Salvu Felice Pace
Questions Labour must answer
The stall set out by the Labour Party leader for his Movement of Progressives and Moderates at the end of the general conference demands a proper scrutiny. Joseph Muscat must be prepared to answer questions that are worrying many citizens. So far, he has done what his predecessor, Alfred Sant, did regarding the Partnership proposal. No details were even given as to how that proposal was going to work out in practice.
Dr Muscat's stall includes some moral issues. On abortion he was categorical enough. He had to be, considering that one of his deputies had made a pig's ear of the whole issue only a few days previously. Even so, Toni Abela's inconsistencies have not vanished because Dr Muscat has spoken from on high.
The stance about the introduction of divorce raises a lot of questions. Dr Muscat keeps repeating that, once elected, he will personally present a Bill in Parliament proposing divorce.
One is left wondering whether this is a personal crusade or a policy to be adopted by this nebulous movement that is supposed to be growing.
If Dr Muscat is so keen on having divorce as a civil right, there's nothing to stop him from presenting a private member's Bill now. Why not? Are his calculations predicting that the proposal would be a vote catcher? If so, then why not include it in the manifesto?
Dr Muscat spoke about giving people a second chance. Is he in favour only of restricting divorce as a one-time concession? We need to know. Previous experiences have shown that once the gene gets out of the bottle, no one can predict what happens. When abortion was introduced in the UK there were many caveats. Today there's abortion on demand.
Dr Muscat was clear enough in telling anyone who may be prejudiced against gays that there's no room for him in his new movement. But he wasn't so clear as to where his policy on gays' rights will take the country. Is he suggesting that gays will be given the right to marry and to adopt children by a future Labour government? There are people in the Labour Party and in the country who are not too keen to contemplate such developments. Civil partnerships are one thing, same sex marriages are another. Dr Muscat must spell it out.
For many citizens the whole business of having a movement within a political party or vice versa is becoming rather confusing. Dr Muscat spoke about the Movement of Progressives and Moderates' firm belief in a sustainable policy of cuts in taxation. And, yet, the Labour Party, even under Dr Muscat's leadership, has been crying buckets every time subsidies are removed and the price of whatever is passed on to the user. As a government they would have carried on subsidising every lame duck outfit.
These inconsistencies must be explained by Dr Muscat. One can't have it both ways. You subsidise and you create inefficiencies and you have less leverage for cutting taxation.
Health was also an issue tackled by Dr Muscat. He was quoted as having said that "like the British Labour government has done, we will make our service one of the best in the world".
First of all, the myth of a national health service in the UK is just that. There has been, for a long time, a postcode lottery. The service you get depends on where you live. This is a point made in the EU 2007 report about health services in the UK.
The same report also mentioned that, in the UK, there is the highest mortality rate of cardiac and cancer patients, the incidences of asthma are also the highest and MRSA infections in hospitals are also sky high. Why is Dr Muscat aiming so low for our health service?
Yes, the UK has the best patient's charters but what use are they in practice?
Of great interest was Dr Muscat's clarification that anyone joining this movement will not be joining the party but will joining an idea.
Meaningless words. Do I take it that when Labour Party members are knocking at doors to get us subscribed we are now being given a choice? The truth is that all this talk about a movement is nothing but a ploy to provide a veneer to hide the stark reality of what the Labour Party is in practice.
So if you are thinking of joining the Movement of Progressives and Moderates make a reality check. Demand clear-cut answers from Dr Muscat about these issues. And beware that this movement is being used by Dr Muscat to fulfil his ambition to become Prime Minister of Malta at 39 years of age and president of the EU for six months in 2017.
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Ronald Zammit
Feb 22nd 2010, 22:10
@ Salvu Felice Pace, James Grima u la bella kumpanijja : Ara vera taraw sa xiber imnehirkom biss. Jiena ma najdx li taht il Labour kollox kien perfett pero lanqas kien id-dizastru li dejjem tipruvaw tpinguh. Possibli li ghalikom specialment ghal James Grima, il PL qatt ma ghamel xejn tajjeb ? u li il PN kien biss il Partit li Qatt ma ghamel xejn hazin ? Jiena najd li iz-zewg partiti ghandhom it-tajjeb u il hazin pero sincirament nemmen il il PL jaddi bil bosta lil PN fejn jidhol it-tajjeb. Meta f'il 1971 tela il labour kenna pajjiz mitluq, fallut u kwazi bla ebda servizzi sociali. Kella tkun il Libia ta Gaddafi li tghawna il flus biex inhallsu il pagi tal haddiema tal Gvern. Daqstant kienet imwera is-sitwazzjoni tal pajjiz !! Kellu jkun il PL taht Mintoff li gab lil Malta fuq saqaja u refa lil haddiem mil qih u elimina il faqar mil pajjiz. u imbat ghamel dawk l'affarijiet kollha tajjbin li semma C. CAMILLERI fil kumment tieghu. Altru li Il PL qatt ma ghamel xejn tajjeb sur James Grima!!! u l-istorja qed tirrepeti ruha taht GonziPN. u il pajjiz rega sejjer lura bhal granc !
P. Schembri
Feb 22nd 2010, 21:14
@James Grima. You mention computers. You're wrong there. I had my first computer in 1982. A ZX Spectrum. Of course you can't compare it with today's computers. You know why? Because today's computers are a recent development in IT. Even the Internet! So stop propagating the lie that under Labour government there were no computers! And you know what? The PN was already using it to build its database on the Maltese voter1
Mark Borg
Feb 22nd 2010, 20:56
James Grima thank god you are on your own and Pn will be removed from its dictatorial theocracy. 35,000 more votes...ejja 1 , 2 , 3.... illejla qabel torqod oqod ghoddom imbaghad xhin tlesti ghidilna tibzax tahseb li se jirbah Pn. Ha ha keep on dreaming and rambling. We're enjoying it.
C.camilleri
Feb 22nd 2010, 20:46
@ James Grima under labour administration. Vote for women Vote for 18 year olds skola obligatorja sa 16 equal pay for equal work bonus maternity leave marriage leave children allowance housing estates pensions for all home ownership minimum wage leave sick leave saturday offs public holidays air malta sea malta mid-med bank BOV enemalta telemalta university accesibli ghat tfal tal-haddiema FREE health care centri tas-sahha Zoni industrijali mimlijin fabbriki germanizi Beda relazzjoni kummercjali mac-Cina li issa tant qed tiftahru biha and the list goes on dawn li semmejt hawn fuq KOLLA saru mil PL u l-PN dejjem ivvota KONTRA . Dawn fatti. Meta tikkonvincini li dan li ktibt mhux minnu nerga inwiegbek.
James Grima
Feb 22nd 2010, 20:15
C camilleri Il PL huwa il partit tal misthija: 1 Ghal vjolenza, 2 Ghad dittatura komunista tas 70s, u 80s, u bejn 1996-1998, 3 Farrku l edukazzjoni, u l universita, 4 Guh, 5 Faqar, 6 Ekonomija falluta, 7 No commodities, 8 Abbuzi ta poter, 9 Gwerra kontra il Knisja Kattolika fis 60s, u fit 80s, 10 Abbuzi bis servizzi socjali, ghax saru b xejn, u minnajr kontrolli, 11 Rizultat kontroversjali fil 1981, 12 Taxxi, 13 No computers, 14 Tonn taz zejt imrahhas, Inkompli my friend? Ghalhekk il PL qatt qatt u qatt mhu ser jigi elett fil gvern. Thanks God :)
S. Felice Pace
Feb 22nd 2010, 20:14
Re Charles Buttigieg No I don't know the answers to the questions in my article. l.Why doesn't Joseph Muscat put his money where his mouth is and present a divorce bill now or promise to include it in the manifesto? 2. What type of divorce legislation does he intend to suggest? 3. Is he prepared to all gays to marry or adopt children? 4. How does he reconcile tax reductions and subsidies at the same time? 5. Where did he get the idea that the British NHS is something to emulate? 6. How is it that all of sudden 2017 has become important when he never ever uttered a word about vision 2015? The two cannot be separated.
C.camilleri
Feb 22nd 2010, 20:03
@ salvu felice pace All your questions will be answered come next election. @ Martinelli U, min jivvota PN ikun qed jixtri hut jinten. Staqsi lil kaccaturi, sajjieda, tat-tarzna , u lil kull min ircieva xi ittra iffirmata minn GonziPN u tmejlu bih wahda nobis @ James Grima Ghaliex ghandna nisthu ahna tal-labour? Ghax ghamilna is-servizzi socjali kollha? Jisthi minn dejjem ivvota kontra.
James Grima
Feb 22nd 2010, 19:59
Sure. A protest vote. Bhal ma kien hemm wiehed jghid: Il PL jirbhu xi friendly, u il PN jirbhu ic Champions League.
Charles J. Buttigieg
Feb 22nd 2010, 19:50
@ James Grima At the last count 60% of the electorate proved you wrong. The question now is how will the 40% split up. Maybe 20% PN 20% Gonzipn? Dream ?Time will tell.
E.Muscat
Feb 22nd 2010, 19:39
@Charles J.Buttigieg:Kieku tuza l-internet ma jkollokx ghal fejn tmur sqallija ghax jiguk straight id-dar u orhos sew minn Malta: dak li tghallmek lis-skola, tkun independenti veru u tixtri minn fejn jaqbillek u mhux tistenna li il-bajtra taqa f'halqek!
James Grima
Feb 22nd 2010, 19:33
@Charles Buttigieg Dream on. Bhal ma jghidu fejn hemm it tama, hemm ftit ottimizmu, izda nirringrazjaw lil Alla, il Maltin ghandom mohh, u mhux ser jafdaw lil pajjizom, lil min lanqas partit politiku sura ma ghandhom.
Mark Borg
Feb 22nd 2010, 19:30
James Grima the only party which is phantom right now is the 'Nationalist turned pro immigrant Socialist conservative catholic theocratic Pn' my friend.
Charles J. Buttigieg
Feb 22nd 2010, 19:21
@ James Grima Come next general elections we will have three major parties competing, the PL,Gonzipn and the old PN. And the PL will have a field day.
James Grima
Feb 22nd 2010, 19:05
@Mark Borg Speak to yourself and to your fantom "party".
Charles J. Buttigieg
Feb 22nd 2010, 19:01
@ E.Muscat Fi zmien il-Labour konna mmorru Sqallija ghac-cikkulata u jghidu li konna nhallsu LM 50 biex nakwistaw TV tal kulur. Il-L-lum immorru Sqallija biex nixtru l-medicini.
Muscat. Pat
Feb 22nd 2010, 18:54
@Felice Pace I remember the Golden days of the 60's when the wages ( there were no minimum wages) were 3 and half liri; Labour introduced the first minimum wage, free health for all, free university for all, two thirds pension for all,bonus and children allowence for all, in what the sociologist-mhux tas-sitt habbiet- call the real movers in wealth distribution. I remember the village, where I come from, where PN activists and junta activists where the same people; the time when freedom of expression-even to read the Helsien, resulted in my uncle, a clerk at the St Lukes hospital to be transferred to Gozo! I remember privates being organised by families to say good bye to 50.000 people that had to emigrate to Australia, Britain, Canada and the USA. I remember the holier than thou brigade attacking MLP meetings in Gozo Workers had no homes and the few that existed had no bathrooms and the toilets were in the back yard; the lucky ones. I remember three babies funerals a week in my village, and a tap for water in every "acquata". I remember no ladders for social mobility; these were built by PL in the 70's!
Mark Borg
Feb 22nd 2010, 18:51
James Grima you and Martinelli are on your own! You point your fingers all around but the castle has crumbled and you're left with just a name.
Charles J. Buttigieg
Feb 22nd 2010, 18:50
@ Salvu Felice Pace Why do you keep asking questions for which you already have all the answers?
James Grima
Feb 22nd 2010, 18:15
Well said Salv. @Pat Muscat: Il verita twegga hux? Ghalhekk il labour qatt mhu ser jerga jihdu il gvern thanks God :D
E.Muscat
Feb 22nd 2010, 17:48
@Muscat Pat:dawk il-400 Million minfejn ivvintajthom?Minn parlaimentary debates wara il-1987 gie ippruvat li kien hemm 87.5 million dejn u 96 million flus available meta nizel l-MLP .Tghidli li dan tajjeb ghax konna 8.5 miljuni minn fuq :iva u konna ilna niexu ta' bejjem ghal 16 il-sena minghajr l-ebda futur bi ftit pampaluni ippappuha u ibieghlna it-televisions tal-kulur xi 300 lira wara li tati li xi hadd 50 lira! vide:http://www.google.com.mt/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=13&ved=0CAgQFjACOAo&url=http%3A%2F%2Fparliament.gov.mt%2Ffile.aspx%3Ff%3D6016&rct=j&q=dejn+nazzjonali+1987&ei=hq-CS-W_CIej_Abkx-jiBg&usg=AFQjCNFdlHozwd_iRvE7v9FEl7HqHQb9pA
A. Zahra
Feb 22nd 2010, 17:37
@ Dominic Fenech Labour has a lot to answer for, more so for the years when your namesake was Secretary General
Salvu Felice Pace
Feb 22nd 2010, 17:27
Pat, you were either born yesterday or you hardly notice what has gone on since 1987. You remember the cow-shed we had as an airport, the bowsers going round night and day, the electricity off more than on, a telephone system that connected you with three people at the same time, a Univ. for those only who got a sponsorship, no MCAST, hardly any sixth forms to speak of, labour corps under military discipline. Do I have to go on? But then of course there was the dockyards, that PL playground that denied overtime to non Labourites and swallowed up most of our well earned money, and the Mid-Med Bank which provided soft loans for for the Labour Party. But none of this bring us anywhere near to my questions in the article being answered. Joseph Muscat is good on talking the talk but bad on walking the walk. Unless its a protest organised by the privileged GWU. Then he'll walk barefoot. As for whoever mentioned enemalta - how many workers there are still remnants of those employed by KMB before 1987? How many of them are politically motivated in whatever they do. Remember the Lorry Sant and the dockyards?
Dominic Fenech
Feb 22nd 2010, 17:21
Labour must answer nothing.
E.Muscat
Feb 22nd 2010, 17:15
@Muscat Pat:marru biex ihallsu id-djun tax-shipbuilding u t-tarzna jekk kien hemm daqsekk? Hadt ghadu ma ipprova din il-figura!
Muscat. Pat
Feb 22nd 2010, 16:34
" @Felice Pace.
The question is where have all our savings gone? There were 400 million lira in the piggy-bank in 1987, and now we have 6 billion Euro of bad debt.
The Maltese are experiencing a heavy empty feeling in their stomach. Indeed the taxpayers who have dilegently put money aside, are feeling and watching with horror, Gonzi's government eating away all the monies in the public purse. In other words, whilst before the Maltese were able to save the cake and eat it, now they are feeling that all their life's savings are going into a pit; into an empty hole.
Its no wonder that Malta has become the country with a ~"tejatru bla saqaf, and a kaxxa (ta Malta) bla qiegh!" These are the questions GonziPN must answer!
Mark Borg
Feb 22nd 2010, 15:00
Salvu Felice Pace
Mater Dei? Pn and Net news didn;t even mention the national crisis. Not 1 word.
Democracy - More like theocracy.
Education - Preservatives Machines.
yes I do have answers for you.
Divorce - it's still a taboo it seems becuase the conservatives Pn and Archbishop Gonzi who happens to be the Pm's uncle will not allow it.
You accuse Muscat of trying to please everyone and in return I accuse Gonzi of pleasing no-one.
Thanks. And you did not answer my question. Where did all the money go. Is there any online report where I can check where every single cent went?
J.Borg
Feb 22nd 2010, 14:52
What all this hurry in wanting the PL to put forward it's proposals/////////
Can't you wait till the next election.........as i know the election is still 3 years away.......or is there a chance the government will go for an early election because of the unrest in it's backbench?
As i know it's the governemnts responsability to solve the countrie's problems and not the opposition!
Or you have truly lost faith in the government that you are eagerly waiting on the PL to salvage our country!
J Martinelli
Feb 22nd 2010, 14:38
Min jivvota Labour ikun qed jixtri l-hut fil-bahar!
laurence schembri
Feb 22nd 2010, 14:05
..."As a government they would have carried on subsidising every lame duck outfit"...you said it Salv, not me.
And what do you think we are doing now? Who is to pay for the neglect and incompetence of Enemalta, you and I, and all other citizens.
And why? Because this incompetent government left nothing in the kitty.
Salv, your vote will count for a better tomorrow.
Salvu Felice Pace
Feb 22nd 2010, 14:05
Re Mark Borg
Which means that you have no idea how to answer the questions in my article. Apart from saved jobs, attracting new ones, there's the increase in stipends as the number of students explodes, the increased operations at Mater Dei, new schools, the increased money that is being given to Local Councils, strenghteneing local democracy, yes the money given out for redundancies in order to make a fresh start in the drydocks.... shall I go on? I dare you to answer clearly any one of my questions. The same questions people both in the Labour Party and elsewhere are asking.
James Grima
Feb 22nd 2010, 11:50
Vote for PL and you will get all this. Ma jafux jisthu dawn in nies? No new ideas, and preaching divorce, in a country where the family must be strengthened not weakened. What a horrible thing!!! Possibli dawn in nies ghadhom ma nbiddlu xejn, u ma tghallmux mill esperjenza li kellom fis 60s? Possibli? Well done Salvu.
Mark borg
Feb 22nd 2010, 10:46
Questions PN must answer...where did all the money go.