Amazing what you can do when you’ve sacked the uncooperative head of the National Statistics Office
How revolting. The worst bit is that their plans are about as cunning as those of Baldrick and Blackadder, though nowhere near as amusing.
So first the National Statistics Office releases statistics saying that unemployment is actually on the up and that any downward tendencies are due to 2,000 people being put on the public sector payroll.
Then the Finance Minister becomes embroiled in a public brouhaha in which he claims that the NSO statistics are wrong and that the NSO has misinterpreted them (the implication is that this has been done deliberately).
The NSO chief is fired.
A couple of weeks later, the NSO releases fresh statistics, showing that unemployment is on a downward curve.
And we are expected not to notice what has happened here. You just have to wonder what sort of terrible meddling and manipulation is going on in the places where we can’t see it (and what grave injustices, as with the sacking of the NSO chief for his insistence on correctness).
It’s actually becoming quite frightening. I think it’s the rest of us who should be wearing bullet-proof vests and going around with armed guards, rather than them. We’re back in a situation where we need protection from our own government. We voted them in to abuse us, abuse the system, and spend their days snorting at the trough.
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http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141124/local/unemployment-down-sharply.545496
U mhux liċ-Chief tal-NSO keċċa anke lil dawk li kienu joħorġu jiġbru l-istatistika… skont ma’ liema kulur huma. Biex żgur ma jkun hemm ħadd li jmerihom. Il-veru makakki dawn in-nies!
Call it Greece 2009.
Now you got me playing Greece 2000 from the late 90s. We had horrible music back then
Meta t-tewmin bniet tal-kbir Joseph ikollhom school outing ikun hemm security u bl-armi?
Excellent article which explains how it’s done.
http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21631025-learn-ruses-international-country-rankings-how-lie-indices
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141124/local/malta-gozo-bridge-would-cost-4m-every-year-to-run.545493
Just look at the feasibility of the thing. The longest stretch possible, skims along Comino’s coast, spoiling it all the same and landing at the furthermost points both sides. 4 million Euro to come up with that?
Thank goodness the study was gratis.
Int ċert li kienet gratis? Jew xi gidba oħra?
I’m not sure whether to laugh or cry about this one:
“The police and Enemalta officials have descended on Armier and St Thomas Bay, where they are cutting off the electricity supply to rooms found to be supplying other rooms illegally.”
(Yes, “are cutting off the electricity supply to rooms found to be supplying other rooms illegally.”! – http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141124/local/enemalta-police-descend-on-boathouses-cut-off-power-supply-to-abusers.545497)
All this when the so-called “boathouses” are, themselves, illegal! Il-vera pajiz tan-nejk.
Minor cleansing exercise when the neck is on the guillotine.
Ineffective.
Bound to happen when one expects these individuals to pay for their electricity when the shacks are illegal.
Basically Muscat’s exercise backfired, all he managed as a result, was a poll on Times of Malta with 80% calling for outright demolition no questions asked.
The problem we have is a PM who’s still 20 years behind, representative of those who won’t move forward.
Il-marmalja u l-injuranti li jrid iħalli hekk ħalli jibqgħu warajh.
I’m not laughing as we saw this happen in the past when the same people were controlling statistics.
I know I was constantly told not to use the term ‘JAQQ’ when I was younger but honestly Daphne is there another term I can use to describe this administration?
You have to admire these people. They are trying to create another controversy out of this issue so as they will be able to deviate attention from the Mallia issue.
A ruling government made up of nincompoops.
I was expecting this to happen. We are the best in Europe no matter how or what.
In the stupidity or malice question. Malice. No doubt about it.
Misinformation.
In addition to chart 1, there are charts 2 and 3.
Chart 2 plots public sector employment over same time range which is up by 2000 over this legislature timespan.
Chart 3 is cumulative of Charts 2 and 3 resulting in a ramp-up of real unemployment figures which the government does not want to show.
Chart 3 is cumulative of Charts 2 and 3
should read
Chart 3 is cumulative of Charts 1 and 2
They seem to be lining themselves for the chop. Have they all grabbed enough food and muck from the trough perhaps and are beginning to feel sick?
What is equally worrying is what sort of meddling will take place come the next general elections?
1981 – meddling of boundaries and if I recall correctly the counting hall at Hal Far closed down for a while with no access during the counting process.
1987 – despite all that was wrong with the MLP in power – 49% of the votes.
Look at the graph at the top of this page. They could not manage to reduce the unemployed by just one more to be able to bring the figure to the same level as at the start. Reducing it by two would have been an occasion for song and dance.
There are lies, damned lies and statistics. And the Malta government is practising all three.
I am curious. What would Muscat’s approval rating be at this point in time? How can we all be so blind.
“We’re back in a situation where we need protection from our own government.”
Besides your site, Daphne, there is no protection.
We are in a situation were people would be even less safe if they wished to leave Malta to get to a safer place, because there’s no telling how corrupt Manwel Mallia and Joseph Muscat would use the powers invested in them to frame that person across borders.
And that is also why the Customs/Border Police outfit introduced in this budget – with the necessary initial background noise first provided by the Malta Chamber of Commerce on material coming in from Sicily – is so worrying.
What they are after, is something very different altogether.
I wonder if Eurostat will accept the new figures at face value.