Sunday, 25th May 2008
AND THEY WANTED TO RUN OUR COUNTRY
As I write this on what is effectively the first summer Saturday afternoon, the MLP National Executive will have finished discussing the report drawn up by the good men and true appointed to enquire into precisely why they lost the elections. Again. Making it a hat trick.
Handily, those of them who lack the intellectual rigour to plough through 99-odd pages of what can't have been scintillating prose, had this paper, in its actual or virtual formats, to summarise it for them. Perhaps that's why it was leaked - to save the administration bods the bother of putting together a summary. Why do the work, when you can someone to do it for you? Ask Tom Sawyer if that isn't a neat idea.
Well, here you have it, the reasons why the MLP lost the election, yet again, are:
• Recommendations of the 2003 electoral defeat report were not implemented
• Rival cliques sabotaged the party's common goal
• Campaign was disorganised, uncoordinated and too negative
• The leadership led the campaign on its own
• The party's electoral office was disorganised and ignored warnings it was given of incorrect data
• Some 7,300 former Labour-leaning voters stayed home
• Decision to extend voting by an hour favoured PN.
• Post 2003 there was a mood of "antipathy" towards the leader, which in turn resulted in an organisational setting characterised by suspicion and paranoia. I'm mortally offended. I'm not on the list. The lick-spittle media, run by the friends of friends' friends, seems to have had little or no effect on the contest. The ladies and gentlemen of the press, to give us a title that is hardly merited, for all the howls and hoots of protest about the way we blackened the name of Doctor Alfred Sant, are conspicuous by their absence, while the dear fellow himself finds himself front and centre in the spotlight. I suppose, if you wanted to stretch it, the last of the above bullet points could rope in the media, by making us responsible for the mood of antipathy towards the leader.
You could say this, even if I certainly couldn't, but could you, really?
There were as many sympathetic (sycophantic?) columnists as there were anti-pathetic (is that the opposite of sympathetic? it's a warm Saturday afternoon) ones.
In fact, Sant himself had a profoundly and pronouncedly pro-Sant pronouncement every week in this very paper and legion were the elves, little or otherwise, who mobilised themselves to preach Labour's message. A quick look at each of the reasons conveniently summarised might be interesting.
They ignored the 2003 recommendations: why? Incompetence? For sure. Overconfidence? For even surer. Who was responsible?
Inter-party rivalry: tell us something we didn't know. They're busy tearing each other apart even now, and dragging the international brotherhood of Socialism into the fray. Who was, and remains, responsible?
Disorganised and uncoordinated and negative: are they describing the campaign or the leadership? And who of the leadership are they describing? The leadership led the campaign on its own: this is the Labour Party, they're control freaks, what did you expect? And who made up the leadership?
The electoral machine was disorganised and had faulty data (and didn't even know it had faulty data): Smiler Micallef, stand up and take a bow. Who should have noticed this?
Thousands of Labour voters stayed home: why would they not have? The surprising thing is that more of them didn't - when things aren't all that bad and all you offer people is doom and gloom, why should they get off their behinds for you? Who put the campaign together? Who approved it?
Extra hour of voting favoured PN: possibly, but only because during that extra hour, the electoral machine wasn't able to get the vote out. Why was this? See above and stop trying to blame Michael Falzon.
Mood of antipathy towards the Leader: again, see above. What brought this on? In the comments section below, you can answer the questions for yourselves.
If you are a Labour elf and think the rest of us shouldn't have any fun, just write "PN butt out". On the other hand, if you are a Labour elf and think, you can't be. If you just want to blame Alfred Sant and/or Jason Micallef, write "Michael Falzon should be Leader".
If you think Michael Falzon and/or Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi are just as responsible, just write "George Abela should be Leader" but get a reality check in the meantime.
And finally, if you think I and the other columnists are responsible for Labour losing their third election in a row, write "Thank you Bocca and the others for helping make sure that these people, who can't even run their own party, didn't get their hands on the country."
NO MORE ANALYSIS PLEASE
The only person to come out of Malta's latest in a series of Eurovision defeats with dignity was the young lady who represented Malta. She went, she clearly had fun, she partied, she put on a good show, and she took it all in the best spirit.
Not for her any profound contemplation of the reasons why her performance wasn't selected: she is part of the generation of Maltese that just knows we're as good as anyone else and we don't need validation by means of a mechanism that relies on the votes and emotions of people who do actually need such validation.
The Eastern Europeans and the other New Europeans (we're part of Old Europe, for all the efforts to hide this on the part of those who don't think/want/believe us to be) may need to boost their self-confidence and make themselves feel good about themselves by being all jingoistic and wrapping themselves in the flag at even the silliest of occasions but we don't.
Doing well in the Eurovision is not the be-all and end-all of our existence, at least not those of us who have a life. There's nothing wrong with taking part in the Contest and there's nothing wrong with wanting to do well but there's everything wrong with becoming so deathly serious about it. It's a pop-song contest, for heaven's sake, the very epitome of frippery and inconsequentiality, and it's only time to think about not taking part when it becomes anything more than that. So, please, once and for all, can we cut out all this deep discussion and sonorous pronouncements?
Let a panel of DJs from the stations that churn out pop all the time choose the next entry and send the next Morena off with an encouraging pat on the back and a "have fun, kiddo".
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Comments
I have no amnesia .. what there was a lot of wrong in the former Labour Party .. However how can you compare that wrong with the Nationalists wrong which they inflicted on myself in the sixties, when I used to be thrown out of class because my family was labourite, when one of our dears died he was buried in the mizbla! This is not so far off .. That is why no political party can speak. Now do not tell any bullshit saying that was the church not the party .. the party in government was in duty bound to stop this nonsense
And where were you prior to 1971 when workers iused to work without any minimum wage, without sick leave, or leave, and at an absurd hourly pay like my father had! The parmilitary corps at the time served the purpose of providing short term employment at a decent wage.
@myself
Why am I saying all these? How did these know the workers conditions at the time? They probably just snobbed all labour families!
What I find astonishing with people like John Cassar is that they seem to have had amnesia for the last 30 years or so. However, the truth lies in the report jist published by the MLP Commission that looked into why the MLP lost the last election. All you have to do is read the section that deals with the MLP media outlets.
What I said was that I had no Uni to go to, not that there was no Uni. And I stand by that statement. Dr Gonzi was a little before my time and before Uni was wrecked. EFA's case has nothing to do with what I said but since you have no real argument, you took a cheap shot.
I find this socialist inability to call a spade a spade incredible: they never admit the bad: the wrecking of Uni, the water crisis, the Paramilitary Corps, the foreign doctors, the Drydocks, the violence, the lack of pluralism, the totalitarian economics, the lack of investment etc etc etc etc etc of Mintoff's time. Admit it, ask forgiveness and move on! PN too made mistakes in the past and I criticised them publicly. Unlike you, Mr Cassar, I'm not in a state of denial. No wonder MLP still gets so many votes, despite its disastrous record.
Mr. Buhagiar perhaps you want to tell is in which situation Mintoff left Malta and in which situation he found Malta once he became Prime Minister in 1971.
@ Ray Zammit. Better to pay taxes for an expensive hospital than pay much more to keep thousands of layabouts (who occasionally smash the Courts or Curia) in clover at Drydocks. Agreed? Need more examples? Plenty where that came from.
Since you called me naive, what can I call you?
Does the surcharge double your bill? In 1996 when a barrel of oil was $12.00 how much did your bill go up? Who brought it back down? Now a barrel of oil is $130.00 so do you expect to pay as much or less than what you paid in 1996?
If you cannot afford the price of a loaf of bread because of the seven cent increase, are you one whose surcharge is waived because of low income? Why do you expect to pay any less than other people around the world? Wait until you start paying the true cost of a loaf of bread when the subsidy on flour ends! And if you cannot afford a loaf of bread, then you should tell the government not to bother sending you the five fluorescent lamps since you cannot afford to pay your electricity bill anyway. Please don't insult our intelligence.
Going to your bit about the 'chosen few', please don't go there because I know of a chosen one who got a large compensation for the 'inconvenience' of a smoke stack built near his gharix!
Pity 'bout Uni tho - wouldn't have minded going there had it existed when I did my A-levels.
I very much doubt that any of the candidates for the leadership of the MLP has ever openly admitted that the party's past is one of shame. Most certainly no one of them is doing so now. No wonder that their followers are in a state of denial, No wonder that floating voters are not attracted to experiment and vote for the party once more!
You forgot to mention the sun. We never had sun...not even one sunrise.
I think all the potential MLP leaders recognise that their past is one of utter shame - trouble is, it seems their followers don't!
Laurence, one more thing, given your name is Schembri I believe you have Maltese ancestory. If so, thanks to past PN Governments you can obtain Maltese Citizenship, and in the future from just being an observer you can be a participant as well in our political process here in Malta. If you choose not to, I suggest that you leave the politikic for us Maltese. I am sure you won't appreciate foreigners interfering in Her Majestys internal matters. Do you?
I only say this cause for one to be objective, one have to know the facts. In you last post you clearly demonstrated that you do not;. as I explained to you in my previous post.
Read my post well. I did not say that Michael Falzon ran the electoral office. In Malta there is no such thing. What we have in Malta is an Electoral Commission. What I did say was "mentioned by name are Michael Falzon and the poor guy that run the Election Office." Election office meaning the MLP Election Office of which a certain Louis Gatt is head.
Also, If you believe Joseph Muscat had no role in the last MLP Electoral Campaign you are wrong my friend. He even participated in a televised programme on behalf the MLP.
I think you should get things right on all fronts, not me.
I am a non-voter (UK citizen) so I am in a position to be objective to any situation.
I was under the impression that Michael Falzon was a MLP candidate in the past election and not running the Electoral (right spelling) Office and as far as I know Joseph Muscat is a MEP and had no part in the last election. So get it right Joe.
Yes Mintoff did some good but did more harm especially at Dockyard when he froze our wages and salaries and called the employees without "meat balls" to the cheers of those workmen present in Gavina Gulia Square and the GWU did NOTHING! The few that booed Mintoff got beaten up - Viva il-Labour. If MLP dont get George Abela they've had it!
Yes, the present MLP Administration did ask a group of 5 individuals to analyse why the MLP lost the election. The present administration couldn't come have written a better analysis.
The only ones that was mentioned by name are Michael Falzon and the poor guy that run the Election Office. The only thing that was left out was that in their opinion looking forward the leader should be Joseph Muscat.
Who didn't know why the MLP lost the election?
Can I ask who the 'few' happen to be?
Those receiving surcharge subsidies?
Those whose taxes have been reduced for the last two years in a row?
Those who are now receiving childrens' allowances as never before?
Those who are receiving benefits through EU programmes?
Those who employ hundreds of workers through expansion of their business because of EU membership?
Those who are being assisted in home ownership?
This is a partial listing and those whose good has been 'ameliorated' add up to much more than 'a few'!
Mr. Sultana must be kidding, not knowing who the next MLP leader is going to be!! Why not ask Jas?
And, with regard to JPO, is Mr. Sultana not jumping the gun? But here again the MLP's fearless former leader also jumped the gun declaring Malta's mood for change!! Malta did not and that is why he finds himself in the privileged position of 'anointing' his successor!!
I believe that the fight for power in the MLP is 5 years overdue and a breath of fresh air. The current administration has lost 2 elections too many, and now it's high time they are replaced. Of course ***and here I'm talking hypothetically*** had the MLP won, all this would have been buried and gone, and it would have been business as usual and back to power.
Saying that THANK GOD THEY DID NOT GET ELECTED, and that there is no such scheming going on in the PN is naive. However I do feel the need to praise the PN and it's people for acting like wise business men. As usual, PN affiliates realised that it is better to compromise and lose a slice of the cake, than lose it all. As long as you're in power. The important thing, is to keep doing business. So excuse me for not being overjoyed that PN is still in power.
I don't care who belongs to what faction, and who commands what, after all is it important???
it should take a High school student one minute, one sentence to write what is right about the MLP.
Believe me, the PN want to see astrong opposition and not a weakend one. We almost experienced what a weak opposition meant for the PN. A strong opposition only makes the Government of the day stronger and not weker. With a strong opposition there is no room for
Please do not blame the PN for the conflict that the MLP had with the church. Mintoff wanted an issue and he got it. Yes, th ePN might have benefited as a result but I can certainly tell you that it did not approve of the Church measure.
They look like Chelsea..born losers.
The MLP want to change their leader while Chelsea want to have a new coach as GRANT is already sacked.
How long and how many authors will it take to tell the public what is right with the Labour Party?
To try and make comparisons beteen the PN and the MLP is a non starter. It is like making comparison between good/evil; white/black, etc. In as far as the MLP there is not even a point of reference where to start to make such a comparison. It is a party in shambles; and if they are not careful they could find them selves being two parties instead of one.
And Dr ABC regarding your comment
"Thank you Bocca and the others for helping make sure that these people, who can't even run their own party, didn't get their hands on the country."
Since when did we in Malta have ANY party that does not hide under it's covers rivalries and "klikkek" ?? Are you really THAT naive? :)
you should see the people who voted in the extra hour! they were most labour.. since 2 in 10 people over her only are nationalists!!
You might have kept Ukland off the bottom