The Taghna Lkoll progressive and liberal government has a Chinese approach to critical satire
That YouTube video purporting to be a Ministry for Energy press release and showing footage of Konrad Mizzi dubbed with Bill Clinton’s legendary words has been pulled by YouTube and the account closed following a report.
For YouTube to have reacted that way and so promptly about a piece of satire, when it has done little or nothing about a deluge of truly bad stuff, can only mean one thing: it got hit by official names on official government ‘stationery’.
Actually, it means two things. The other thing is that these people, who spent years tearing the government to shreds, are incapable of handling even jokes and satire now that they are the government themselves, still less harsh criticism. They act to silence critics and criticism in any way they can.
Their totalitarian approach to free speech and criticism now that they are running the country is anything but progressive and liberal. But beyond that, their extreme touchiness over the last few days, firing off responses and libel suits and writing “uncharacteristically long and prompt” responses to Times of Malta means that they are under pressure and feeling the heat.
As well they might be, given all that’s happening (and isn’t happening).
Given that the use of the Ministry for Energy’s insignia in the ‘terminated’ version of the video is probably the excuse they used to get it taken down, I’m going to helpfully remind you that there is another version, without the Ministry’s insignia or ‘press release’ details.
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Why blame the Chinese approach? It’s 100% Malta Labour Party approach. They were, they are and they will remain the same. When hammered, they panic. They’ll do anything and everything to silence their critics, especially when they know that they are in the wrong.
Il-qawl jghid kull min tafu isaqix ghalih
There’s the tent in St. George’s Square waiting for the PM and the finance minister to grace us with details of the budget.
There are also big screens boxing in one of the two luminaires, a battery of speakers and equipment packed underneath.
With practically every other architectural spotlight outside the palace off.
Are they under pressure and feeling the heat.
Maybe it is time for Peppi Azzopardi and crew to start a new series of “Ahna ahna jew m’ahniex?”
Oh, I forget! That sort of thing is only allowed under a Nationalist government.
Agree. But keep in mind that it was allowed only up to the time that Peppi himself became part of the infrastructure (Government, that is).
So they might do an Erdogan after all. Let’s see if they go after Twitter next.
What is worse?
Overt tactics of old or covert tactics of new?
I’d say the latter.
They managed to remove the satire of the snippet, thus projecting loudly and widely that they cannot remove their hypocrisy. The idiots.