Oh no, look what happened to poor Franco
Malta’s Commissioner of Laws and Chief of Constitutional Reform (in blue striped top, being hoist by Laburisti in celebration on March 10).
That farmyard fowl which Joseph Muscat has made Law Commissioner is hustling to get himself on a trip to Italy, there to discuss political party financing, which is probably the only law he is interested in even though he is being paid to review the lot.
He’d better hurry up, because with his dreams of state funding of political parties like his Italian heroes (he would admire the Italian system, wouldn’t he), he’s already out of date.
Reuters reports today:
Italy’s Cabinet proposed legislation yesterday to gradually abolish state financing of political parties by 2017, gradually replacing the current system with financing by private citizens.
The popularity of Italy’s parties has been eroded by decades of wasteful spending and corruption and moves to abolish their funding with taxpayers’ money have wide public support.
It was a signature policy proposal of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, which won a quarter of the votes in February’s election and accepts no contribution from the state.
The 5-Star Movement plays no part in the broad left-right coalition government of Prime Minister Enrico Letta.
A referendum to scrap party financing was overwhelmingly passed in 1993 but its outcome was substantially ignored. The previous form of direct financing was replaced with generous reimbursements of money parties spent in election campaigns.
Under the government’s Bill, which must be passed by both houses of Parliament, current public financing would be reduced by 40 per cent in the first year after the law is passed, 50 per cent in the second year and 60 per cent in the third. In the fourth year state financing would be fully phased out.
When the new system of private financing is in place, citizens who make contributions to political parties will be able to deduct the payments from their taxes. Letta told reporters he hoped Parliament would approve the Bill quickly.
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What’s more is that it is Joseph Muscat’s socialist friend, Letta, who is leading this legislative proposal.
Well, we can say that in Italy, Frankie Tabone and his arguments about party financing are going to be irrelevant before he even lands there.
Franco Debono should realise that he was and still is irrelevant to the Nationalists.
Is Letta a socialist or a Christian democrat?
He’s a Berlusconi guy.
No, not PDL but PD.
The PD gathers all the left leaning Italian parties from centre-left to what’s left of the Communist Party (PC).
DC I think.
DC gave up the ghost after “tangentopoli”.
Since 2009, Enrico Letta has been working in the Partito Democratico. This is a centre-left party, with socialist and “progressive” views.
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partito_Democratico
You are confusing Enrico Letta, Italy’s Prime Minister who hails from PD (centre-left), with his uncle Gianni Letta, a close political associate to Berlusconi (centre-right).
@dudu
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrico_Letta
Being part of the PD, Enrico Letta is a socialist.
It’s like if Frankie and the Tooth Fairy now celebrate the Labour victory, it’s because deep down they are Laburisti (and Mintoffjani).
http://zekzik.com/2013/06/01/kompromess/
U l-kbir ghadu gej.
The best model on funding of political parties is considered to be the German one and is head and shoulder above the rest both in terms of transparency and accountability.
In Malta all we need is the “otto per mille” contribution to a ‘voluntary’ society, be it a political party, a religious entity or a philanthropic society.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight_per_thousand
Political party financing by the state has proved to be a failure in Italy because there was widespread abuse and misappropriation by all the parties and throughout most regions.
Trust the “progressive” Malta Labour “movement” to lap up belatedly some system of political party financing that our neighbours are giving up!
I was driving by in St Julian’s this morning, up Lapsi Street, to be exact, and I came across a car parked in a reserved box. The car belonged to Kenneth Zammit Tabona.
I’m wondering if he has some kind of legitimate reason as to whether he has reserved parking or whether his ‘contacts’ have given him this extra perk? To my knowledge, this ‘reserved’ box was never there before.
Could anyone clarify?
[Daphne – His mother isn’t mobile. It’s justified.]
How many people with immobile parents obtain personalized reserved parking places?
Kenneth was in Zurrieq this weekend with his mother. Joe Demanuele (is he the one who photographed the Muscats with he gay friends and the gingerbread cookies?) posted pictures of both Natius Farrugia and Kenneth at the Festa in Zurrieq.
Party financing is one of the reasons that we have no political parties left in Italy.
They are all in shambles. It is pretty clear why they want to introduce it in Malta.
I hope people realise that it’s the taxpayer who pays lavish electoral campaigns, dinners etc. It is nearly impossible to control where the money goes once it’s given to the party.
State-funding of political parties? This has got to be a joke.
Letta is not a “Berlusconi guy”. Letta is left wing – PD.
Arani ma !
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/Franco-Debono-meets-Italian-Constitutional-commissioner-20130603
Our constitutional commissioner who was never a judge and a minister is no counterpart for Anna Finochiaro.
She did not mention our Frankie on FB :
https://www.facebook.com/AnnaFinocchiaro.PaginaUfficiale