These people have no style
One of my collaborators has dug this little nugget out of the Internet archives. It’s an article by Issa Daqshekk Tony ‘Maltova’ Zarb, written for L-orizzont about the day Joseph Muscat (Metrosexual 1) stormed out of the European Parliament. There were no Maltese-English interpreters and he wanted to speak Maltese.
Pity they don’t teach classes in style at the university he went to. This is what David Cameron would have done, if David Cameron were Maltese. He would have said: “Don’t you have any interpreters? Fine, then I’ll speak English.” And he would have proceeded to do so.
Only people with a village-pride mentality (and unfortunately, it’s permeated all the way through our political class) would have the sheer lack of manners to throw a tantrum and inconvenience others about the lack of people who can interpret Maltese to English, when they are perfectly capable of speaking English in the first place.
I would go one further, and say that the ability to speak English fluently, besides your own language, is one up on all those other MEPs who can’t. English isn’t just a national language; it’s also the lingua franca. Speaking it in the European Parliament instead of your own language when no interpreters are available doesn’t mean eroding your national status or kowtowing to the British. It means you know how to do something that others can’t. And it shows you have good manners. Storming out in a fuss, on the other hand, means that you definitely don’t come from the same kind of background as Tony Blair and David Cameron, except in your dreams.
Let’s put it this way. If Maltova Zarb thinks it was a stylish thing to do, then it certainly wasn’t.
Hamis 2 ta’ Gunju 2005
Prosit Joseph
minn Tony Zarb, Segretarju Generali tal-GWU
Nhar il-Gimgha qrajt b’interess il-pozizzjoni li ha l-Membru Parlamentari Ewropew Joseph Muscat meta dan, wara li pprotesta telaq ‘il barra mill-Parlament Ewropej ghax huwa ma nghatax l-opportunità li jitkellem bil-lingwa Maltija u dan ghax ma kienx hemm interpreti.
Lil Joseph nghidulu prosit ghax mhux sew li wara hafna ftahir li l-lingwa Maltija kienet giet accettata bhala lingwa ufficjali fl-Unjoni Ewropea, imbaghad ikun impossibbli li wiehed jitkellem bil-lingwa Maltija.
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Maltova Zarb …..hehehhehe tajba din…
I can’t stop laughing…..
Are you sure he was fed Maltova?
Kenneth,
everyone knows that Tony Zarb is the baby on the old Maltova packaging. Nothing funny about that. I think he was quite cute! Let’s see how you’ll turn out when you’re his age.
Yepppp…the difference between me and him is, I was made with care and a lot of study behind…and he was made after they created Dinosaurs and with the remaining peaces they create him MALTOVA ZARB
Hekk ta malajr…biex ma jahlux…hehehhe
Cheers man.
U ejjaaaaaaaaa! is it true that Tony Zarb is the kid on the Maltova package?
If anyone has a scan of the old Maltova packaging from when we were kids, please send it in. I can’t find one anywhere. Thanks.
Mhux ta’ b’xejn simen mela Ninu tal-Maltova, Alla jbierku! Imma l-Maltova kellha xi effetti fuq il-grey matter?
Is he the same blue-eyed kid on the new package of Maltova?
Daphne, about the Maltova kid. I don’t seem to get much luck either. But could the kid in this site be the One?
http://www.igu.ro/latrecut/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/alex_dflsdgvsdf.jpg
Daph, I have a packet in my cupboard – I’m not called “ever-ready Mandy” for nothing, am I? Will try to send you a pic asap
Alternatively to Maltova, you can use the Michelin guy.
http://www.michelin.com/portail/home/home.jsp?lang=EN
http://stfrancis.hanut.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=145_138&products_id=2870&Identifier=08a554c0853848c465cb3734ed46a945
[Moderator – There was an even older one – from the sixties or early seventies – with a line drawing of the baby.]
Amanda no way you have the classic Maltova that Daphne is talking about in your cupboard!!!
Daph – Sorry, but just realised that you meant the OLD packet.
Ivan M – You’re right. I just realised that Daphne meant the OLD packet, and in fact just posted a comment saying so.
No, I don’t keep food past its sell-by date!
Amanda sometimes it sucks to be right. I would have preferred it if you actually came up with the classic one. I would have lived the rest of my life in awe of your resourcefulness :)
SB, please :)
sry europarl! But I really got carried away and did exactly what Amanda Mallia did and raided the kitchen cupboard!
@Simon
I found a cross between the Michelin guy and the Maltova baby:
http://www.funxite.com/media/192-michelin-baby.jpg
@amrio
Good one and very suitable! One question though, is that a boy or a girl? I enlarged the picture but it was still useless.