero. I hope I am wrong, but I suspect Joseph Muscat intends to follow in Zapatero’s footsteps : relishing the establishment of a ‘liberal’ society at the expense of sound economic policies.

  10. Nathalie says:

    Only the bad points about being European – as for the rest…

  11. ACD says:

    Being the best in Europe he means taking tough decisions. The 5th most shared story on the BBC news website today is: Malta Criticised For Mass Bird Shoot.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-27108910

  12. ciccio says:

    Exactly. The best in Europe is what is best for Joseph Muscat.

  13. H.P. Baxxter says:

    How very Chinese.

    “You may do as you please as long as you don’t speak, think, seek freedom, or criticise the government.”

  14. Joe Fenech says:

    Muscat’s view of the world mirrors that of the ‘other Malta’. Now, let’s stick to “other Malta’s ” travel antics and what some cities/countries mean to these people:

    UK
    “L-ikel hemm veru tajjeb u tghidx x-porxins ituk”
    London – Oxford street (more precisely, Primark and M&S)
    Cambridge – minn hemm tista’ tmur tara t-tlielaq tal-karozzi
    Manchester – loghoba futbol

    FRANCE
    Paris – Disneyland
    South West France – Lourdes (or Lourdesse for the OM)
    Provence – tlielaq taz-zwiemel

    ITALY
    Rome – ikla ghagin
    Milan – loghba futbol
    Sicily – monti ta’ Katanja, ikla ghagin minn Pozzallo

    SWITZERLAND
    “Dawk bhalna”

    BELGIUM
    “M’hemmx x’tara”

    GERMANY
    “Oktoberfest ma’ Norman Hamilton”

    HOLLAND
    Amsterdam – haxixa u nisa biz-zejziet barra

    SPAIN
    “Tista’ tmur Lourdes minn hemm”

    EASTERN EUROPE
    “Dawk injoranti imma tista’ tixtri xi gakketta tal-gilda mit-Turkija”

    SCANDINAVIA
    Hemm kulhadd jaghmel li jrid, in-nisa kollha jhobbu jin###

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