Jason Micallef has drawn his sword (again)
The Valletta 2018 chairman has been mixing with certain sorts of people of late and wants to be part of the collective horror at the prospect of market stalls, whatever their design, being squashed into the Renzo Piano project, in and around Parliament House, the theatre and the gate.
But whatever the reason for his open opposition to the government and its plans, bully for him for coming right out and opposing challenging Muscat and Cardona on the matter. He’s one of the few able to do it – we’ve long speculated about the contents of his metaphorical brown envelope (there isn’t one, but the man clearly has lots of leverage).
Micallef called a press conference at the proposed new location for the market yesterday and went on about how he disagreed, how bad it is, what a disaster, how he and his foundation banded together with other Valletta cultural organisations last summer and wrote to the government asking to be involved and had the door slammed in their faces. Oh, and how surprised he was, he said, to receive a letter from William Lewis (who he obviously knew already as they are both Labour Party apparatchiks) “heading a committee I didn’t even know exists” (the Committee for the Improvement of the Market) telling him ‘thanks but no thanks’.
So, hands up all those who are in favour of having the market in the Renzo Piano project? It looks like it’s only Joseph Muscat, Chris Cardona and the market traders whose votes they bought with that promise.
30 Comments Comment
Leave a Comment
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2015-02-04/local-news/Upper-part-of-Ordnance-Street-should-not-be-occupied-by-monti-hawkers-Jason-Micallef-6736130080
When I saw this photo yesterday I thought “Men in Black gone wrong”.
Jason Micallef is going around unsheathed quite a lot these days, is he not? Is that a metaphor one should dwell on?
Spending all those millions for the upgrade of the upper part of Valletta, engaging one of the best architects in the world, creating space harmonised with the surrounding historical settings and then?
Il-Monti stalls – nothing personal against anyone or any family of the Monti people. Whatever stalls, to sell gold, diamonds, or whatever, these simply do not fit in this environment. Period.
But isn’t it grossly insane? Blatant arrogance of any politician and any political party who helps itself to power by promising the Il-Monti hawkers the use of public space in such a prominent spot for an activity which will do nothing but suffocate the area and its beauty? The exact opposite of what was planned is happening.
What a poor and sad mentality!
I read yesterday that Minister Cardona will be doing his best to fit the Monti hawkers in part the Ordnance Street, the part near the Social Security Office. What a joke. But still very sad to have this Honourable Minister with tied hands but yet striving to do the evil and deliver the impossible. This is but an insult to his country.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10203035938722129&set=t.1035278439&type=1&theater
Il-kejk tal-birthday ta’ Claudio Tonna.
Taf min hu.
Come to think of it, why not have the market in the ditch?
No Il-Gvern Li Jisma will change its decision and the hawkers’ silence bought with some iced bun.
We will soon hear His Majesty preach “ghax ahna smajna lil polpu u allura imxejna b-konsegwenza!”. His Majesty will eventually turn it into self proclamation of “The People’s King”.
Oh. Jason just earned a brownie point. Hear hear.
Jason Micallef had the balls to speak out about his disagreement, rightly so!!
Prosit Jason.
There is another solution. Renzo Piano should alter the design and include a statue of Joseph and Michelle. You will see that the market hawkers will vanish from the scene.
U don’t worry Deafni. Issa Joey jtih rubber jolly u jsoddlu halqu lil Jason.
What’s with the Men-in-Black look?
Karsten Xuereb looks like Jason Micallef’s security guard. Has he been watching ‘American Sniper’ and is scouring the area for a possible ambush? (after all they are pretty close to Kastilja.
What a fun creative bunch they look!
https://www.facebook.com/DrEtienneGrech/photos/a.330453617069248.79878.194695320645079/729280013853271/?type=1&theater
Please excuse my stupidity but if the PL lose 2 parliamentary seats and the PN gain 2 parliamentary seats does this leave the Govt with a 7 seat or 5 seat majority?
Previously it was a 9 seat majority.
Answers to Times of Malta and The Malta Independent.
Where do you accommodate a hundred Monti Pietan stalls in a city built by gentlemen for gentlemen?
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2015-02-05/local-news/Constitutional-Court-orders-that-the-Nationalist-Party-be-given-two-additional-seats-in-parliament-6736130146
Muscat’s appeal to the highest court on a mathematical point ignores the existence of district based electoral mechanics.
Insidious and plainly dangerous. No different to the 2003 referendum.
I expect him to take full responsibility for the elimination of Claudette Buttigieg and Frederick Azzopardi from parliament.
I also expect him to challenge the nature of the electoral process itself in the name of stability and decisive action towards destiny.
His tweet doesn’t even have the good grace to qualify the appeal as that of the political side he leads; un atto dovuto from the Labour party.
But no, he has to take on the absolute role of padrone in parliament. As if the constitutional court is a pack of politicised judges who intend to undermine parliamentary autonomy.
Familiar or what.
Shades of Matteotti and the infamous speech that sanctified fascism’s demands for dictatorship doing away with plutocratic democracy.
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/49215/millions_to_be_collected_from_compliance_by_illegal_villas#.VNOI4dLF9mM
Why not integrate these villas into the passport business?
FDI my dears.
I’m not seeing Nicola Abela Garrett shouting ‘fucking wanker’ at Joseph Muscat. Most probably she is comfortably teaching at St Aloysius now.
Excuse me? Are you saying that standards have fallen so low at St. Aloysius College?
There’s a beautiful wide space outside the European Parliament that the Belgians haven’t used to locate their market and that’s because they have a developed high sense of aesthetic sophistication and pride for their country.
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/visiting/transform/full/parlementarium2/content/static/images/Brussels/visitingillu_brussels1.jpg
In Malta and particularly with the present Malta Labour Party led government, no such feeling exists.
The only motivation that drives this government is the constant search for easy money. Money was always Muscat’s Holy Grail. Before the elections it was always all about ‘korruzzjoni’, ‘serq’ and similar money oriented catch phrases, now it’s ‘Ċiniżi, Ażerbaijani and passaporti għal bejgħ’.
With this backdrop in mind, one may find it more appropriate to tackle this issue in the only language this government might understand and that is in money terms, so here goes.
Dear Jo and Co., were it not for the Knights of St. John, there would have been no Valletta and its attractions leaving little else to draw tourists to Malta. There would be no bastions, no palaces, no history, no international awareness and most probably no EU Citizenship. Malta would have been relegated to another of the thousands of small islands that dot the Mediterranean.
The money earned from tourism goes a long way to sustaining Malta’s economy. Your very government is being supported by money deriving from tourism because, in all fairness, you have achieved pretty little else by way of attracting other sources of income in these couple of years.
The Renzo Piano project is added value and is already being talked about world-wide. If it does not appease you aesthetically at least look at it from the only angle you understand. It will be known internationally and, here is your catch phrase, it will earn money for Malta.
Please understand that you have painted yourself into a corner and have already lost this battle, for if you go ahead and accommodate the rabble and their stalls, you will forever be scorned for having desecrated a place of high architectural, artistic and emotional value, if on the other hand you give in to the verdict of the majority you will be obliged to retreat, something not particularly to your taste.
Simon Busuttil is committed to removing those horrendous stands when in government. It is up whether you want to give him that satisfaction or for once do what is right.
JM vs JM (Jason Micallef vs Joseph Muscat)
This round goes to Jason.
In the meantime, we are being robbed by Muscat at the gas station by at least some €5 per filling.
Mhux fuq tal monti biss ghandu joggezjona Jason anka fuq il gnien tad ditch peress li s sigar u l pjanti huma l vera oqsma li jispecjalizza fihom.
This guy is so hit and miss. Just stop it, please.
Not much happening this evening. Thank God for this article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/08/magazine/my-dad-the-pornographer.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=second-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0
I expect Jason Micallef to object with all his might.
What are we going to do?
Go for Valletta 2018 selling bright pink ‘ricipetti’ amd tangas
from nondescript bus shelters beneath a Piano oeuvre.
Halluna tridux.
I propose the following four options for the market stalls.
One: widen the proposed tunnel to Gozo to include space for a stall every 100 metres – with appropriate parking.
Two: widen the proposed bridge to Gozo to include space for a stall every 100 metres – with appropriate parking.
Three: re-design the draft monorail plan around the island to include at least one stall at every monorail stop – with appropriate space for push chairs maybe even a coffee shop.
Four: as an interim measure while everybody cogitates about the top three options, find the quarry closest to Valletta, and place them all there – with a lift, toilets, coffee shops and appropriate parking, of course. There should also be enough space for existing politicians to have their own stall where they can spruik their policies to the electorate – bring your own brown paper bag please.
Cost: who cares – no one else seems to care about aesthetics so cost is of no consequence.
Postscript: Once a decision on the first three options is made the quarry can then be allocated to hunters to shoot all the birds they wish at all times of the year, day and night, but only from within the quarry. Shooting at each other from within should be enshrined in the legal statutes and strongly encouraged.
The quarry closest to Valletta is the massive underground-actually-above-ground car park. Another carbuncle.
Nice pun. :)