This is the tattooed woman who Mrs Muscat took to meet Prince William – along with her make-up artist, her dietician and her hairdresser
I’d forgotten her name, but somebody has just reminded me that I’d written about her here some time ago. Her name is Kelly Vero and she’s a total chav, though not from Manchester – my mistake – but from Nottingham. She and Mrs Muscat have adopted each other – in Vero’s case, you can see what the motivation is: British hamalla comes to island of Malta and gets to hang out with prime minister’s wife in palaces, drive around in chauffeured cars and meet Prince William at VIP party.
As for Mrs Muscat, she obviously can’t recognise a total chav when she sees one – not to make any bones about it, but like meets like and just sees like – and is oh so impressed because she wrote a book called Summer Girl. So Kelly Vero the tattooed woman is now part of Mrs Muscat’s perambulating salon along with her hairdresser, Shasha tal-Make-up, her dietician and her gym trainer. Oh, and her packet of fags: Cyrus, Randolph and Ray Azzopardi, all now cosily in Brussels and leaving her to the tender ministrations of her husband, with or without lipstick.
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Poor Prince William.
Thank God his wife wasn’t brought down for this sole reason of endorsing the Muscat ego trip.
I think Royal security was lax in Malta. The guest lists cannot be left to the will and whim of people like Muscat seeking public Royal endorsement for goodness knows who else besides Cyrus.
This is exactly why one should not be photographed with a terrorist.
It is interesting to know who Michelle Muscat’s dietician is, especially if he/she is being paid by the Maltese taxpayer.
Is this dietician doing anything at all? As far as I can see, Michelle Muscat’s ever-growing butt is expanding at a rate higher than the growth of the budget deficit and Kitten’s inflated ego, ironically and partially by the employment of her personal entourage.
MS Muscat is not First Lady. She is PM’s wife.
I thought Ms Kelly works in a massage parlour in Gzira ?
‘Writer Kelly Vero never imagined she would be sharing her works with the First Lady of Malta – and teaching her the common Nottingham greeting ‘ey up duck’.’
and…
‘But it is her crime novel Summer Girl which is perhaps her most famous – with fans including Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and his wife Michelle, the First Lady of Malta.’
Prince William must have been impressed and the choice of gift for his wife would not have seemed so strange after all.
But it would not be a bad idea if we found out what this person’s real name is. It might be my hypervigilance, but then it might not, when you live in a country led by spin, most hunches prove to be right.
Quotes from: http://www.nottinghampost.com/Nottingham-born-writer-teaches-Lady-Malta-local/story-21152880-detail/story.html
Maybe Michelle Muscat hopes that one day the tattooed woman will write a book about the First Lady of Malta and her amazing globe-trotting adventures with her super twins Soleil and Etoile and their lovely palace.
I am sure that Peter Apap Bologna would love to meet this woman and maybe discuss her tattooes
Nottingham eh! Hello duck (pronounced dook)
Here’s a picture of the tats in all their glory.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130927/local/-I-m-the-write-person-to-put-Malta-on-the-map-.487895
Apparently she is not only writing crime thrillers in Malta but comedic tragedies as well.
Someone did not like her book at all.
http://tinypic.com/r/2ezu3id/8
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kelly-Vero/e/B00DYTBA44
I have just read Kelly Vero’s profile on Twitter. She describes herself as a “social hand grenade” and “general gobshite”. Lovely.
That newspaper doesn’t know that she is the prime minister’s wife and not the first lady.
[Daphne – Well, I think it’s Kelly Vero herself who spoke to them and would have described Mrs Muscat as the first lady. You wouldn’t expect somebody like that to know any better. She probably thinks her queen is Britain’s first lady.]
Does Kelly Vero chew gum too, just like her friend the prime minister’s wife?
She has tattoos. So? What’s the big deal?
Amen!
Let’s do a swap: all the English scumbags in Malta for all the Maltese scumbags in England.
There aren’t many Maltese scum bags left in England, those left are probably in old people’s homes.
Luckily, there are hardly any British scumbags in Malta. Come to the South of Spain, where the real British scumbags are.
Oh is that jealousy I sense? Just because you’re not running around with members of the government now other people can’t? Plus bad mouthing people just because they have tattoos and calling them chavs? Isn’t that intolerable? Oh my manners, I forget where I was, in “people who think differently from me are bad”-ville.
[Daphne – I never ran around with members of the government. I hate to be pointedly rude, but for people like me that’s not social-climbing but the reverse. I am not a working-class girl from Nottingham.]
Is this Kelly Vero?
Lol Daphne, u maek me laff so. Ur not a workin class gurl, u’re a proper lady, upper-middle class u r. Oh mai. Oh mai indeed. Top kek.
[Daphne – Try not to be so chippy. We’re all adults here. And even assuming you think people like me are there to be mocked by the socially disadvantaged because we are somehow amusing, exactly how are we to blame for not being born and raised as you were? It’s not as though it was our choice or we were in control of things. Besides, haven’t you read Joseph’s guide to propaganda? It’s no longer fashionable to laugh at posh people. It will get you a black mark from Taghna Lkoll.]
Get a life, Leli,
“people who think differently from me are bad”
Not quite my dear, it’s ‘people who are bad think differently from me’.
[Daphne – What a terrific reply.]
http://www.reactiongifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/tumblr_ljh0puClWT1qfkt17.gif
What’s wrong with being a working-class girl, Daphne?
[Daphne – Nothing. These are not matters within our control or for which we can take credit, which is precisely why it is so stupid to mock people like me because we’re not working-class. Things are wrong or right in context and not in themselves. The context of Kelly Vero’s friendship with Mrs Muscat is wrong. Were Mrs Muscat not married to the prime minister and maximising the benefits of her position to boot, they would be perfectly matched.]
‘Just because you’re not running around with members of the government now other people can’t?’
A John Profumo case in the making is it?
[Daphne – Oh, nothing remotely as glamorous. More Cherie Blair, her style adviser and her husband Tony, I would say. Or Bill, Hilary, Monika and a cigar – except that the combinations will be a little less obvious.]
So it’s just kneeler not Keeler material then.
Pity, it could have been the basis of another cheap book.
she’s got tattoos so what? I do does that make me a hamalla. At the end of the day a tattoo can have meaning for someone, it’s a work of art on a body. And just cause she’s English doesn’t mean she’s a chav either, she might be the nicest resin you’ve ever met, never judge a book by its cover.
People who decide to put on a permanent tattoo are short-sighted. They live for the day while not giving a shite for the next.
That’s why they are less employable than non-tattooed ones.
A smart employer easily arrives at this logical conclusion. I have often given this advice to young people who generally realise how daft it is.
I don’t agree one bit ‘White Coat’. Tattoos do not necessarily mean short-sighted people (though some are). Tattoos can symbolise various things, with very important meaning. Such as a dead loved one or a milestone in someones life.
How does that reflect their ’employability’?
So… How is the weather back there in 1951? Care to join us in the 21st century?
Firstly, your statement completely derails from Daphne’s initial point.
So you are implying that tattooed people deserve not to be employed because they should forgo being themselves to avoid being victimised by the prejudice and discrimination of employers.
By your logic, it’s tattooed people’s shortcoming by not taking into consideration employers’ archaic, judgmental mentality which dismisses factors such as experience, competence, education and personality due to a stigmatised physical characteristic.
In my books, it’s those kind of employers who are being short-sighted by passing up potential hard-working staff and incidentally, this exposes the contradictions in your weak rationale.
White coat is right. Tattoos are permanent and once you are sick of them, it’s not easy to get rid of them.
Yes, tattooed people are short-sighted, because they never think how the tattoo would look like at 80 when all the flesh is sagging. Probably they think that they will never get old.
It always amazes me how close minded some people are and will remain. Typically you would much rather employ someone who has no idea what they’re on about, over someone who actually knows a job in side out… just because they have tattoos. Please let me know where you work White coat? So I can ensure to never bother there, not that I would need to downgrade my career any time soon haha
I am part of the management team within a, famous to say the least, and massive international company… and wait for it… I’m as, you would call it “covered in tattoos”.
Smart people of the 21st century judge on merit and skill not on what ink you have on your body. They so rightly should as tattoos are personal, not there for you to pass judgement on.
Kelly was head writer at TRC Entertainment, the Malta-based computer games company that ran into serious financial difficulties earlier this year. She seems to have landed on her feet since then, working for the EC’s Creative Europe 2020 program. I wonder if political connections helped there?
Alarming to hear she’s now giving lessons in English – have you read the Amazon blurb to her book? (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Summer-Girl-Blood-Book-ebook/dp/B00EIFVGQU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414406114&sr=8-1&keywords=kelly+vero)
“A woman is attacked in strange circumstances on a midnight street in Valletta, Malta. An island country known for its history of early civilisations and military might is the backdrop for a series of distant relations and revelations as we follow Jack Sant; a Knight of Malta, on his quest to solve some of the country’s worst cold cases.
Jack takes us on a journey of chivalry and secrets as he uncovers lies and the gritty realism of crime in a small country. From the lively dancehalls to the languid conversations at dinner through the eyes of the Maltese people; a mélange of culture powered by the sun, where east meets west and north meets south in language, love and laħam.
The first book, Summer Girl focuses on a cold case from 1984. How can an 82-year old priest lead Jack to an unsympathetic killer? Hiding in plain sight Jack gets involved in a chain of events that lead to an interesting twist.”
Where to start with the awful English on display here? “Worst cold cases?” “A melange of culture powered by the sun”? An “unsympathetic killer”?
I assumed this was written by someone at the publishers who didn’t speak English as a first language, but, no, it turns out to have been written by Miss Vero herself.
Amazingly poor grasp of language from someone who’s not only a native speaker but also a professional writer.
Quote:
“I assumed this was written by someone at the publishers who didn’t speak English as a first language”
Whoever said that Englishmen or women speak English?
Chavs in suits
http://www.tvm.com.mt/news/jitnehhew-152-ligi-li-mghadhomx-jaghmlu-sens/
Better a tattoed chav than a horrible witch like you.
[Daphne – Very adult reply. I suppose what would be best, then, is a horrible tattooed chav witch. If I spot one of those next time I’m walking past Medasia Playa, I’ll give you a shout.]
Jack Sant, a knight of Malta. Hmm must have nicked that from one of the tombstones in St John’s.
May I know, what is wrong with tattoos?
[Daphne – I think you’ll find your answer in the fact that Prince William’s wife doesn’t have any.]
Well, we’ll never know for sure, will we?
However, the answer to that question, and please bear in mind that this is all about context (Duke of Cambridge/VVIP area/government officials/armed forces), is here:
“…If your tattoo is offensive, obscene or racist it will prevent you from joining the Army. Small tattoos that aren’t offensive in any way are not normally a problem, depending where they are on your body and how visible they are.”
“…A Freedom of Information response issued in July showed that in the year 2013/14 the [British] Army rejected 336 applications because of offensive or inappropriately placed tattoos, as well as piercings.”
And for the MOD Police:
“The MDP applies a tattoo policy. All tattoos are assessed individually. You should not have tattoos which could cause offence. Tattoos on the hands, above the neckline or those which are particularly prominent, or likely to undermine the dignity and authority of the office of constable are not permitted. You will be required to provide photograph(s) of tattoos with a visible measure for scale. A verifiable translation must accompany any tattoos containing non-English words, characters or representation. Tattoos on the arms that are excessive in size or visual impact may not be accepted; a rough guide would be significant tattooing on one arm and a small tattoo on the other arm. Tattoos anywhere on the body which appear to be discriminatory, offensive or provocative will not be accepted.”
It’s not the tattoo per se that is inappropriate. It’s the tattoo in some contexts. In the context of choosing who to out on the VVIP list, unless the tattoo-bearer is some super-celebrity with a knighthood, or a double amputee Afghanistan veteran, then common sense says no.
It’s the same reason convicted criminals are usually left off the VVIP list.
You all are stupid close minded people just because she have her tattoos visible doesn’t mean she’s a hamalla!!
Keep in mind that if something is wrong with you and need to be operated on the doctor operating on you might be covered in tattoos But he won’t be the one judging you he will be the one who saved your life after you said he’s a hamallu
[Daphne – You are mistaken. I never said that Kelly Vero is a hamalla because she has tattoos. I said that she is an English hamalla AND she has tattoos. I know plenty of people who are just like me and who have tattoos, except that they are all young men. The tattoos were inappropriate in the context of the occasion, but with or without tattoos she remains a hamalla from Nottingham. I don’t really like using this terminology but ‘working-class’ doesn’t cut it. Not all working-class people are hamalli and not all hamalli are working-class.]
One might wonder how cheap this blog actually is and what a waste of time it would actually be to even finish reading the first sentence of any blog which you write..one might also wonder though how interesting it would be to read a post about your pathetic self .
Re. the second ‘wonderment’. Why not try to write one yourself, Luke?
Why visit this site then, you don’t have to.
And yet you are interested in this blog and find time to read and write in it. Pathetic.
:-)
http://www.reactiongifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/tumblr_ljh0puClWT1qfkt17.gif
One particularly absorbing thing about your blog, Daphne, is your very iffy moderation standards.
Indeed, a couple of terribly mean comments aimed at you are not going to make you flinch, perhaps due to the years of relentless abuse that you have experienced in response to the venomous jibes you have dealt to various Maltese public figures, but everyone already knows that these insults are not very far from the truth.
What I really do find interesting though is that when someone from the angry mob actually formulates a concise response which efficiently targets your argument and poses a serious challenge to render it as mere hogwash, you quickly unsheathe thy moderator function and hide away the shameless truth like the rest of the politicians who … cannot actually form a policy without insuring their public reputation.
Just an honest observation. I really do hope this comment doesn’t meet the same fate.
[Daphne – I upload all comments except those which are slanderous, extremely vulgar or inane. I also discourage tit for tat catfights between readers. This is not ‘iffy moderation’ but its polar opposite. I don’t want this comments board to degenerate into a stream of pointless rubbish as has happened with so many of the newspapers. The readers’ comments on this website are as big a draw as the posts themselves, and I’d like things to stay that way. I also delete comments which are extremely long and rambling, especially when they are in Maltese. Short comments here and there in Maltese are fine, but writing at length in Maltese excludes others and is bad manners. Long, rambling comments are never acceptable because I have read each one before uploading it (my legal obligations as publisher).
And now I will have to give you a brief lesson in good manners. As my guest on my space which you wish to use to air your views, it is a really bad idea to make your opening salvo a spiteful insult rather than a civilised greeting. Exactly where do you get off demanding the right to use somebody else’s time, space and property for the purpose of insulting them?]
Au contraire, Daphne, clearly you give one the option to express one’s views on your writing and hence this leads me to say that I essentially demanded nothing, nor am I demanding anything at this very second just by merely clicking the “Submit Comment” button on the comment section.
Furthermore, I am very amused at the lesson you published above on good manners. While this may be your digital “property”, I believe that the comment section greatly betrays your argument for the simple fact that people are practically allowed to write any bloody thing they want on it since you have allowed that function. To show further how fallacious your point is, you can even choose to not have the said bloody thing published onto the comment board. Yes, Daphne, you choose. So, quite frankly, the fact that you chose to accept my “insult” leaves me to conclude that the last question you asked me is in truth, your own problem to deal with.
If you like a more straightforward answer to your question; it’s because one bloody can. Just like the moderators of whatever hosting service your blog is under allows you to write the compelling and heartfelt posts that you’re so well hated for.
[Daphne – You people are just so ill-mannered, it’s unbelievable. Do you actually have a point to make, a contribution to the ongoing discussion, or are you just here to be rude to your host? I will take any number of insults you wish to level at me as long as they are part of a discussion, but insults for the sake of insults – no. You can take those to the Malta Today comments board.]
“Sceptic” is not an adjective.
I think he means ‘septic’ Baxxter
So I am assuming that you actually know Kelly Vero personally right ? You know her personality and the type of individual she is ? because judging someone simply upon their appearance or their class without even knowing the type of individual they are and writing such a hurtful piece on someone is a real pity to see.
Some individuals are stronger than others. I could come across a hurtful article written about me and not be bothered because I know the type of person that I am .
However other individuals may not be as strong. So i suggest watching out what you write and the words you use , because it they can affect people.
It would be nice to see people especially women support one another, rather than tearing them down or writing mean girl posts.
But then again that’s just my opinion.
[Daphne – Kelly Vero could be the nicest, sweetest, cuddliest woman on earth and her tattoos could be the most beautiful ever. All of that is irrelevant. This is a discussion about whether she should have been on the guest list for the security area to meet Prince William. The answer is No. The answer would have been No even if she were not a chav from Nottingham, spoke beautifully and had no tattoos. A state reception is not a private party and an excuse for the prime minister’s wife to entertain her hairdresser, make-up artist, dietician and girlfriends.]
You could not have said it better Mrs Galizia , however try explaining that to the lot of them.
It’s not even about Eddie Fenech Adami or Lawrence Gonzi personally, rather what they represent as ex heads of state and symbols of particular eras in Maltese history and nation-crafting – aspects of which we know the Labour party members have always resented.
This on the celebration of independence which is not supposed to be partisan. What the prime minister did was deliberate – inviting a dietician, his wife’s friend and a convicted criminal – he’s saying exactly what he thinks of Eddie Fenech Adami and Lawrence Gonzi, and what they represent, that they are below everyone else.
He finally got his revenge and his opportunity to spit in their faces. He did this with Franco Debono, John Dalli, and Wenzu Mintoff – he used them and used them to spite his opponents. It has nothing to do with Kelly Vero’s personality, rather it’s an insult to all of us.
Did this blog-post really get 7000+ recommendations? That’s way more than the Mintoff one, or the famous Glanville Goodlip one too, for that matter!
[Daphne – Goodlip, that was the one! I’d been trying to remember the name. Yes, of course it got that many. You can see the number up there at the top of the post next to the FB button.]
Is Kelly a male or female name? I’m confused…
Yes yes, I saw the number – In fact, I commented before I read your latest post discussing the 7k+ recommendations!
It was more of a rhetorical question, a kind of how-can-it-be thing. Also, is it me or have the past few days seen a lot more FB clicks than the previous months?
Another very popular post was the f*cking wanker one (Abela Garret), because it had young-people appeal. Also, Conseulogate, but I think that was before FB buttons!
It’s articles like this that prove how simple human beings
Still all are!
How is this type of negativity ever going to serve a higher purpose?
What a shame to see a leader in her field,
Use her fame and popularity to promote anger,hate and
Being judgmental! Lead by example and use your time on stage well.. Just saying!
All this bullshit about tattoos whats wrong with having a tattoo. If all of u dont know its an art aswell. If all of u minded ur own business everyone would be much happier
Well maybe its true she shouldnt have been on the guest list but thats one thing …and yes she might be a chav ..BUT commenting on her appearance and tats is just stupid in my opinion …and if she was a chav and tattoed whats wrong with that ..WE LIVE IN A FREE WORLD Daphne
You are usually right on a lot of points ..i think this falls short of your standard
[Daphne – The logic of Facebook. This is not about her tattoos or her chavviness. It is about her being there where she had no place being – not because of her tattoos and her chavviness, but because being a friend of Mrs Muscat is not a qualifier for a state guest list of that nature.]
I may of failed to mention, my husband worked closely with both princes, he may be a royal, but I can assure you, he has many friends with tattoos, including my high ranking husband and myself, a social worker, dual nationality British and Maltese and highly educated, I have a tattoo, military men, and woman genuinely tend to have tattoos and speak things how they are… Captains… Majors…. Mostly with tattoos… Both princes never thought of them of chavs or hamalla… David Beckham….. Full of tattoos, but prince Williams close friend he is still. You are singling out this individual, for the only reason I can read, because she went to the party and you did not…. How childish, I really beloved better of you!!
Sigh. She was singled out because she was invited to an occasion where she had no place to be. What does she have to do with Malta and its independence? Were you invited? No, that is why you weren’t singled out.
How can people be this shallow and not see beyond tattoos and stuff. You don’t know Kelly and you’re already judging her! You must be either jealous of her or don’t know anything about her work. Kelly is such a nice person and I’m proud to be her friend. Nothing you can say can put us down, sorry. We’re strong women and I hope there would be more Maltese women who like us don’t give a damn of what people say and think about them, to cover their own insecurities.
[Daphne – In this website, intelligent or at least amusing arguments are expected. “You’re just jealous” and “she’s my friend and therefore she is good” and other such playground talk is really out of place. While I appreciate your support of Ms Vero, please try to make a rational defence of her presence on that invitation list and tell us why you believe that the prime minister’s wife should treat state occasions like her own personal parties to which she invites friends and retainers.]
Perhaps Mrs Muscat wanted an English expatriate to present to the prince. To represent the British to the British monarch-in-waiting.
How many English expats making a life here does Mrs Muscat know? She could have picked one of the touts hassling tourists to buy tickets or timeshares.
Given this could be her motivation, who would you have picked Daphne? Honest question.. or can you only criticise other people without actually meeting them.
[Daphne – Malta is full of British people, EnglishChav, and a chav who wrote Summer Girl is really not the apex of those who live here, some of whom have been here for many years. Besides the prime minister’s reception is not where guests of this nature meet their compatriots. That’s the ambassador’s role. The British High Commissioner held his own reception for the prince. There, too, there was a ‘corralled VIP area’ but the people in it were not the High Commissioner’s wife’s friends, make-up artist and dressmaker. They were leaders of NGOs working in community, charity, and environment projects.]
Name a high profile British person living here who Mrs Muscat is liable to know. Like I asked, who would *you* present?
[Daphne – If you were not an English chav, you would know that the guest list for state events, in your country as well as this one, is not to be decided and compiled by the wife of the prime minister. Who Mrs Muscat knows or not is completely irrelevant.]
You’re free with the insults and assumptions too. How can you assume Ms. Vero is a chav? What should people assume about you based on the vitriol and prejudice here?
[Daphne – I assume nothing. It’s right there for everyone to see. Of course, if you are also a chav, you will read the codes and signifiers differently. Obviously.]
What is the code and what are the signifiers for a chav?
Stop evading, please.
[Daphne – I’m not evading. If these things have to be explained to you, you must have grown up in the North African desert.]
You’re forgetting that the reception marked the 50th anniversary of Malta’s independence. It was a state occasion, which the Muscats treated as their own personal garden party.
Mrs Muscat’s friends, including her hairdresser, her dressmaker, her dietician (I’d fire her for failure), and Ms Vero, among others, displaced people who played a significant role in Malta’s 50-year history as an independent state. Exactly how do you explain that?
So, someone with tattoos should not meet the Prince. Why?
– http://www.express.co.uk/comment/blogs/328002/Why-the-royal-family-are-happy-to-tolerate-tattoos-at-Royal-Ascot
– http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/nigelfarndale/9350671/Tattoos-have-a-distinguished-royal-history.html
– http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/tattooed_royalty.htm
Is this blog entry prejudice or jealousy? Or both?
[Daphne – If you are over 14, you should have progressed beyond ‘you’re just jealous’ as an argument. No, I am not jealous. I do not wish to look like Ms Vero, come from her background, speak as she does, or have a tattoo. I do not want to write as she does either, or work for a game development company. I do not wish to be Mrs Muscat’s friend or confidante, whether she is married to the prime minister or not. I do not wish to be on the guest list for a reception at the Barrakka, whether to meet a British prince or not. Have I made myself clear?
As for your links, perhaps you should ask yourself about the likelihood of that prince having married somebody with heavily tattooed arms, or what the position would be were his wife to suddenly tattoo visible areas of her upper body and half her face. THAT is where your answer lies.]
So, you are not jealous?
But still you go on so much about Ms Vero.
What has she done to you?
Ah yes, she has tattoos. Must be prejudice then.
[Daphne – Do please go away. This place is for grown-ups. It is, in fact, supposed to be a refuge from this kind of stupidity.]
Daphne, can you please at least argue without being rude and judgmental??!! Ok you made your point… you are against Ms Vero being on VIP lists, some people think otherwise. We respect your opinion. However don’t judge a book by its cover!
excuse me, i thought this site contains adults not kids? this article is just close-minded criticism that makes zero sense.
Daphne, grow up.
Do you even know what a ‘chav’ is?
Kelly Vero is not a chav. She’s a lovely lady with a strong sense of independence. She’s not hurting anyone, let her get on with writing books and putting Malta and Nottingham in the limelight.