The prime minister and his wife have entered into a sponsorship deal with the (Labour) owner of The North Face distributorship in Malta. Are they being paid for it?
The sponsorship arrangement appears to have been going on for quite a while – this is a photograph of the then leader of the Opposition and his wife on their way to vote in the divorce referendum two and a half years ago.
The prime minister and Mrs Muscat promoting The North Face at yesterday’s charity run/walk
They must be. I can’t see any other reason why the prime minister and his wife would accept to wear and promote a particular brand of clothing in situations where they should be wearing something else, unless they are receiving payment for doing so.
You don’t do that sort of thing as a mere favour, when you are in that position.
The fact that the Abela family who own Adventure camping shop, and who are the Malta distributors for The North Face brand of all-weather clothing, are rabidly Labour in that ugly, brainless way (I believe daddy was in the police SMU back in the Golden Years, though I still need to check that out) is not sufficient explanation.
There are plenty of clothing importers who support the Labour Party – mysteriously, given that they made their small fortunes because of the Nationalist Party’s free-market policies – and I don’t see the prime minister and his wife promoting their brands so brazenly.
Yes, perhaps they do get free clothes from these other importers, but if so it would probably stop at that, because the suppliers are getting nothing in return except possible favours, given that the brand does not show.
With The North Face, the situation is very different. The prime minister and his wife are deliberately and determinedly pushing the brand in our faces.
On the President’s charity run yesterday, when it was de rigeur to wear one of the charity T-shirts – everybody wore one, including the President – the Muscats instead wore The North Face clothing. The prime minister’s promotion of the brand was brazen beyond belief: he wore a black T-shirt, ensuring that he would stand out among a sea of lilac-purple, with a huge red The North Face logo on his back. It is not the sort of thing anybody normal above the age of 13 would wear unless it is in a brand sponsorship situation: it is too obviously promotional.
It isn’t helped that the Abelas themselves gave the game away partly by excitedly uploading on Facebook a photograph of Mrs Muscat being given her outfits from The North Face. Or are we expected to believe that she paid for them?
I rather suspect that these two have found yet another way to make money from their position, akin to leasing their own car to the state while carrying on using it.
There should be questions in parliament. In no way is this a petty issue. And it is a harbinger of much worse to come, or much worse going on already. It is, you see, an indicator of attitude. Those who think nothing of using their position to make money from promoting clothing brands will think nothing of using their position to make money from promoting the sale of Maltese passports, or taking a cut off this or that.
If the prime minister sees nothing wrong with John Dalli to the extent that he has seated him at his right hand, then there you have it. He thinks Dalli’s way of using his position to create business and money-making opportunities for himself is legitimate and ‘wajs’.
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Paid or not, they are still doing a favour to a party friend and that’s unacceptable. Boycott this shop – not because they’re Labour, it should go without saying, but because this sort of abuse is just too much.
Bang on.
Why would anybody buy The North Face merchandise in Malta. Everyone knows that is much cheaper off the internet, and it is delivered straight to your home.
Absolutely. And another thing: The North Face’s main strength is customer service. I’ve had problems with the HyVent lining (their version of Goretex) peeling off their breathable jackets. And they’re mostly made in Bangladesh or Vietnam. So they’re fine, as outdoors kit goes, but not to die for.
Their main strength is customer service. But that’s if you buy from a US retailer. Replacements are made directly by their US branch. Even the best retailer in Europe will charge you for postage and packing if you need to send an item back for replacement.
Since outdoor kit falls under the heading “menswear”, here’s my recommendations:
Tacgear (German, made in Germany, and built like a brick privy. You can get the civvy version of most of their kit)
Carinthia (Austrian. Tough as a mountain-goat’s nuts)
Berghaus (British. Used to be made in Britain but I haven’t checked recently. Endorsed by Ranulph Fiennes, Sir Ranulph, uncle of that useless heart-throb “Ralph”. Amputated his own frostbitten fingers at home, with a hacksaw, “because it’s cheaper that way.”)
Arktis (The dog’s Bs. British. Their jackets are still made in the UK. Again, you can get the civvy version)
Ferrino (Italian, made in Italy. Endorsed by Reinhold Messner and Børge Ousland, who can run two marathons in the time it takes to say “Malta Taghna Lkoll”)
Arc’teryx (American. Made in the US and very expensive. But up there with the best and if you’re built like a stick insect and love to hang off vertical walls, look no further.)
Norrøna (Norwegian, made in Norway. Keeps an incredibly low profile but we’re talking Arctic-proof here. The Danish Sirius Patrol blokes, possibly the nailsest men around, who line their tents with live polar bears, swear by them.)
There are others, but my memory fails me. The bottom line is that the market being what it is, and Maltese retailers being the greedy pigs they are, outdoors kit in Malta is way overpriced. You’re better off buying online or when you’re travelling.
Just ask anyone who tried to buy a Camelbak off that bloke in Mosta, who was selling them as “exclusive agent” from his nondescript maisonette, in the days before Amazon and ebay.
Since Daphne has kindly posted my comment in toto, let me add one last recommendation.
I understand there are quite a few Marathon des Sables runners among the readers here. They will know that the last word in trail running/ultramarathon/marathon kit is Raidlight. They do everything from scorching desert to icy mountain, and everywhere between. Our PM can wear their jackets with a clear conscience, for they are made in Europe (France, to be exact) by a small, well-paid staff.
They are endorsed by Marco Olmo, from whom our PM can learn a lesson or two on real hard men.
@ HP
Much better than The North Face:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Wolfskin
Anyway, if the Muscats are promoting The North Face, that brand’s status in Malta is history.
Well yes, vanni, but they’re worn by academics, that most odious of species.
The Muscats vs the Beckhams
Which PM stoops so low as to promote a particular brand? Someone in his position should go unbranded or at least try to promote a Maltese product. I am no fan of Alfred Sant but all his suits in office were from Bortex.
[Daphne – Where do you imagine all Muscat’s suits come from, if not Bortex? Bortex is owned by a leading Labour family, with Lino Spiteri as a consultant, and is owned/run by Ramona Frendo’s husband, whose second wife she is.]
Silvio Abela, owner of the Adventure shop, is more than avidly Labour and yes he was SMU and was obviously booted out in 1987.
I can say this with certainty as he was introduced to me sometime round 1989/90 and I was warned by my then boyfriend to be careful what I said about politics when he was around.
There is a difference here. Someone wearing a Bortex suit could go unnoticed. North Face is a leisure-wear company that sports logos on every item it make, so advertising is going to be obvious.
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-12-02/news/anti-government-mass-rally-in-ukraine-turns-violent-3355049984/
Something similar happened in Malta when the then newly elected Prime Minister and now PL MEP candidate Alfred Sant froze Malta’s application to be a member of the European Union.
The difference is that we stayed quiet because we couldn’t get to grips of the repercussions of that decision.
Phil Noble helped Alfred Sant to win his premiership and now it transpires that Messrs. Henley and Partners together with Communist China were helping our Joseph with what Mintoff would have described as “Foreign Interference”.
The Ukrainians are fearing the Russians while on a smaller scale we are fearing the Chinese.
And in less than 10 days the Ukrainian president will be visiting Joseph Muscat, while in his country there are protests, violence and bloodshed.
This is not the time for the Ukrainian president to be outside of his country and the Maltese government ought to be clear on this situation.
PBS has rules on product placement. But our prime minister does not.
Sell the citizenship – check.
Sell the prime minister – check.
Labour: Running Malta like a business since 2013.
Gives new meaning to “Labour delivers”, doesn’t it?
This is disgusting.
Is this in line with international brand policies of North Face?
And if the prime minister says that he is doing it without payment, this would make his situation even worse. Would he not be violating his oath of office where it deals with the subject of “without favours”?
Must explain why the prime minister is increasing in size in all departments. More advertising space.
Michelle Muscat modelled for Bulgari on a magazine cover recently.
Carla Bruni did so too but a) she wasn’t the president’s wife when she did that and b) (no less important) her face, figure and fame enhance the brand.
http://www.hellomagazine.com/imagenes//fashion/2013071713549/carla-bruni-bulgari-shoot-revealed/0-69-485/carla3–z.jpg
Aren’t The North Face made in a Chinese sweat shop?
I see it’s El Salvador. That’s all right then.
http://www.globallabourrights.org/reports?id=0501
But, my dear Alexander Ball, do you expect the Muscats to give a damn about Salvadorean women working like slaves and not being able to buy milk for their children?
The only children they care about are their own.
One of the most unattractive and disturbing things about the Labour leader and his simpering wife is that they do not appear to understand the meaning of public service and boundaries. All they appear to understand is position and privilege.
Michelle Muscat told us that she was invited to CHOGM13 but declined because of her daughters’ ballet rehearsals. She wasn’t invited to CHOGM13. Her husband was. It’s not ballet rehearsals that should have kept her and her husband away. It’s Sri Lanka’s gross abuse of human rights.
But, then again, this is a Labour leader we’re talking about, and we all know where that lot stand on the matter of individual rights.
One can easily play the same game. We can fund 50 The North Face T-shirts and distribute them free at the Open Centre in Marsa. It would be a nice Christmas gift and equal attire as the PM and his wife. This is the age of equality.
If he’s being paid, I hope he declares the money next year in parliament.
[Daphne – He can’t, because it is not legitimate for the prime minister to take money to promote brands.]
If he’s NOT being paid, then I hope he understands that it’s even worse because that would mean he’s using his public office to benefit a personal friend.
Daphne, that’s debatable. Al Capone was imprisoned for tax evasion on illegal earnings.
[Daphne – Irrelevant and a non sequitur. The prime minister quite obviously can’t declare irregular or illegal income to parliament, unless he accompanies his declaration with a letter of resignation.]
In one fell swoop, Joey and Mish have suddenly made it naff to be seen wearing The North Face gear.