Friday, 28th November 2008 - 22:06CET
Labour is now Partit Laburista
Labour Party’s delegates this evening unanimously approved the re-naming of their party. It will now be known as “Partit Laburista”, abbreviated to PL.
The delegates also approved a change to the party’s emblem but retained the torch that was seen by Paul Boffa, the first Labour Prime Minister, as representing progress and a guiding light.
The decisions were taken at a party extraordinary general conference which started to meet on Monday under the title Progressivi. The three-day conference will end on Sunday.
Deputy leader for parliamentary affairs Anġlu Farrugia said the progressive element meant that the party had to renew itself. The Nationalist government, he said, was seen more like a “rightist regime”.
Labour’s parliamentary group was compact and confident that with Joseph Muscat at the helm the party would achieve its goals.
He repeated his claims that votes were bought by the PN to win the election saying he had documentation, which the party was ready to publish, to prove that the PN stole the election.
Dr Farrugia said Malta still had no Data Protection Commissioner, three months after the last person to occupy the post passed away.
On injustices, Dr Farrugia said people who won cases against the government were owed their remedy and until then the government could not expect favours from the Labour Party in opposition, not even pairing.
Toni Abela, the party’s deputy leader for party affairs, compared the Labour Party to a ship that entered the Drydocks for renovation and was ready to begin its voyage - with its final destination being Castille.
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Comments
You are right. Labour is BACK big time. Infact it is really going backwards at full trottle.
Certain comments by Angelo Micallef and Bill Millam are unbelievable, they remind me of Paul Borg Olivier tactics!
LABOUR IS BACK BIG TIME !!
Joseph we are ALL behind you!!
.... and 20 years ago (1988) compare the lifestyle from 20 years before cioe from 1968. Thank God our country started making progress from 1971 onwards and that thanks to both parties MLP (or LP) and PN. Hopefully we'll make the same reasoning in 2028.
I do criticise PN where and when necessary... and the party does listen!
The difference between PN and MLP, excuse me PL... is that whilst one party needs to shake the soil its built on to simply make a change in its name, and then still stands on the same unstable foundations; the PN continuously strengthens its structure, renews its administration, and keeps close to the people.
Moreover, the PN does not need to lose an election to do this!!
You know what happens to people who take everything forgranted? Jigrilhom bhal ma gralu l-fenek fil-hrafa tal-fenek u l-fekruna!
Keep up the good work Joseph.
PS The LP is becoming a bigger party day after day. I hope his answer will be in the affermative.
Why didn't you laugh when PN turned suddenly to GonziPN so as to hide his 2 handbags together with their incompetency wonders?
This country is filled with flaming hypocrites.
totally agree with you
Another cosmetic change!!! Now whats next in the MLP's.... oops sory ...PL's business plan?...... "PL Cosmetics"??
And what about the "earthquake of change"!!! hahahahahahahaha, looks like we've kept our tradition of literally copying successful slogans from abroad! But nothing can hide the fact that Joseph Muscat is a poor man's Barack Obama. A beggar's Barack Obama rather.
So you prefer to live under the shadow of Big Brother Paul Borg Olivier , PN Secretary General !
You must be in favour of having your personal details passed on to the pn general secretary after you happen to seek and have an appointmentat any of the ministeries. That a good, wise girl !
You should start looking no further than your party and put your house in order. The way you criticise Labour while not criticising pn`s long list of shortcomings is giving the fact away that you are a bunch of masochists. who are ready to suffer anthing as long it comes from their own part quarters. And ther`s more to comeyour way , including forking out money to pay for you sewage and daily domestic waste. But fools are chirping happily on the blog ang looking elsewhere not much further than their nose.
a) Ditch socialism...it has failed. Embrace social liberalism. Its what the new left in Europe is all about
b) Change the name from Partit Laburista to Partit Liberali.
c) Take clear political stances and stand up to what the party believes. Clearly in favour of social rights such as divorce and gay rights and stop hiding behind the excuse of the need to debate these issues nationally.
e) Embrace once and for all free market economics. no to subsidies and no to big brother economic policies.
this is the earthquake that true progressives desire
The list of MEP candidates is really worrying all PN supporters! We are also losing sleep at night.
However may I remind you that elections are not won by attractive names on a list but by vision and foresight. Something the PL those not have on the list and still needs to add or else in five years time it will be back choosing a leader more democratically than the PN.
I couldn't agree more!! Unless the now PL completely remove all their unwanted delegates, 'klikki' and their very useless administration, JASON INCLUDED... there will be no actual "terrimot".
Changing the party name and emblem will not change their track record of rubbishing Malta, embarrasing us internationally, but more importantly having their priorities turned upside down!!!
It's a pity these people simply don't learn from their mistakes... or at least try to be followers... The PN renewed itself without any earthquakes, but the PL has to act out a supposed terrimot, and stupidly still leave all the rotten roots cemented into their Centru Nazzjonali Laburista!
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Considering that after a few months after being elected , the new NP secretary Pawlu Borg Olivier already committed his first colossal gaffe embarassing the party, it will be interesting to see who will perform best from the 2 secretaries of both parties . Jason with all his good and bad has already four years experience in the post while the new " PRODIGY" is still green and he`s showing it !!!!
So Mr Degiorgio I invite you not to count your chickens.........!!!
The PL according to you is much more democratic than the current party in goverment. I think you should turn a couplr of pages in the history books, perhaps chapter 1976 - 1987. I think you will find a good few examples of not to do to insult democracy and its practice.
The number of voters choosing the leader has nothing to do with democracy or its practice. The PL delegates choose the current general secretary. The chocie may be called democratic but was it the wise to re-choose Jason Micallef ?
That is why the PN restrict the gruop to 50. Not because they are not democratic but because they need to make a good decision based on the opinion of informed people who have a good foresight and know what is best for the Party. The election carried out by the 900 delegates produced a couple of surprises that show that certain delegates slightly think before they throw the ballot paper. The proof of this is the past twenty years PL has spent in opposition.
"At least PN's 50 delegates or so choose competent people"
By any chance are you referring to the appointment of Paul Borg Olivier and his performance in his first few weeks? Did you hear of the (in)famous spying scandal? If there is any personification of incompetence this is surely it.
Regarding life style compare your lifestyle with that of 20 years ago. Kif nghidu bil Malti HEMM BAHAR JAQSAM.
All those who want to know what sourgrapes are should read many of the comments here.
steps taken by PL surely one can compliement them and see the desire to come foward as a challange within our politcal arena , but the real change has to be from the inside ( stringi stringi alla fine dov'e la sostanza reale?? )
the islands need a real new political school of thaught far from what we are living - can we grow up also politically please ? let us not look at faces but issues and sustenance. indeed together we can :-)
Toni Abela's appointment as deputy leader shows how much PL has changed. Don't you remember that back in 1989 he was the only one in the MLP to criticise corruption and violent elements in the party. For this he was expelled!!
Now, almost 20 years later he is back in a very important post. OK, maybe he is a a bit emotional in his speeches, but nobody can accuse him of any wrong doings.
Well done Joseph and all the PL delegates. Keep the change coming.
You waited so many years for the completion of a "state of the art" (sic) hospital which cost DOUBLE the money taken from YOUR taxes. Can't you wait a little longer for all the promised changes to be acted upon? Bil-Malti : "Kemm intom mghagglin fejn tridu!"
As regards "Some things never change...." Someone should really look in the mirror before criticize on the "never-changing" attitude of a party.
LOL!!!!!! Some people never change....
As for Dr.Farrugia, it is better not to comment anything about his speech. I would be doing myself and all the readers a favour, because it is really not worth the toughts.
The Labour Party has been busy trying to make a new package for an old product that is far beyond its expiry date. The people at the helm of the party are all coming from a past that its only trade mark was lack of foresight and vision. The deputy leaders are also hindered by there extremist talk that reminds us of the MLP of the 1980's. Old expired wine in new bottles will not be bought on the retailers shop. The only chance of selling it is if the other wine is sold out and by default the customer will have to buy what is left on the shelf. Hence the future of the PL is in the hands of the PN
basta li progressivi !!!
Although to be fair with them, the report just highlights the cosmetic changes that have been approved. It seems that the article only wanted to highlight the emblem and the party's name. I'm not into politics myself and I don't know what were the exact changes but this is what such articles should do. Can we please be informed of what the REAL changes are before we can judge.
mela ahnamhux dejjem lejburisti kunna????
mhux dejjem partit lejburista???
gennintui. ma nufx!!
Anything was better than the MLP
Now.......
Anything is better than the PN!
lol
Viva l-Partit Glojuz Nazzjonalista!
Bill Millam
Los Angeles
Some things never change and Labour Party is one of them
It is strange that timesofmalta.com chose to put an emphasis on the change in name and emblem, overshadowing all the other proposals listed in the document being tabled for approval.
"... He repeated his claims that votes were bought by the PN to win the election saying he had documentation, which the party was ready to publish, to prove that the PN stole the election."
Oh, the irony of it all...
Every day I meet dozens of Labourites OUT HERE who are perplexed about the new leadership, myself included and for me to have made the decision not to vote next time "ci vuole".
Dr.Farrugia same old story ..... of votes bought by the PN..... Dear deputy leader of opposition accept the reality that your party lost the last election, and and do not continue to bombard us with the same pathetic story for the the next 4 and a half years ......
Apart, were is this rightist regime ....... The PN a rightist party???? Does Dr.Farrugia know anything about politics??????
I reckon no. If he knew, he wouldn't have referred to the PN as a rightist party. How can his party come back into power, if his deputy doesn't have a basic clue of what politics is????