The most poorly staged campaign visit in the history of Maltese political marketing
Excuse me while I shout out: FFS. FFS. FFS.
And again, FF flipping S.
So let me get this straight. These idiots set up a visit to an ordinary family of JosephMuscat.com believers (not a bad kitchen for the poverty stricken) and THEY DON’T BOTHER TO BRIEF THEM BEFORE THE GREAT LEADER ARRIVES.
And it looks like nobody’s briefed the Great Leader and His Wife, either.
The bit you don’t see in this video is where Michelle enters the flat, giant handbag first (YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT IT DOWN IN THE CAR WITH YOUR DRIVER, MADAM) and parroting ‘Owkaj owkaj owkaj orrajt’.
Maaaaaaaa.
Then she and Joseph stand about in the corridor with their hosts like a bunch of awkward pasturi until Joseph INVITES HIS HOSTS TO SIT DOWN.
And in the actual video, you’ll see that they sit down as he requests – but ROUND THE KITCHEN TABLE. And they’ve got a spanking new coffee machine right there and presumably also some cups and saucers but NOBODY OFFERS ANYONE ANYTHING TO EAT OR DRINK. That’s right, even Joseph himself doesn’t say ‘Tridu kafe?’
Un-frigging-believable.
Joseph speaks exclusively to his hostess, face on, literally sidelining and ignoring his host and his side. Meanwhile, Michelle slouches down in her seat with the posture and facial expression of a bored, dull-witted teenage girlfriend from a suspect social background (posture and comportment…) dragged out on a date with d boyz.
At one point she actually has her chin in her hand.
She, too, is totally ignored (you know, for a change).
The children inspire about as much interest in the leader and his wife as a couple of budgies might.
The whole thing is SO EMBARRASSING.
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Nice Italian designer kitchen – vera msawtin taht gOnzIPn.
I cringed from start to finish. Was it a joke or did it really happen?
How patrionising of Joseph Muscat: ‘nistghu npoggu bilqeghda’.
Jekk God forbid ikun Kastilja x’ se jaghmel?
Just couldn’t finish it. As you said, so patronising, a one-man show, and that’s how it’s going to be in government, a one-man show.
Probabbli jikri xi truck siggijiet.
Veru bidla ser igiebu il-PL fil-gvern.
Under a Nationalist government, a working-class family can afford to buy an Italian designer kitchen.
With the Labour Party in government, `il-bidla` will be the change in government, the change of direction – and that`s about it.
Did the mother say that she would prefer to stay at home?
Joseph, that is why you need education before free childcare to encourage women to join the work force.
Her husband must be earning enough money for them to live a comfortable life.
The kitchen light didn’t flatter his hairstyle (or lack of)
It looks like they invited the Muscat family to inaugurate their spanking new kitchen.
I love how the mother refers to her children as “dan”.
Just you wait till his brother gets the free PL tablet, then it will be Desparate Dan.
I think it looked staged as if the house were not theirs at all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLoshf8gU8M
Meta Cyrus kien kontra Joseph u Joseph kien kontra l-addozzjoni mil-koppji omosesswali.
Meta Cyrus ma kienx jara il-bzonn ta’ LGBT labour filwaqt li issa hu spokesperson ghal din il-fergha.
Kos hux, nies bla principju flock together. Issa qed nifhima l-ittra ta’ Lydia Abela.
Such a consummate professional, our Patrick Attard. Gay campaigner and freshly-appointed director at MCST. Some people just don’t know when to thank their lucky stars and STFU.
Nice kitchen. Is this the new middle class?
Shouldn’t the children be all over Joseph, questioning him about what happened to his goatie and playing with his Alfa key chain?
And shouldn’t there be gingerbread men – Joseph’s favourites – on the table?
Where’s his hair today?
So the mother is admitting that the summer problem which Joseph mentioned is already catered for by the present government.
Imma rridu nespanduuuuwwwa, qal il-Great Leader.
Hair today, gone tomorrow …
Labour’s campaign is chavtastic.
“Warning. The following report contains brash humbuggery”
“At one point she actually has her chin in her hand.”
I was shocked after I watched that – they do not even have any idea how they should speak and behave in public.
My grandparents spent most of their life living on a farm – I never, ever, saw them sitting around a table with their chin in their hand, not even when they were sitting in their own kichen, let alone in someone else’s home.
Litteralment tal-biki.
My exact same thoughts.
Can you imagine Mrs. Kate Gonzi or the late Mrs. Fenech Adami with that sort of behaviour ?
You are talking about real ladies here, my dear friend, not about wannabes.
Michelle’s elbow-on-the-table, face-in-hand posture also means she’s completely uninterested and quite bored of the same rubbish her dear husband says over and over again.
And to my dismay, the hostess’s ‘ghax trid tahdem biex taffordja ic-childcare’. What does she expect? For childcare to be offered if she isn’t working?
Free childcare to go out during the day with her friends shopping in Rahal-il-gdid u tmur taghmel il-manicure?
Oh dear, I think you nailed it, Hubert.
Going by the distorted reasoning I wouldn’t be surprised.
The Dear Leader liked Dr Gonzi’s ‘kitchen’ idea, despite making fun of it.
What an invasion, and that photographer in a suit seems to have been hired for the occasion, since you rarely see photographers in a suit, and he’s the one who seems to be making the most noise with his flash.
The WHOLE video can be seen here http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130124/elections-news/muscat-faces-sibling-rivalry-over-tablets.454665
The best bit of the video must be where Joseph Muscat stands VERY awkardly looking at the woman and children with his arms stifly by his side (like when he has no choice but to return Michelle’s public kisses), and where he then proceeds to hugging and kissing the man of the house.
Yes, our most feminist prime minister ever.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130124/elections-news/muscat-faces-sibling-rivalry-over-tablets.454665
He must have tried to do an Obama – http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50136540n
Obama was doing a Gonzi there, he was being realistic and talked as an incumbent responsible President.
Gonzi is talking about night tariffs with reductions between 6% and 26% depending on the time. Joseph does not inspire you when he says that we will have a 25% reduction in our consumption bills across the board.
I won this argument at work with my PL friends, they know precisely what I’m saying.
And we smirk at Putin when he does this sort of thing. At least he drinks real black tea from real chipped glasses in real working class kitchens.
Wasn’t it Gonzi who encouraged his candidates to visit us in our kitchens?
It was, and it was one of the stupid things that Gonzi said. Silvio, I don’t think the sun shines out of Gonzi’s arse. Far from it. This should be clear by now, but it appears you can’t read.
I trust you have taken what Gonzi said a little bit too literally.
The kitchen looks so bare. I think the lady of the house got carried away with the tidying up.
You know, zbarazzat wahda sew ghax gejjin Joseph u Michelle u se jigbdulna vijdjow fil-kcina allura nnehhu kollox minn fuq il-kabords.
Jew ghandhom kcina ohra fil-washroom jew il-garage.
My thoughts exactly.
The host used to work at the Drydocks, and he left with a lump sum and is working now.
As for his complaint that his older son won’t be given a tablet, too, he and his wife can vote PN, and that will solve their problem (and many others besides).
If he worked at the Drydocks, no wonder he’s living comfortably. He would have worked overtime whilst those who supported the Nationalist Party were not allowed to do so. And if he’s got another job, then it’s no thanks to Joseph.
My father was paid in time off in lieu for all the hours he put in overtime back in the back in the 80s. He wasn’ t even allowed to refuse to work overtime.
Can I have tea at their house? I paid for this man’s wages for the best part of twenty years, and I want something in return.
“mara tohrog tahdem….ehh ideja tajba din, tghogobni ta…..ehh nahseb nippruvaha…”
U fejn behsiebu jhajjarha tahdem? FIl-fabbriki tat-tessuti u tal-jeansijiet li l-MLP tant jghozzu u ghandhom nostalgija kbira ghalihom?
Ricentament Joey qal li jridu jerghu iqajmu is-settur tal-manifattura.
Jew behisebu jhajjarha tmur tahdem fis-setturi godda tal-ekonomija fejn trid certu skills u fejn ghandek bzonn investiment qawwi fl-edukazzjoni (li skond Edward Scicluna fih hafna hela u huwa target ghall-tnaqqis biex jissussidja l-power station il-gdida) u fejn ghandek bzonn pjanar long-term ta iktar minn hames snin (xi haga aljena ghall-MLP li l-limitu tieghu huwa tlett snin jew inqas (flus fil-but issa).
Li qal Muscat rigward il-learning support assistants mhux vera ghaliex il-gvern jiprovdi learning support assistant ghat-tfal li jattendu summer school u ma jhalsuhiex il-parents.
Let’s put ourselves in the shoes of that poor family: poor not in the financial sense because they appear quite happy and comfortable, poor because they have been exploited.
They must have said ‘yes’ to the visit because the Leader should be a person to look up to. All in all the visit should have been put together to also leave the family with a feel-good result.
That they should have been briefed is not a political PR detail that they can be expected to have been familiar with.
That the father has his own comments on whether or not the one tablet ‘free gift’ is fair to his own family, he probably is too humble and polite to make more of. But markedly he is frank enough to mention it.
But how low of Joseph (and Co. – who probably don’t know any better) to exploit what is probably a very decent family just to underline the latest glam sham gimmick (at least the part the press were party to).
More shame on you Joseph: badly prepared; team: ill-briefed; crevasse in political/ PR/ media etiquette? exposing them to being included in your bumble. Did they deserve it? Why, because of your shortcomings? Can you imagine the chin holding bit in an informal meeting with, say, Merkel?
Re etiquette Joseph: you’d need to go foreign to get a consultant here. There’s not one person I can think of on your visible supporter team locally that’s up to scratch – not one, and I’ve really scanned. Locally, I can’t see you consulting from a wider base.
Daphne is good enough to make you aware of these deficiencies and glaringly obvious moments: Ahjar li xi hadd jghidlek f’wiccek milli jidhaq wara darek.
Supporters, however, have a right to a more respectfully thought-through intrusion on their home.
They were most likely correct in their own expectations: Joseph should have stood up as the epitome of Labour perfection.
I just wonder who is aspiring to the position of Chef de Cabinet. Shouldn’t you get some serious hand-holding and direction immediately? Irrespective of whether you make it or not? it’s the whole of the Co. that needs it too. Vera ta’ wara l-muntanji.
On the other hand, no one can deny that RCC was a stickler for detail in all areas. Not for him the gaffes of etiquette, or policy.
Even scouts earn their merit and system badges before proceeding to entitlement master badges.
This looks to me that even though there are a couple of bags of money too many to spend on this campaign, Labour has again put more stock in a wad of notes it could take out in a roll from a back pocket, than in manners, decency, style and consideration of consequence to others.
Tabatha, I assume you are a fellow expat. who is attempting to tune in on this campaign.
Welcome to Daphne’s blog, where only the truth is available and prevails.
We have seven weeks to go and the flimsy attempts by the reds to impress have already begun to wane.
Enjoy, as they disappear up their own assholes.
Harry, Thanks for the welcome. Your posts are sharp and on the ball every single time.
Not an expat, just well placed to expose fraudsters.
Here to give my contribution where I can lest we have to go through the same hell again. Daphne’s Blog and comments have become the only political input worth reading.