The Chicken – he’s back!
Alfred Sant is like one of those trick birthday candles. You think you’ve blown them out, but you haven’t. When he gave that press conference saying that he was Irrevocably Resigning, people thought he was riding off into the sunset or taking a world cruise (chance would be a fine thing). They even berated me for continuing to go on at him instead of letting him go in peace.
Not that I want to be mistaken for that pruzuntuz Joseph Muscat or anything, but I knew better and I thought that press conference was a ridiculous farce. Now we are told by The Times that Alfred Sant (who said at that press conference that he will not be the leader of the Opposition) will be the leader of the Opposition when parliament reconvenes on 10 May. You don’t have to be the leader of the party to be the leader of the Opposition, but you do have to have a seat in parliament, and Sant never did formally resign as Opposition leader, he resigned only as party leader.
Yes, but there were other surprises in store yesterday evening on Dissett, that civilised interview show (but Reno, you really have to ditch all those horizontal lines on the studio set – they’re awful). Michael Falzon was asked why he didn’t resign as deputy leader before contesting the post of leader. Damn right he should have resigned, but these people are unbelievable. The only way to get rid of them is by clipping the fingernails they use to cling to the cliff-face.
Ah, Falzon said – but Charles Mangion resigned and yet is acting leader. And Alfred Sant said he resigned but really he’s still the leader.
Oh, yes? And how does that work, exactly? The resigned deputy leader is now acting leader, but really the actual leader (who said he had Resigned Irrevocably) is still leader after all. So that justifies him staying on as deputy leader while fighting for the top job.
Alfred Sant is still leader? That’s big news to me. It’s probably big news to everyone else. Can one of you reporters out there get on the phone and find out some more?
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O-M-G!!! So seems you were right after all – it won’t be Dr. Mangion standing in as Leader of the Opposition! Can you put in a reference to the Times article you are referring to? Can’t find it online.
@ DCG
You were right, and although I did see it, I missed it. Sant will not go away. BTW, I do wonder if our friend, David Zammit, knew about this. He wrote yesterday:
David Zammit Tuesday, 8 April 1449hrs
@Vanni By Anti-Sant I mean being used as a political weapon against Sant. that is why to PN GA is the ‘Anti-Sant’.
When I wrote and asked him:
Vanni Tuesday, 8 April 1501hrs
But Sant is history David. Or are you implying he may stage a comeback?
There was a deafening silence on this point.
Move over Bill Clinton. The Chicken is the ‘new’ Comeback Kid but his farewell speeches have by far surpassed the farewell concert tours of Cher, Babs and The Voice combined…
Are you doing ‘The I Told You So’ dance, Daph?
why don’t u tip off those true blue reporters at TMID and The Times to call Dr Sant and ask him?
“why don’t u tip off those true blue reporters at TMID and The Times to call Dr Sant and ask him?”
Why should we, when this blog is crawling with Indepenedent Journalists??
@Amrio: the article in question is in yesterday’s edition of The Times, under the heading ‘House set to meet on May 10’. This is the relevant excerpt:
“Labour leader Alfred Sant, who stepped down soon after the defeat at the general elections, will retain his position as Leader of the Opposition until the party elects a new leader on June 5.”
Anyone reviewed a concert without actually being there recently? Independence; objectivity; non alignment; impartiality – Maltese style….
@Gahan. If you are referring to me, I was that person and that incident ocurred way back in 2002. I paid dearly for that error as everyone knows. Now I know what sort of people post on this blog, the hateful, vindictive, shallow sort who hide behind their real names with ridiculous nicknames.
And by the way, I was waiting for this, so I’m not surprised. Thank God, I don’t have to depend on the local media for a living so whatever you choose to say won’t hurt me now.
Alfred Sant was no pragmatist. He is an extreme leftist of the worst kind. Once his ilk get in, one will never be able to get them out. This travesty of a politicain may always be around to haunt the Labour Party in the same way that he will still be leader of the Opposition when the House meets. We have not really seen the back of this loser yet – and we are not likely to.
Wait for this musical chairs scenario to appear. if Joseph Muscat is elected, he takes over the MLP with beaming Jason at his side and the rest of the bunch of loser sidekicks still in place- sulking Michael Falzon, Europe hater George Vella, foul mouthed Manwel Cuschieri , poison pens Wenzu Mintoff, Toni Abela and others. Muscat will resign his seat as MEP to occupy Sant’s parliamentary seat. Sant will then become an MEP instead of his poodle .
Clearly and unmistakably, the MLP should know and accept that unless the thousands of Labourites , who have distanced themselves from the Party during the years of Sant’s leadership. feel that Sant’s political career is dead and buried, there wiil be no prodigal return.
The political hatred and vindictivenesss that Sant inspired throughout “his” Party for all these years will only be exppiated by his visble political demise. The pain and sufferiing that Sant caused true labourites , whose only fault was to disagree with and perhaps criticise his political madness, will not find closure in any other way.
We are not dumbos. Unless we get a Leader who will turn the MLP inside out, moulding it into a party of dialogue, of debate, without rancour , without prejudice and without hate, even towards Nationalists who are not our enemies, only our adversaries with ideas that may differ from ours, we wll stay comfortably where we are, on the sidleines, watching Labour being thrashed again and again .
When Joseph Muscat will start writng his apology to the nation as he has said he would, we suggest that he starts apologising for the hateful, despicable Sant years – the years when, for the MLP, hatred, insult. derision of opposing thought and moral violence had become the Party’s new set of virtues. Joseph Muscat has a lot to apologise for. He was part and parcel of those years, side by side with Sant.
@Vanni
As far as I know the parliament works in the following manner:
When the legislature ends effectively the role of leader of the opposition ends with it. In fact I never heared of a leader of the opposition resigning after an election. As far as I know the president then formally sees who has the most consensus among the opposition MPs and asks him to be the leader of the Opposition (this will normally be the leader of the party who has lost the elections).
So I take it that Sant isn’t leader of the Opposition right now and that since he is not even leader of the party that has lost, technically I would have thought that Mangion would have to be sworn in.
Incidentally yesterday i was listening to Radio 101 on my way home and they seemed to mention if i recall correctly that Mangion as ‘Agent mexxej’ would take this role. this wasn’t on the news or anything it was in a political program and it was before Falzon spoke up.
However I stand to be corrected – I’m no constitutional expert.
In fact I was perplexed by the explanation Falzon gave on why he didn’t resign – I would like to be sure that he wasn’t mistaken first….. after all Falzon wasn’t in very good form yesterday…
Whether Sant has any real power at the moment is another thing. from what I’ve heared on the grapevine the party is leaderless at the moment in every sense of the word. I really don’t think he’s intervening in any way. If there is any manoevering I would believe it has more to do with people who have not resigned. In any case Sant may not be physically in the best of shape at the moment anyhow…
@Avenger
Sant….an extreme leftist???? A comunist?? Sant is more to the right than Gonzi my dear! Communists don’t remove stipends or excessively increase essential tariffs.
Ask anyone who has any political knowhow and he will prove you wrong.
I don’t think you have any idea what left and right constitute…
What hate…what vindictivness? examples pls….factual…
One can question Sant’s political soundness but hatred and vindictivness?…..
@David Zammit. The bloggers here (including the owner of this blog) will not rest until they see Alfred Sant grovelling in the dirt and six feet under. They won’t even stop then. Their ‘hatred and vindictivesness’ knows no bounds.
David Zammit
You obviously know nothing about the monster. Only what you may have been fed.
Insofar as Sant being on the right – it is true that that is where his so-called pragmatism took him when his only policy was to make a pact, even with the devil, if it would get him to Castille. He did make a pact with the devil, dumping whtver the MLP had stood for for right wing positioning. That was his downfall when he lasted only 18 months as Prime Minsiter. His origins are in the extreme left. That is what he was and that is what he still is.
Gerald. Believe me, we wish the man no physical harm. We know he is enough of a slitherer that he will fall feet first whatever height he drops from. All many of us want is to lose him somewhere where we will not see him or know of him or about him. He can become the President of the United States after Bush for all we care – just go man. You have done enough harm.
Gerald – “those true blue reporters at TMID”
Would you care to name one?
I cannot stand the Labour party and its nincompoops……….but……..guys we need to be decent enough to forget Sant in these (difficult) moments. As he himself says, history will be his judge ! and let’s face it, yesterday’s news is today’s history.
Methinks we should rise above all this and leave it there.
As to the nitwits contesting for the post of lijder, boy do we have some entertainment in store.
Gerald – “Their ‘hatred and vindictivesness’ knows no bounds.”
Please stop trying to tar people with what seems to be your brush
Please replace the picture of the chicken feet with another one (maybe the chicken in the red outfit!) – I today made a chicken liver pate’, and don’t think I’ll be able to eat it if I see those feet again …. Thanks!
@Avenger – You clearly have an anger management problem, I suggest therapy:P
@David Zammit
Really? Anger management problem , eh? It’s more likely that you’re afraid that someone who knows Sant much better than you ever could will dare lift the lid on your loser Leader now that he is allegedly gone.
[Moderator – Avenger, David: that’s enough.]
Amanda,
I suggest you ask the owner of this blog who they are, I don’t work for the ‘independent’ English language press anymore.
Re: ‘hatred and vindictiveness’. It takes one to know one
Gerald Fenech – You said “Re: ‘hatred and vindictiveness’. It takes one to know one”
Let me see if I understood you correctly:
First you call people like me “full of hatred and vindictiveness”, then you say “it takes one to know one”.
I take it that you mean that you yourself are full of hatred and vindictiveness, then (although it does not mean that I am myself).
Better watch what you say, Gerald, because you’re shooting yourself in the foot!
@ Amanda Mallia
“Better watch what you say, Gerald, because you’re shooting yourself in the foot!” (your quote)
I thought Gerald had no leg to stand on…(at least that’s what I read elsewhere about him on this blog)
nudge nudge wink wink