Monday, 16th June 2008
TAKE A BUS, JOE
So, the Green Party, so long promoting itself as an alternative to the two-party system, has a new head honcho. According to di-ve.com, Prof Cassola promised as one of his first committments to open talks with the two main parties over the nomination of the new President of Malta. According to timesofmalta.com, he actually said that all parties should be consulted on the choice of President of the Republic. The di-ve.com version, if correct, is evidence that there still remain traces of hubris clinging to the AD banner. Where does a political party that has never had a member elected to the House get off, saying it's going to open talks with the two main parties, for heaven's sake? Why should the two main parties give them the time of day, pray?
Not that the Times' version does them many more favours, frankly: did Prof. Cassola really mean "all parties" when he said all parties should be consulted? Does he really think that AD, which has credentials, if only to a limited degree after their performances recently, should be put in the same frame as Josie Muscat's horrendous AN and Emy Bezzina's loopy Alpha[male] mob, to mention but a couple of the more ridiculous outfits that have raised their heads above the parapet?
While on the subject of Muscat, Josie of that ilk (we'll get to the other lad later) it seems he's been prevailed on to stay at the helm of the Azzjoni Nazzjonali, lovingly known as AzzNazz.. Not for him a graceful exit stage right, which at least Anglu Xuereb had the sense to perform - nope, Josie Muscat seems to be in love enough with the sound of his own voice to linger on, a bit like a bad smell.
As one of his first public utterances, Muscat congratulated the Irish on scuppering the Lisbon Treaty, a position which I suspect Dr KMB will be taking in a couple of days. What a sad reflection on the AN, that its leader should be so smug about something with which he had absolutely nothing to do.
With something approaching supreme arrogance, he exults that the Irish people have rejected something that the Maltese Parliament had acquiesced to in a mere sitting, with half the members, according to Muscat, not knowing what they were voting about.
Leaving aside the impertinence of his assumption that the Honourable Members are more in the dark about things than your average Paddy-at-large, isn't it ironic that someone who was told in no uncertain terms by the electorate that he and his party are absolute nonentities should set such stock by the electorate? And so on to the other Muscat, the subject of my punning title for this week. It echoes the cat-call that I seem to remember used to be directed at blokes out for a run, generally Brit squaddies, back in the day before jogging became an obsession of the chattering classes. The pun, god-awful as it is, comes from the fact that I actually watched all of Xarabank, though on Sunday morning, having much better things to do with my time on Friday evening than watching Azzopardi fumbling with his papers.
Joseph Muscat came across as a likeable enough bloke, capable of a mild wise-crack and an apposite ad lib, which is a great improvement on his predecessor.
In the PR-stakes, it's not a great feat to be an improvement on Alfred Sant, to be fair. Like most modern politicians, Muscat has embraced the sound bite and the photo-op with gusto to spare. In itself, this is not necessarily a bad thing or a good thing and, given that perception is a good part of the game, he's going to give the Nationalists a good run for their money. He's actually quite slick, though he would be well advised to lose the smirk that tends to creep up on him when he's not watching. He can put on a serious look, too: he did just that when he was told the news about who his two side-kicks were going to be. I'm not saying the smile was wiped off his face, but he did look less ebullient than a couple of seconds previously.
As a smooth operator of the sound-bite mechanism, Muscat has quite a knack at responding to questions by giving the answer he wants to give and never mind the question. Again, this is not a sin of which he is the only one guilty and he's a lot better at it than quite a few, but he has to watch himself, because the playing field is different again from when Tony Blair started this trend.
Nowadays, scurrilous swine like yours truly are lurking in the undergrowth, ready to pounce and poke holes in the image our dearly beloved politicians build for themselves. It was ever thus, of course, but the immediacy of reaction made possible by the 'Net has changed the dynamic substantially, as we saw when the spinners got their spin spun right back at them during the campaign. Muscat has to work on his delivery a tad, though, because you can tell when he's "sound-biting": the words speed up just a little. I suppose it's an improvement on certain other politicians, who you can tell are doing it because their lips move.
Muscat will have to be a bit careful, too, about the way he puts over his personal opinion. It's a refreshing change for a politician actually to have a personal opinion, even if it does get him slightly knotted up as happened when he was responding to the Christian fundamentalist and the Gay Rights fundamentalist who were pressing him on divorce and gay marriage.
Just as an aside, if we're going to start getting all het up about same-sex marriage (as in, having all manner of spasms because most interpretations of the Christian message prohibit it) someone had better amend the law, because from what I'm told, said law doesn't actually lay down that marriage has to be between men and women. As far as I'm concerned, the Church should stay out of this and let the State regulate partnership rights (i.e. marriage and the dissolution thereof) between people who want to regulate them civily, which is more than Muscat said, though I can't blame him for not wanting to risk the wrath of the God Botherers.
So there you have it, Muscat is enjoying a honeymoon and coming over as a bit of fresh air. It won't last, of course, and it will soon be business as usual, with me annoying the little elves. After all, youth and enthusiasm are not proton-shields against the slings and arrows of outrageous columnists for long, and this particular enthusiastic youth has quite a bit going for him in the target area, to say nothing of the fertile ground that surrounds him now that the delegates have lumbered him with the Farrugia/Abela bicycle made for two.
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Comments
Do spare me the embarrassment of twice addressing me by an inexistant academic title. Unless, of course, you want to be ridiculously funny by trying to be sarcastic. Were I to possess a doctorate, I'd certainly not refer to myself by it as is usually the case in the local context. Some graduates even insist to have degrees appearing on time-sheets. On the contrary, most entitled foreigners don't give importance to such frivolities .
I'm well aware that the proposed reception class was not intended to teach writing skills per se. Reference was made to it ironically since it proved to be an electoral bone of contention between the MLP and the PN in the run-up to the last elections. Writing skills in English and Maltese have plummetted to such levels that I' m convinced that adding an extra year in tuition to the primary stage would be beneficial to all students. Considering the extraordinary number of school holidays enjoyed locally, tuition time is at a premium. One solution could be to decrease the number of holidays putting them at par with EU countries or to have the school-leaving age raised to 17.
@ABC
We will; be pleased when you have received it and forwarded it to us
Dr PJ Mifsud,
The reception class 'concept' seeks to adjust the learning-attitude of kids from an informal one to a formal one. The Kindergarten concept instills an informal attitude with the result that kids experience a culture-shock when they embark on the formal learning route. Some kids never actually recover and this explains Malta's poor standing in the EU 'learning' tables.
Reception class does not teach writing skills per se.
Standards in written English have fallen drastically lately. It is inconceivable and impermissible to spell English phonetically, globalisation notwithstanding. The language is not structured to be a phonetic one. What is permissible for smssing does not apply to the written form. Laying the blame on globalisation to cover up one's inherent deficiencies in spelling sounds a well-thought up post errata corrige excuse.
According to my dictionary published in the post-globalisation era, decipher (the ONLY spelling given) means:
1. To convert something coded into intelligible form, to decode.
2. To make out the meaning of something despite its obscurity.
To " decifer grey cells" makes no sense at all ! Unfortunately it is the poor English expressed in some blogs that requires deciphering !
ODE TO AN ELF
'Oh, daddy dear,what is a basket?'
Said a youthful and mischievous elf;
'All baskets, my boy, are children of joy,
In fact you're a basket yourself'
I wrote (yes, will say someone, it's those catholics root of our problem )- meaning that on too many an occasion there have been too many 'someones' showing scorn on catholics for having their opinion on non religious matters based on the teachings of the church.
Ther has been a form of intolerance to what the catholics have to say on the pretext that civil matters are not a religious domain - and project this as the catholic's problem and not theirs.
Should the church stay out? As an institution it has no say in the political process or governance of a state.
But the church is those citizens who follow her teachings, the politician in parliament whom no one should try to discourage anyone because their opinion is based on their belief.
Yes, 'the holier than thou attitude' adopted by a number of non believers, atheists non church goers, is one way of trying to discredit valid contributers to public debates.
I This atmosphere has made it more challenging for citizen believers, including catholics, from giving valid contributions, particularly through the ranks of our political parties.
Sorry, no deal! I have no faith in any doctor who recommends "grey cell replacement" . However, my suggestion for the employment of a facilitator by those incomprehensible contributors who are incapable or too lazy to spell properly still stands even though it would reduce the entertainment value of their contributions.
"Instead of rushing to be buy ineffective "decoders...." I am, now, even more convinced that your grey cells need replacement, not a decoder.
@ all u English-language-for-the very-few contributors - Wake up! In these progressive days of globalisation: 'you' = 'u'; 'your' = 'ur'; 'photo' = 'foto' and 'decipher' = 'decifer', etc!!
Well spotted Christine, it was a deliberate mistake to see if anyone would notice. : ) : ) : )
Instead of rushing to be buy ineffective "decoders" why not make a contribution to provide a proofreader or a facilitator?
On second thoughts, garbled comments are a useful substitute for crosswords and other puzzles and should be retained in their present format.
Can you please expand and explain your problem as supposedly caused by the Catholics?
May I quote Pastor Martin Niemöller 's famous poem:
They came first for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me,
and by that time no one was left to speak up.
Pastor Neimoller died a victim of Nazism, the worst kind of racism the world has ever seen.
I have never found a prolem with Christ's teaching: love thy neighbour as thyself, what I find irritating is the modern pharisee a.k.a. Mr. Knowall, holier-than-though Christian, atheist, blogger, egoist, wanting to force laws down our collective throats without a plebiscite or other form of popular expression.
@ D Attard.
So you would like your ashes to be in the fireplace (not common in Malta) for your wife to blame but maybe she could use your residue in an egg-timer and so at last get some work out of you. Your posting reads as though you had been reading Orwell's 1984.
As far as I am aware, you have no crematorium, but surely that would be the best idea for Malta and the Catholic church has no objection - provided the ashes are buried rather than scattered.
Speaking of the Catholic church, I read John Neville Ebejer with interest and sympathy but felt that he was far too diffuse Dr Francis Saliba was more to the point. and has obviously done his homework. Jim Hamilton should maybe re-read his dictionary -though he amused me which is a relief on this blog.
Methinks our host should consider a new subject for this one is pretty worked out.and the participants ( incuding myself) are meandering like one of Marie Benoit's essays on the doings of the few families who actually run Malta.
Since you've corrected Antoine Vella then I'm sure you won't mind being corrected :)
'Solace' not 'solice'.
Sorry couldn't resist.
@ Jim Hamilton.
You are so right Jim!
If you have a fear then be sure there is a name for it
(yes, will say someone, it's those catholics, again, root of our problem!)
Now then is it their personal beliefs of what is good for our society which should govern their judgement of what should be adopted as law , or the interpretation of the legal system when it comes to individual human right? Must these be conflictual? Is it not the interest of an individual living in a society to have the interest of that society given precedence? or which should prevail? who shall decide what? Majority? Minority? Beliefs? Brussels? Power of argument? Scientific studies? Ethics? Power of Eloquence or media (ex mastery of script or of language) ?
I think our society needs debate which should reflect systems of governance, democracy, rights, society building.
Peter, you are certainly not thick, please take solice in the fact that you are not alone when it comes to understanding what this blog is about,
I, who suffers from Sesquipedalphobia, has had to use the dictionary on a number of occasions, if people would kindly write in plain English it would make for better reading.
@ Antoine Vella, A columbArium is a place where the urns containing the ashes of the dead are kept.
A columbrium is a person from Columbia?? So states my little dictionary. If that is wrong then I will need to buy another dictionary. ha ha. or lol.
@ ABC, Do you still have plenty grist left? I do hope so, as I do enjoy your blog.
Regards
You wrote: "Columbrium is used in a general context representing progressive issues."
Are you sure?? A columbrium is a place where the ashes of dead people are kept.
It is consoling to read that the lesson about the correct equivalent in English to the Maltese word "impekkabbli" has been well learnt.
Now how about trying to decipher the phrase "decifer (sic) his own grey cells".
Rest your mind, you are not thick at all. Just read JGA's latest comment, duplicated within the hour, and take your place in the queue for the recommended "decoder". Even if it does not help me, it may help you.
"Hangovers are not the result of alcoholics" - obviously not, but no one said that, not even you. Perhaps you intended to say that hangovers are not suffered exclusively by alcoholics, but that is not what you are saying.
"Withdrawals are not just the result of just illicit drugs". In the context used by you it could only mean the "cold turkey" distressful symptoms felt by people who have been using habit forming drugs (usually illicitly but not necesarily so) and who try to break the habit or are unable to continue obtaining their supply.
It is such garbled comments that need deciphering.
but cannot comprehend what many contributors are on about.
self-proclaimed elf (as in 'bozza tal-elf'?) … I am an anointed elf (elf as in Garibaldi's 1000 Reds)
Joseph issues means progressive issues
Should ABC end up supporting Joseph’s progressive issues ABC would probably end up being selectively quoted by One TV just as Net does with Mr Spiteri who has put forward a multitude of critisisms towards the ruling party yet is invariably quoted on Net only on issues where his opinion contrasts that of opposition. I find this selective quoting by respective stations as being tragically hilarious.
Columbrium is used in a general context representing progressive issues. I am not aware that anyone on this island of drastic conservatism has brought up the issue of cremation. Perhaps ABC would want to take up this issue if, like me, he dislikes the possibility of being buried alive.
I am pleased that you had no problem with the key issues:
Choice of President should break the old mold
Hubris…surely this is an ingredient to be found in all politicians and beyond
True liberals should give Joseph their support on progressive policies
We live in a conservative climate akin to the Victorian era
I Love You - elfattard
ABC urges us to deal with the points that he raises and so I look at his reference to minority parties that are known in the UK as the Lunatic Fringe.
As I recollect, the Maltese Parliament is arranged similar to the British layout where the Opposition sits opposite the Government and minor parties (if there be any) sit somewhere on the edge of the oppositions if they can find a seat. My memory on this point may be faulty. On the continent I believe that some parliaments sit in a semi-circle that allows a graduation from Right to Left.
There is talk in Malta of building a new parliament (possibly on the site of the old Opera House) and maybe thought could be given to these considerations.
Finally may I ask why some contributors consider it necessary to state their titles or qualifications? Do they think it adds strength to their argument? It is not customary in the UK.
Clever you! Where would your log be without the hilarious comments even though some of them require a decoder?
1. I am not ur mate. God forbid!
2. Hangovers are not the result of alcoholics.
3. Withdrawals are not the result of just illicit drugs.
4. i know ABC and I am sure he is quite capable of looking after his own interests, especially when it comes to legal matters.
5. Stop bieng personal, please. You know what you will receive if you remain behind my back!
I try to resist posting on blogs as it can become seriously addictive but could'nt stop myself from asking you, self-proclaimed elf (as in 'bozza tal-elf'?), to please translate in plain English what you wrote in your latest post.
I was intrigued to learn that there is such a thing as a "Joseph issue" (probably has to do with nappies) but it was something else that made me write.
First there was ". . .do some nit-picking tas-soltu on him. You will even end up on one . ." Do you mean end up on a nit? That's how it sounds but I'm almost sure you meant something else.
Then there is "abc agrees with Joseph on the columbrium option as net does with Lino Spiteri lol". The "lol" suggests it's some kind of joke but what on earth is the "columbrium option"? Has J.Muscat expressed an opinion about cremation? How does Lino Spiteri come into the picture?
Watch it, mate! Suggesting that Dr Andrew Borg Cardona LL.D. is a drug addict or an alcoholic is libellous!
2. Re hubris…surely this is an ingredient to be found in all politicians and beyond
3. Re Joseph, I agree with most of what is said. I feel that true liberals (i.e. you et all) should give him their support in so far as progressive policies are concerned. You may be aware that we live in a conservative climate akin to the Victorian era. Supporting specific Joseph issues would make a sweet change, and it would give you license to do some nit picking tas-soltu on him. You will even end up on one...abc agrees with Joseph on the columbrium option as net does with Lino Spiteri lol. Regards elf attard
You say: I feel that the party has let down its followers by mis-management of the recent election - I agree totally. Mis-management is possibly an understatement. Having said that, powerofincumbency(POI) was indeed another factor. It is therefore good for Anglu Farrugia to pick up a fuss as others brought to light goings on eg tax department etc. There will hopefully be an awareness next time round so that poi does not verge beyond acceptable limits.
Selection of leaders states: labour will be moderate/progressive. TheNP however needs a significant change to outlook towards proper governance as lost votes clearly state. Principal powerbenifactors have shown no sign of easing off and seem bent on maximising the benefit of power irrespective of what the people have said. Labour is saying that it is also prepared to face the eventually that powermongers fail to relent. It is now very much up to the party in Government. small e.g. We can not continue having Messersxyz allocating Government property one minute and going over to successful bidder the next. Drydocks-will we sell a shipyard or real estate? Regards
ABC implores us to get back to the subject of his comments so I take up same-sex marriage. Now I know of two Irish friends Patrick Fitzgerald and Gerald Fitzpatrick but I suppose we must bring in Malta and it is well-known that a few Catholic priests like their vice-versa. The question is when will two of them marry each other as two clergymen of the Anglican church have done recently?
Homosexuality is not unknown in the Catholic church and there is the well-known example of Archbishop Ralph of Tours who installed his lover as Bishop of Orleans and neither Pope Urban II nor his successor Paschal lI blinked an eyelid. That however was back in the eleventh century when they obviously ordered matters differently.
Ivan (THE WORM) Attard - please don't infest this blog if possible, I'm picky about the company I keep.
I have been re-reading our correspondence on this thread of the blog and am embarrassed by some of my comments. By way of apology I must say that I am on medication with odd side-effects.
However, I remain of the opinion that MLP faces a bleak future and has not been over-wise in its selection of leaders-both head honcho and sub-cheeses. I feel too that the party has rather let down its followers by mis-management of the recent election - for the swing of the political pendulum was moving left .
It wasn’t quite snatching defeat from the jaws of victory but the recollection of the rougher times of MLP administrations
will take a long time to fade as will its unspoken acceptance of the hunters.
If MaltaStar comes back on line I trust it will omit the salacious
tit-bits
My childhood in Malta was in Cottonera and when we moved there in 1934 from the hungry years of the Great Depression in the UK I saw such poverty as I could not imagine and I suppose that was contributory to my life-long socialism.
This line is just to make 199 words
Regards
Elf Peter
Yes true, but it seriously depends on the colour of that politician doesn't it?! I think I agree with this person's point of view more.
http://il-manocca.blogspot.com/2008/06/broken-english-and-broken-logic.html
Dear fellow elves Attard and Grech-Attard.
I thank you for the communications but would have to be excused
from enlarging because of medication that has peculiar side-effects.
I will be back.
Elf Peter
You wrote:'I am afraid that MLP, as presently constituted, would not win next time and is probably doomed to be always a bridesmaid...on which I would like to enlarge-but 200 words!'
I thought: hey that is an interesting statement that contrasts so sharply with my views. Would love to understand reasoning.
So I write that hey that is interesting, do not let 200 word limit stop you from putting forward your theories. Find a blog somewhere and let your theories flow.
You wrote back: 'My views are expressed and it’s for you to understand them...(re blogs you ask) Are you just dropping a hint? Spit it out man!
I thought - I must have hit a wrong button somewhere so I made a poor attempt to explain my reasoning.
Wish you well.
Elf Attard
MLP has a majority in Malta i.e., as u said, a bride, but still a non-consummated marriage; but not in Gozo (few votes less) and, therefore, more a Matron of Honour than a simple bridesmaid onlooker (of which usually there are more e.g AN, AD, Etc)
Dr. Elf Grech-Attard
Dear D. Attard,
My short term memory is poor but looking back to when I wrote the words to which you refer I would suppose that -Yes I would have liked to have written more but was constrained by the 200 word limit.
The limit is imposed to prevent loquacious people like myself carrying on at inordinate length and I obey the restriction.
Why are you so concerned about this?
Concerning your reply to my comment about hints, you were disingenuous in your original observation and remain so.
Regards
@ Joseph Grech-Attard
If you re-read my contribution, you will see that I postulate MLP
as a metaphorical bridesmaid in any future weddings (elections)
in that she will attend the ceremonies but not be married (elected).
If MLP is presently a bride in Malta then the wedding has not been
consummated. The Maid of Honour bit about Gozo is beyond
my knowledge (for I do not have the insight into Maltese current
affairs that you enjoy). Remember that I am a non-Maltese old geezer two thousand
miles away from beloved Malta and, I suspect, experiencing the onset
of senile dementia.
I reiterate that I would wish to see a Socialist government in Malta
but do not see much chance of it coming about. I rejoice that
half the population of the islands share my view but it is down to MLP
to bring it into being and quite frankly it is just not up to it.
Peter (another elf)
I can not reconcile your comments with your earlier comment : 'I would like to enlarge-but 200 words!' (exclamation mark and all).
Are you, or are you not limited by the two-hundred word quota?
Re: dropping a hint re: other blogs, I believe that choice of blogs is something personal that fits one's taste. I am not dropping any hint.
Regards
D.Attard writes:
“Since I do not share your views, I would love to understand your own views“.
PP My views are expressed and it’s for you to understand them.
DA.” Please let me know if you decide to share your views on this most absorbing of topics“.
PPI have on this blog.
DA There are a number of blogs where you can expand to your heart's content.
PP Are you just dropping a hint? Spit it out man!
Still ..nothing wrong with hoping .. right?
you write:
'I am afraid that MLP, as presently constituted, would not win next time and is probably doomed to be always a bridesmaid in my lifetime-even if it drags in the lunatic fringe on which I would like to enlarge-but 200 words!'
Since I do not share your views, I would love to understand your own views. There are a number of blogs where you can expand to your heart's content. Please let me know if you decide to share your views on this most absorbing of topics.
Regards
As pinpointed in earlier posts, the fact that the Greens are yet to be represented in the local parliament, is more due to the undemocratic national threshold of 16.1% (well over 40,000 votes) that the MLPN have conveniently concocted.
Having GonziPN compiling the ‘environment section’ of the electoral manifesto, from proposals made by the Green Party (alas if only GonziPN would stick to it), should give some credibility to the Green Party and the dedicated persons involved in it.
My understanding of Arnold Cassola’s message was that, within a bipolorised scenario and nauseating unconstructive debates, having an objective opinion and frank input, would prove useful to arrive at logical and timely decisions, for the benefit of all and sundry.
AD and its leaders seemed credible enough during the EU referendum…but possibly the Green Party’s call for transparent party financing, democratic representation and effective adherence to EU regulations – especially those dealing with the environment – constitute a pain in some pompous quarters!
Bocca’s penultimate paragraph on the Church being involved in domestic partnerships set me thinking about the separation of Church and state for I consider that the Church of England should be disestablished as was the Church of Ireland and a similar move be made in Malta concerning the Church of Rome.
Now do not misunderstand me. Gentle Readers, for I am a God Bothering loyal Son of the Vatican but it is not the business of the Church to be involved in civil matters-though of course it should be interested.
Malta is out of step with the EU (Including Catholic Ireland) on the matter of civil divorce and Joseph Muscat might be braver than his separated predecessor if he was really determined to make his mark and drag Malta screaming into the 21st Century.
That is of course assuming that Muscat makes it to Castille and though I am a Socialist (How you have to spell these things out) I am afraid that MLP, as presently constituted, would not win next time and is probably doomed to be always a bridesmaid in my lifetime-even if it drags in the lunatic fringe on which I would like to enlarge-but 200 words!