Top comment today: “The PN did not lose because it was negative, but because it has been handling this government with kid gloves.”
Posted by J. Vella:
The PN did not lose because it was negative, but because it has been handling this government with kid gloves.
It has let this government get away with practically whatever it wanted.
It has allowed the government to impose a president who is unfit for the role, a person who was the secretary-general of the MLP when it was at its worst, when democracy, the rule of law and human rights were systematically abused.
Instead of putting its foot down and objecting, it voted in favour of her appointment and played its part in the circus of her “coronation” – to ‘be positive’. What a mistake that was.
Simon Busuttil`s role in a democracy is not to be the government`s cheerleader but to expose its wrongdoings and its abysmal standards.
Democracy is being systematically eroded. The Maltese media has been practically domesticated, and instead of keeping the government on its toes, it is undermining the Opposition.
The police corps and the army have been taken over by the MLP. Can anyone imagine the police investigating any allegation of wrong-doing by the MLP or its officials?
During the electoral campaign, the government has used and abused its power of incumbency in spite of knowing that it enjoyed an overwhelming advantage over the PN, in order to humiliate Simon Busuttil, bring the party to its knees and demoralise its supporters.
It wants the PN to be ‘positive’ to render it as ineffective as the Opposition in Putin`s Russia and to eliminate any checks and balances to its increasingly autocratic behaviour.
The MLP did not win the last general election by being positive, but by being as negative, destructive, vindictive and dishonest as it could. Was its collaboration with Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, John Dalli, Franco Debono and Jesmond Mugliett positive? No, it was reprehensible.
Was the Labour Party’s television station (and its radio station too) ‘positive’ when Labour was in Opposition? No, it was completely vile and it persecuted and attacks individuals who stood in Labour’s way, including journalists – which can only be interpreted as a direct threat to freedom of expression.
I do not believe that Labour tried to convince the socialists in the European Parliament to vote in favour of Tonio Borg`s appointment as European Commissioner. I`m convinced the socialists had a plan to give him a false sense of security and then undermine him by withdrawing support at the last minute.
The PN and its media should go on the attack. It should put the government and its members and lackeys under the microscope. Nothing should be off limits.
The press in Britain and the USA put the private life of their public figures in the spotlight, not because the British and Americans enjoy gossip more than the Italians or the French, but because their democracy is stronger and more sophisticated. And the press in those countries know that by divorcing the public persona from the private persona of their politicians, it would be colluding with the political class in hoodwinking the electorate.
Off with the gloves. The PN should go for the jugular. It has got nothing to lose and everything to gain.
97 Comments Comment
Leave a Comment
Well said. Thank you
Excellent. The Opposition should oppose, oppose and oppose. This is not Brussels. This is still the Mediterranean close to Africa.
The present NP government is doing as well as can be expected for the first fifteen months after losing a general election. It is much too soon for Dr Simon Busuttil to be able to undo the harm done by the previous NP administration that had alienated the rank and file of the party by doing something much worse than “handling the Labour Party with kid gloves”. GonziPN had actually cossetted and rewarded NP party renegades and rival Labourites at the expense of its truly faithful. It showered benefits on its enemies foolishly trying to buy back.their worthless loyalty.
That serious damage is not beyond repair by Dr Simon Busuttil but he must be allowed enough time to effect that gargantuan task. He has four years time in which to do it. He is up to it, much more so than any one else on scene at the moment. He can do it by going for the jugular as from now.
”It is much too soon for Dr Simon Busuttil to be able to undo the harm done by the previous NP administration that had alienated the rank and file of the party”.
Dr Saliba, but the point is that there are plenty out there who feel that Dr Busuttil was part and parcel of the previous NP administration you refer to.
They should not be feeling that Dr Busuttil was “part and parcel” of the previous administration. He was an MEP in Brussels dragged in at the very last moment after the die had already been cast in the minds of the electorate.
Can you post Ivan Fenech’s article in Times of Malta today, please?
[Daphne – http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140527/opinion/Dom-Mintoff-Mark-II.520743 ]
Glad to read that votes from Imperium Europa candidate Norman Lowell have been counted and transferred, with the majority heading towards PL candidates.
Water finds its own level.
BRAVU BRAVU BRAVU. At least somebody agrees. Cannot congratulate you more for your contribution.
We have watched patients in corridors on One news daily. Now they call corridors something else and the PN instead of going for the jugular offers to set up a joint committee.
Simon, I have faith in you BUT this is NOT European politics. We do not need a change in leader. We need a change in tactics.
If not for anything else, at least out of respect for those who suffered in the past, and for those who are going to suffer in the next few (hopefully) years.
you mean who are suffering at present already
Finally we are in agreement. I too award this Top Comment.
And who was it who was handling this government with kid gloves?
[Daphne – We’re in agreement about a lot of things. It’s Busuttil who insists on handling the government with kid gloves, and as you can detect from my own way of handling the government, I think that’s a lousy idea and the Opposition is there to give the government hell ON BEHALF OF THE ELECTORATE. But that doesn’t call for a change of leader. It calls for a change of leader’s tactics and attitude. It’s actually very difficult for non-aggressive people to fight aggressively, but it can be done, and yes, even without shouting or table-thumping.]
Of course it can be done. The question is should we wait for Simon Busuttil to develop the skills he lacks while Labour gets away with murder.
When you apply for a job, you are expected to already possess the necessary skills and experience for it. Unless you are exceptionally gifted, no employer would waste his resources on someone who needs complete retraining when there are other more suitable candidates.
Thank you, J. Vella and of course thank you, Daphne.
I hope Dr. Simon Busuttil “smells the coffee”.
Fully agree with you Daphne. Less ‘nice guy’ attitude from Simon Busuttil will be helpful. It doesn’t mean being rude.
With Simon Busuttil’s trust rating (compared to Muscat’s), the PN have no chance in hell of winning the next election.
Muscat has spent a year doing what he wants and yet his rating is nowhere near diminishing.
In my opinion, the PN needs a new leader, and the sooner the better. The party needs to think outside of the ‘box’ for once and it has to find someone who can bridge this gap. A woman leader, perhaps?
[Daphne – God, what an attitude. I am bewildered at the way Maltese adults live in fantasy land. I’m sorry if I sound a tad aggressive here, but honestly. ‘The PN needs a new leader, and the sooner the better…A woman leader, perhaps?’ What are you suggesting here – popping down to the suq, browsing the leader stalls, and taking your pick from all the new leaders and women leaders who are gagging to lead the Nationalist Party? And all of them perfect, of course, just as you would like them. Unbelievable. Here’s a touch of reality, a mantra that you can think about repeating instead of doing Labour’s job for it and repeating Muscat’s mantras: YOU CAN ONLY WORK WITH WHAT YOU’VE ACTUALLY GOT. THERE IS NO DEUS EX MACHINA. PUT YOUR WEIGHT BEHIND THE BIRD IN YOUR HAND AND STOP FANTASISING ABOUT THE BIRD IN THE BUSH.]
Daphne, you have never been more right. I think some people use the same reasoning even in their private lives and relationships. As my dear mother used to say ‘Iva, se tpingih’, meaning that nobody is perfect.
There you go again. You (and the PN for that matter) need to get down to the level Maltese adults think in order to stand a chance of being elected.
[Daphne – There is a problem with either your information or your articulation, Ray. I am not standing for election, therefore I do not need to do anything to stand a chance of being elected. If this is the level at which Maltese adults think, I pity the politicians who have to woo them.]
If the Maltese are gullible enough to still trust Muscat after all the disgusting stuff he is doing, than surely a change of direction needs to be taken by the PN.
[Daphne – And what do you suggest? Standing the Maltese electorate up against the wall and shooting it for bloody-mindedness? Moving into bed with a Communist dictatorship and striking a few deals in return for donations to the PN’s war chest? Behaving like the Labour Party, and immediately alienating the PN’s 40% core vote who vote for it precisely because it is NOT like the Labour Party?]
As I said in my previous post, I really think that if the PN will have a woman leader the gap would be much smaller.
[Daphne – And I really think that if I had a house on the beach on a Greek island in the middle of nowhere, my life would be so much better. But if wishes were horses then beggars would ride. It’s not about what you think, or about what you want. It’s about what is: reality. Where do you plan on getting this woman leader, exactly? Buying her off a market stall? Spotting somebody you fancy would make a good woman leader, knocking her over the head with your club and dragging her back to the PN’s cave? You’re not writing fiction, you know, or a theoretical essay for a university course. This is the real thing. Life. Reality.]
The reason for this is the way Maltese peasants think. They will be more trusting to a female person than a male one. Is this right? No, it is not. The gender of a person should have no bearing. But when you see that we have a new MEP who boasted about pacts with devils and that the ends justifies the means get the most votes, than one has to forget about how normal civilized people think.
I am not suggesting that we pop down to a ‘suq’ looking for a leader. I can easily name one – Anne Fenech. Some say that she is not interested – but neither were Fenech Adami for president or Marco De Marco for deputy.
With the bird we have in our hand than we have no chance for sure.
[Daphne – Impressive. Ann Fenech says quite clearly and categorically – on the record and on television – that she is not in the least bit interested in being party leader and that she never will be, and you keep right on insisting and dreaming. Why? Because she’s a woman, and can be made to change her mind? Going to force her, are you? She would have to give up her law career, for a start, and why on earth would she want to do that? You see, this is exactly what I mean: you decide that X would make a good leader, independently of the reality of that person’s availability, and you keep dreaming. Well, lots of people think George Clooney would make a rather nice boyfriend. It doesn’t mean they’re going to ditch the boyfriend they do have on the offchance that he might become available.]
There has got to be a worthy contender in the usual Jesuit schools that can be trained for PN leadership, as I see the PL in government for two decades or more with Busuttil at the wheel of the PN.
The PN better find a source of funding, in a heavy way and soon.
No moola, no play.
[Daphne – Then how about if you were to put your money where your mouth is, Ken, and wire your donations from the United States? Don’t buy your medicinal marijuana for a couple of weeks and send the money to the PN.]
With all due respect, on the NET TV discussion program that took place within minutes of the closure of the polling booths on Saturday night, the Nationalist Party protagonists taking part expressed opinions that mirrored this Ray’s opinion.
I heard them with my very own ears. They compared the capabilities of Dr Busuttil with the larger-than-life persona of Dr Fenech Adami and Dr Gonzi’s oratory skills.
They also made references about investing in a future leader whilst referring to one particular promising young female PN politician.
I will still buy my medical marijuana and I will personally donate money to the PN when I will visit Malta, plus give the PN leadership a piece of my mind while I am at it too, which will be soon.
No problem.
[Daphne – That’s sweet of you, Ken. Just be sure to leave your medicinal marijuana at home.]
” Just be sure to leave your medicinal marijuana at home.”
I was hoping that a Chris Engerer type will fix me up with a quarter ounce of medium quality bud while I stay on the island?
I am not a heavy user, I mostly ingest half a gram at a time for the whole day, even an eighth of an once will do in a pinch for my visit.
[Daphne – You could always ring the Labour Party when you get here and ask for Cyrus Engerer, who might fix you up with his dad the dealer.]
Il-problema eterna ta’ ħafna nazzjonalisti li sirt naf mit-80-ijiet ‘l hawn. Iridu kollox perfett — minn ħaddiehor. Jippontifikaw x’għandu jsir u ma jsirx u mbagħad ħafna drabi (biex ma nghidx dejjem) ma ssibhomx.
Tiftakruha l-Imnarja tal-’84? Suppost in-nazzjonalisti ma rrappurtawx għax-xoghol. Minn daqshekk veru ma marrux għax-xoghol għax qabel irrappurtaw ‘sick’! Biex xorta nħolqu bordijiet ta’ nvestigazzjoni u ħafna minnhom spiċċaw dixxiplinati.
Tajjeb li tkun kritiku imma trid tkun realistiku. Ghalhekk Joseph ried li din l-elezzjoni tkun tellieqa bejnu u Simon – biex lill-PN ikun jista’ jumiljah, igerfxu u jisfiduċjah fost il-partitarji tieghu stess. Din l-istess tattika użaha Mintoff fuq Borg Olivier meta rega’ rebaħ it-tieni darba fl-1976.
F’dal-kuntest naqbel 100% mal-kummenti ta’ Daphne. L-affarijiet ma jaqgħux mis-sema u trid tahdem b’li ghandek. Il-partitarji nazzjonalisti għandhom bżonn jitgħallmu ftit mid-dixxiplina tal-partitarji laburisti. Minkejja l-fjaski li kienu seħħew taħthom (Mintoff li tilef il-maggoranza tal-voti, it-taħwid taħt KMB, kif ukoll bil-bużullotti ta’ Sant) dejjem baqgħu qaqoċċa jaħdmu u jistennew il-mument tagħhom..
Minkejja li fuq medda ta’ 25 sena il-PN biddel wiċċ u ruh Malta fuq linji moderni u ta’ livell ewropew (minkejja l-limitazzjonijiet li għandna ta’ pajjiż żgħir) il-poplu u l-elettorat Malti jibqa’ dak li hu — ibiddel fehmtu b’mod illogiku (kif iddeskrivieh San Luqa fir-rakkont tal-lifa’ li qabdet m’id Pawlu: minn ħalliel u kriminal għal xi alla).
Bħalissa l-poplu (jew dik il-parti li vvutat għal darb’oħra lill-Lejber) għadu orgażmat bir-rebħa tal-‘bidla’, mgħejun mill-artisti u nies tal-‘entertainment’, il-promoturi tad-divorzju, tal-‘gay rights’ u nies ta’ kull orjentazzjoni sesswali oħra. . Għalkemm vojt mis-sustanza, dan qed jiġi muri bħala xi avvanz fenomenali u n-nies għadha tistenna aktar — anke jekk ma tafx xi trid. L-istess bħalma ġara Spanja taħt Zapatero. Għalkemm l-ewwel sinjali qegħdin hemm, il-konsegwenzi nistgħu biss nistennew u naraw.
Dan huwa mument delikat ghall-PN bħal ma kien meta tela’ Mintoff fil-’71 u iktar minn hekk wara l-’76. Il-leadership Importanti kemm trid imma minghajr is-sostenn tal-‘grassroots’ it-triq tkun iktar difficli. Irridu ntuhom cans u ma nistennewx il-mirakli mill-lum għal ghada.
Minnu nnifsu il-PN dellu tqil mal-poplu, li fil-hajja jinteressah fuq kollox il-‘bread and circus’ ta’ kuljum. Iż-żmien isajru l-bajtar. Dar-rizultat jaf ikompli jitla’ għal rasu u mbagħad ikun jista’ jkompli jirrombla sakemm il-poplu jibda jinqaras fil-laham il-haj. Hemmhekk imbaghad il-poplu jibda jerġa’ jdur lejn il-PN (u xorta bil-mod — għax il-Lejber jaf jagħlef). Hekk uriet l-istorja politika minn Mintoff ‘l hawn.
To hell with UBS port Cyrus, I will just drop in to his father’s place of business.
It calls for a change in strategy and strategist!
They are too enamoured with Mr Clean Busuttil and his loser way of doing things to see common sense.
The PN needs first and foremost a huge source of spending money.
They need a leader with vision and willing to fight in the ring with the PL, whether Simon Busuttil can be transformed into Max Schmeling with the sly wisdom of Disraeli overnight is very doubtful.
They need to do 180 degree turn on the NP (negro problem) and lie to the public that if elected they will solve the problem pronto.
Once in power, they will go their usual globalist agenda way and do what mother EU tells them to destroy Malta, same as before.
The PN has got to become a mean lean fighting machine with a nasty demeanor. The new logo should be changed to NNP for Nasty National Party.
People will like that, it has balls.
Please please Dr.Busuttil – change your tactics – and win the WAR . This battle has been lost , so we need to learn from it . Once again well done Daphne
This is not a lost battle. It is only an opening skirmish in a protracted war that still has four years to run, at most.
Too late for a change in the leader’s attitude and tactics. Now the way he has projected himself in the eyes of the electorate is what it is. First impressions count. He cannot reverse that.
And what about the PN media? Some of them are not even articulate to read and transmit a news decently in a clip where the message really needs to be driven home.
One of things which gave the PN the edge in the past was that it had some of the best journalists who persisted on news value items, where not afraid to challenge the Opposition on anything and where excellent communicators. Nathaniel Attard and Amanda Ciappara come to mind.
Daphne, yesterday I said the same thing on your blog. Simon Busuttil must come out swinging. Simon is too nice. His niceties work in Brussels but in Malta it’s considered as a sign of weakness.
In sports they say the best offence is the best defence.
Fully agreed. Muscat started this ‘negativity’ game at the outset, to have a subdued Opposition, and he succeeded, knowing that the PN was afraid of being perceived as negative.
And guess what? At the end of it, Muscat had no opposition and the PN is perceived as negative.
The first thing that the PN has to address is the total and embarrassing lack of marketing and media resources.
This is why the PN’s message has not gone through whilst the MLP has been having a field day for nearly two years.
Perfect.
I don’t approve of shouting or table-thumping. It’s the art of engaging with people, being a strategist and a natural-born leader. I’m not sure all these traits can be acquired – that is the issue.
One episode I cant erase is in Busuttil’s response to the budget speech. At one time government members were heckling him and belittling him. His reaction? He giggled.
I would have quipped, “Idhqu, idhqu – meta n-nies jitilfu x-xoghol imbaghad jmurrilkom iz-zufjett!” He has to be sharp and witty.
[Daphne – I don’t think that’s particularly sharp and witty. I would have interrupted myself to say that I was pausing for a few seconds to give the prime minister time to compose himself and leave the schoolyard.]
If only PN would hear this message. This is exactly what real Nationalists feel. This is exactly why most did not vote or voted Alternattiva.
[Daphne – ‘Real Nationalists?’ As distinct from what – fake ones like me, who actually bother to vote for the Nationalist Party? The only real Nationalists in this equation are the ones who vote for the Nationalist Party. Those who vote Labour are by definition Labour supporters, and those who vote AD are Greens. Those who vote for Norman Lowell have serious issues, however they might try to justify themselves, and those who couldn’t be arsed to vote are nothing at all. If you can’t face that fact, tough. Support for a political party is defined purely by the vote, and nothing else. “I’m a Nationalist who voted Green” – only in Malta. Try to picture the scenario in Britain: “I’m a real Conservative, but I vote Labour.”]
Lovely. I mean your comment, Daphne.
The muddled thinking about something so simple, so basic, coming from well-meaning persons, is frustrating, besides being stupefying. It is a hell of a job running this blog and we appreciate it a lot.
Your comments are sharp, witty and above all logical. You also take on the role of teacher on various matters. You must have a lot of patience.
Thanks.
Dr Busuttil, please note:
“Off with the gloves. The PN should go for the jugular. It has got nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
I agree completely with this comment, but for the PN to do as suggested here, Simon Busuttil has to go. He is too good a person. To take on Muscat you have to be as wily as a pack of foxes, and slippery as snakes.
No. You just need better advisers and a steady flow of soundbites and catchphrases.
I do not agree that Simon Busuttil has to go. He is in a class of his own compared to that sly, shallow and opportunist, Muscat.
I am not in favour of stooping to MLP’s low levels just to try and beat them. With that reasoning, it will only get dirtier.
I am proud of this party and proud to have a party leader who is not a cheap opportunist.
Yes, his tactics need to change and become more aggressive perhaps. Perhaps he needs to show more conviction. But it takes a bit of time if you want to do it the RIGHT way.
You can never have ‘too good a person.’ Mahatma Gandhi defined good and see what he managed to achieve against the might of Imperial Britain.
What did the MLP say to independence? No.
What did the MLP say to EU membership? No.
What did the MLP say to the Euro? No.
What did the MLP say to pairing? No.
What did the MLP say to Partnership for Peace? No.
What did the MLP say to local councils? No.
To the power station, recycling plant, sewage treatment? That’s right, no.
No, no, no, le, le, le.
And they have the cheek to say the PN is negative?
Whenever a Labour supporter tells me that the PN is negative my answer always be…….u intom IPOKRITI
Selective memory; it’s an epidemic. It’s usually caused by the illusory sense of being looked-after by a government that is far too busy dishing out cheques and favours for all his voters than tackling more pressing issues, like rising unemployment and the trade deficit spike.
The little handouts makes you forget the government’s past wrongs, because short-term monetary gain is all the average voter seems to care about in this country.
EXACTLY! Than why does the PN pr machine hammer these statements into people’s heads when they are called negative?
I guess all comes down to money and over the next few months and years we as Nationalist Party supporters should all help out in the matter.
I meant to say why does not the PN pr machine hammer..(serves me right for not reading it properly before posting)
It is actually a non-aggressive person like Simon Busuttil who can be more convincing when he talks hard. Being aggressive all the time will have a minimal impact overall.
However, by being aggressive and, very much so, in circumstances that warrant such approach, then yes, this approach will be very effective.
Actually, I think the criticism about the sale of passports, the LNG tanker and the numerous iced buns for Labour’s family and friends had begun to strike a chord with a lot of people.
It is my humble opinion that is why Muscat turned aggressive in his attempts to woo as many votes as possible during the last month of the campaign.
Their fear was real. It is just that they don’t show it. On the contrary, they put on a brave and confident face.
If criticism of selling passports were irrelevant, Muscat wouldn’t have had to revise the law several times.
Muscat turned aggressive because he was up against a wall with a gun to his head and the finger on the trigger wasn’t Busuttil’s. It belonged to someone to whom Muscat owed a favour for services rendered in helping him get elected.
Min kien hareg bl-ghajta ghajn ghal ghajn sinna ghal sinna?
Amen.
On areas of common front eg. financial services, tourism etc it should continue but as for the rest, kid gloves off. Democracy demands it.
“Miriam Dalli elected for Labour. First comments from Miriam Dalli: “I am extremely satisfied to have been elected as the first woman ever on the Labour ticket, on my own steam.” (Malta Today)
On her own steam means with Joseph Muscat and the whole Labour Party ‘machine’ pumping the steam. Ask Joseph Cuschieri.
What she means is, up yours Marlene Mizzi.
Kemm huma hbieb Miriam Dalli u Marlene Mizzi!
Kemm verament dan l-artiklu qaxxar is-sitwazzjoni. Nixtieq li Simon Busuttil jaqrah u jikkonsidrah bis-serjeta.
Amen to all that. And let’s not forget the John Dalli factor, self-appointed father confessor to the horrendously irresponsible and embarrassingly infantile Franco form 2c Debono, Jeffrey Mistra Pullicino, Jesmond whiner Mugliett.
The common characteristic among all the ‘hurt’ nationalists in and out of parliament – including Robert ghamluni backbencher Arrigo – is they equate their self-interest with the country’s.
All the moaners, whiners, whingers and fat-arsed supercilious armchair critics who think Simon Busuttil isn’t doing a good job should put their money where their mouth is. If the PN falls short of their expectations, then they should quit whining and opinionating, roll up their sleeves and get to work.
With their support, rather than their know-all criticism, Simon Busuttil can do a far better job of leading the country than Muscat ever can, not least because Busuttil knows what work and responsibility mean while Joseph-I-take-decisions-hourly-Muscat wouldn’t recognise work and responsibility if they slid past his ridiculously inflated security detail and bit him in his fat, badly suited, overfed arse.
I also agree.
But I think the Simon Busuttil persona has now been weakened too much for an effective recovery. He was already being seen as weak by the voters that matter before this election, let alone now.
Nothing personal, but I think he has to go. And go now, if we’re to hope of trashing Muscat in 4 years’ time.
We need an Austin Gatt character – more than enough to match one Joseph per fist and another for a good headbutt.
Simon Busuttil is there to stay. Don’t play into Labour’s hands.
hear hear
Cut the crap. We need good potential prime ministers as party leaders. We already had a rotten one in the MLP and he is now prime minister.
Dragging the alternative down to his level won’t improve the game even if it improves the PN’s chances.
The PN is and should remain a better alternative to the MLP, not a rougher version of the same thing. We already have enough hamallagni as it is. Busuttil has all the right attributes of a good prime minister, and that’s as it should be.
To each their own.
I wouldn’t mind having a “rough” prime minister, as long as they are there to implement policies based on PN principles.
Having a potential prime minister, however “good” they may be, is useless if they remain, well, potential.
Think about what Muscat did to retain and even increase his support this time round. Do you think that he’ll blink before using the same tactics or even “worse” 4 years down the line?
As long as we’re playing against dirty politics on the other side, as we most certainly have now, I’ll have to agree with you: yes, Simon Busuttil makes a good POTENTIAL prime minister. And so he will remain.
I’d love for you to throw my words back in my face in 2018. But with Muscat as PM I don’t think that’s going to happen.
@Curious, I’m not playing into Muscat’s hands. Don’t concern yourself about me, but rather think of the 17,000 and what will bring them over. You seem too ready to bet on the uncertain. From where I stand, it’s far safer to say that I am here to stay. Far stronger characters came and went before Busuttil.
@ FP – I’m not into betting. Certainly not where the Maltese electorate is concerned.
Muscat wasn’t elected because he swapped his bad suit for an ill-fitting one and shaved off his goatee. He certainly wasn’t elected because of his charm or competence, given that he has none of the former and too much of the wrong kind of the latter.
Muscat was elected because his puppeteer and paymaster has deep pockets and no interest in who runs the country as long as its their way.
If you advocate going head to head with Muscat, then you need a hollow man of limited vision and great vanity backed by a country richer and more aggressive than China, a portaloo podium to distance him from tame journalists’ benign questions, and a posse of minders who ensure the only public contact he has is scripted and staged or pseudo-spontaneous.
The point of the PN is not to elect a PN government at any cost, but to elect a government worthy of its name and markedly different from the sham we now have.
Maybe Simon Busuttil should organise a seminar and invite a number of people across society who have the welfare of the PN at heart and listen to their views. Just listen.
They must not be part of the party hierarchy in any shape or form. Not councillors or anything. Just normal everyday people who are not party activists.
I for one would love to have the opportunity.
[Daphne – I think that is an excellent idea and I so agree with you.]
Good idea.
Reading Daphne and various other excellent contributors on this blog would take him half way there.
Talking shops… the intellectual version of coffee mornings.
I too would welcome it. That said, I was introduced to Dr Busuttil a couple of weeks back. He seemed very approachable. So an email might be another channel.
I totally agree with you, Mr Briffa. In fact these everyday people are the switchers and they are the ones that Simon Busuttil needs to persuade.
This would be the baby step needed to move forward.
That can work if the room isn’t filled with navel-gazers bending Busuttil’s ears about their petty personal grouches.
Agreed. May I also add that Simon Busuttil should read this blog and its comments.
I agree wholeheartedly. Being Mr Nice Guy just doesn’t score points in this country. Busuttil must come down to reality. He needs to develop a ruthless streak and determination if he is to attract people to the party.
I am a firm believer in his intelligence and vision but his approach needs to be overhauled.
When, as an ordinary party member, I tried, I was completely ignored.
The PN still has to put its house in order before it becomes a political force to be reckoned with.
You may be right and others have similar stories but I need to get something off my chest.
I have been hearing PN MPs saying ad nauseum that they are going to be nearer to the people . I hope they won’t come to bother me. Is it possible that so many do not understand that I vote because I look at the bigger picture?
We have been through hell under Mintoff and we always live peacefully under PN administrations, regardless of the faults. There is always a sense of security that if something bad really happens, there is a capable government to take care of the situation. It never happens with Labour. On the contrary, it is embarassment all the way.
That is why I vote PN and I don’t need any MPs to come to visit me at home. Quite frankly the less I see of them the better.
When I have problems, I tackle them through official channels like the customer care department of the various ministries or government departments. That is how it should be. But we are reverting back to clientelism under Labour. We had a bus/coach touring Malta asking people if they needed anything. Really progressive and modern.
Some traits will always be there but we could at least try to reverse the trend.
We were promised the revival of the Kungress Generali what happened?
So would i
Well said.
It’s looking a lot more likely that Marlene Mizzi and Clint Camilleri for Labour will be the last remaining candidates behind Casa, but ahead of Zammit Dimech. Therefore Labour 4 PN 2.
Very good.
PN has to stop being the ‘nice guy’. It has to start to LEAD, by speaking out clearly, etc.
Totally agree with this comment and Chris Briffa’s too.
Joseph Muscat is not going to stop here. He will continue until he finishes Simon Busuttil.
He can find Busuttil guilty of breach of privilege and send him to prison. Busuttil needs to show a lot of courage and he must be ready for anything.
I fully agree and am willing to contribute my ideas. They can be thrown out of the window if they are not good. I love the PN and want to see it up the crest again. I declare straight away. I do not want anything in return. No favours, no jobs, nothing. Long live PN.
The PN has a very hard uphill struggle. It is still suffering from the massive defeat in last year’s elections and now the EP elections.
When dealing with a mostly selfish, greedy or stupid electorate you just have to adopt the attitude of little things please little minds. Joseph Muscat knows this and is taking advantage of it.
Who cares about the economy? The 110-euro cheque or an undeserved secure government job is more important for these peasants.
Simon Busuttil is well spoken and intelligent. Joseph Muscat is loud and uses savvy sales techniques. The latter seems more convincing to people.
Labour seem to be implementing their promises whilst at the same time taking advantage of everything they can take advantage of.
If you want to know how positive PL is then read the vitriolic comments/blogs of its minions who populate the Blogosphere.
Simon Busuttil has to remain there at all costs. The PN would have lost these EP elections even if they had the Pope as their leader.
The PN needs time and has to get rid of most of the ex ministers. A lot of people out there did not vote PN because they were pissed off with the ex ministers and not because of Simon Busuttil.
This post by J Vella is an eye-opener.
It is obvious Simon Busuttil has to change mode and gear.
It is about time he realised that he is dealing with a government that is devious, fraudulent, lying, sleazy, vindictive and corrupt. A government that does not believe in human rights, in meritocracy, in fair play, in democracy, in the rule of law, in the EU and in the Maltese themselves.
Simon Busuttil ought to rise to the situation which is indeed tragic. If there are elements within the party that are standing in his way he should have them thrown out. Lawrence Gonzi will teach him a thing or two about riding on the hungry tiger’s back.
If he feels he is unable to do so and soon, then he should make way.
If he does not follow this advice, it will take more than the sixteen years it took last time round for the tide to turn if it will turn at all.
The political graveyard around the world is full of nice politicos who were full of ideals and ultimately who were swallowed up and spat out.
In these elections there is not much that the Opposition could have done. It exposed whatever could be exposed. In the polling booth, people are alone and fearless and they vote governments out as much as they vote governments in.
They feel, think or perceive that this government, all in all, did a good job in this one year. And forgave the rest. Get over it.
Now, when people perceive an economic downturn or are fed up with a government, they will start turning to the Opposition.
One further thing, the ‘dinosaur from the past’ thing never actually worked, and fortunately, the Nationalist Party will not go there, proving that what is being suggested here remains nonsense. Grudges lead to nowhere but desperation.
The Maltese already punished the MLP for their inglorious past. What would a vote against the President would have achieved? More sympathy and a 5000 more votes to the PL.
All the Opposition needs right now is continuing exposing what is wrong, and patience.
Totally agree. Just one criticism towards Mr. Busuttil is to be less robotic when speaking. Otherwise he is quite good.
“The Maltese already punished the MLP for their inglorious past.”
Seriously? You call a win by less than 5000 votes a “punishment”?
Too much credit is given to the intellect of the average voter. And as long as that remains the case, and as long as strategy teams continue to think with THEIR heads and not of the voters, elections will continue to be won and lost for all the wrong reasons.
I mostly agree with J Vella: the PN do need to become an effective Opposition. I couldn’t in good conscience vote Labour, because they’re doing a poor job in government, but I couldn’t vote PN either, because they’re doing just as poor a job in Opposition.
[Daphne – You appear to have misunderstood the purpose of this election, which was to choose the best candidates to fill six seats in the European Parliament. The work of the government and of the Opposition did not, strictly speaking, enter the equation.]
What I can’t come to terms with is J Vella’s Tonio Borg paragraph. If the socialists wanted to appear to support him only to pull their support at the last minute, why didn’t they?
I think that the Labour MEPs did lobby in his favour, but for the wrong reason: that “Malta l-ewwel u qabel kollox” (“Malta first and screw the rest”) so anything Malta must be fully supported in foreign fora.
Or maybe because they expected the PN to lobby in favour of their candidate in return when the time comes. And then if the PN don’t, as they very well shouldn’t, they can call them “tradituri ghax kontra l-Maltin, mhux bhalna” (“traitors, against Malta, unlike us”).
I know the election was for the European Parliament, but both parties focused on local matters in their campaigns, so they both made me feel that they would interpret my vote as approval for their local behaviour.
A party full of advocates should be used to give the people more power to express themselves. I AM AFRAID TO TALK should be a phrase of the past. By making friends with large and powerful countries Labour is trying to censor all our feelings, thoughts and actions.
A down to earth, sane post which does not purport a quick solution by making anyone a scape goat for the defeat suffered.
It is difficult to win against those who are champions of hitting below the belt and who seem to have had unlimited funds for a comprehensive strategy.
Look at what those who stabbed the PN from the inside while thumping their chest achieved under this ‘open for all’ government.
Were they proven to be the straight arrows they painted themselves to be? Come on, more than a year later, what contribution to the country has Franco Debono made, where are his great visions?
Who admires JPO for flaunting his relationship with a person in his remit? Who would be found guilty of a vindictive crime as Engerer was and STILL try to convince everyone that he is in fact a hero?
My goodness, can we start to see the actions and not believe the words pushed down our throats by the recipients of strategic appointments in the media? See the enemy of fairness, democracy and meritocracy for what it is and not for what Joseph Muscat and his echos say it is.
If, on the other hand, all you want is a personal favour, a handout, which you do not deserve, then do not critisize the NP for not taking care of its own, just switch to Labour.
Tonio Fenech should have turned up the heat about the Henley and Crap much earlier, the last week was too late.
What has happened to that incident? Are we going to get the PAC to meet and table the contracts signed?
LEAK those PDFs.
Why are people swallowing Muscat’s rhetoric hook, line and sinker? What did people expect? That the PN would come back from a 36k vote defeat after barely a year?
It is shocking how easily people, even intelligent, well-meaning ones can be duped by a couple of well chosen sound bites.
Busuttil’s resignation would be the worst thing possible for the PN right now. A whole year wasted with a new prospective leader having to find his/her feet all over again.
No. Busuttil has to stay there at this point, whether he wants to or not. He has to turn into a despot if necessary, even it if it obviously not in his nature. The PN needs strong leadership now more than ever and Busuttil needs to discriminate between his real friends who are truly loyal and the schemers who are there to take advantage of the situation and who would stab him in the back without a moment’s hesitation if it would further their goals. I’d hazard a guess that the schemers are closer than he thinks.
As J. Vella says above, it is about time that the PN starts turning the tables around and taking the initiative. All is fair in love and war (and may I add, politics).
The gloves have to come off and the knuckledusters on, if necessary. I’m fed up of an opposition afraid of criticizing the government the way it should be criticized. I’m fed up of an opposition that’s constantly second-guessing itself. The PN have nothing to lose at this point.
It is fight or die.
Dr Busuttil himself admitted Labour had a positive year and that the last budget was a positive one. The performance of Labour in the last year was appreciated and rewarded by the electorate.
The Opposition’s role is to harry, harry, harry…incessantly. If it doesn’t do that then it’s not doing its job. Which is why Simon Busuttil et al are unsuitable. For me, Ann Fenech should lead. This post is spot on.
[Daphne – And for me, the prime minister of this island would be 6’3″, gorgeous to look at, highly educated and intelligent, polished, articulate and amusing. But it’s not going to happen is it? So belt up about Ann Fenech. The way you discuss people independently of their wishes and reality is quite impressive. And only recently we had a ‘discussion’ about your beliefs that married women are the heart of the home, there to look after their husbands and children. Now, suddenly, you want one as party leader. Go figure.]
Excellent. Very well put. I hope the PN read this.
This is as true as it ever was, and should be re-posted every so often so as to remind the PN not to fall for the PM’s puerile argument that it is ‘negative’.
Indeed, perhaps the Manuel Mallia debacle has shown the PN that the gloves should be off, especially given the number of places that the PL government has exposed itself.