Berta Sullivan
Labour's deafening discord
The Labour Party has suggested that the government take imports under its wing. If Labour has its way we will be regressing to a bulk-buying system we already bitterly experienced under old Labour. Now, this newest Labour has come out with its second wish: divorce. I will not delve into the merits and demerits of the issue per se but I will say that I am very confused by Labour's ambiguous and conflicting statements on the subject.
Last December, the president of the Labour Youth Forum said: "As a progressive party, one of the crucial issues for us is civil rights. In a country that has been part of the EU for five years, we can no longer have a situation where, when discussion arises on certain rights, such issues are sidelined, swept under the carpet or gagged by the conservative authorities". The Labour leader immediately committed himself to table a divorce Bill if elected to govern, adding he would allow his MPs a free vote. Last month, addressing Labour's annual general conference, and last Wednesday on national television during the programme Dissett, he repeated the same pledge with the same condition.
This contrasts substantially with declarations made by Labour MP Evarist Bartolo, a Labour shadow minister, when, during the television discussion programme Bondiplus, he said he expected the PL to go to the polls with a clear proposal to introduce divorce when in government" (timesofmalta.com, February 3).
Mr Bartolo warned that if Labour candidates did not agree with divorce then they should not contest the next general election on Labour's ticket. To be quite honest, Mr Bartolo has a point. Candidates contesting under any political party's umbrella should toe the party line and subscribe to their party's electoral manifesto and policies laid out therein.
So this hot potato will not only be a burning question in the country, it is also a sizzling issue within Labour's rank and file.
To conclude the 10-day PL conference, Joseph Muscat said that although Labour will remain close to the Church it will not be part of it. He also declared that under a Labour government the state will not interfere with the individual's choices (February 7). What he meant exactly is anybody's guess. All I can say is that vague statements uttered by leaders of a country could throw the doors wide open to a free for all!
Mind-boggling sweeping statements are highly condemnable as they inevitably lead to unnecessary speculation. For example: Labour has often reiterated, rightly so, that it is against abortion and probably against euthanasia too. But, and here lies another crux of the matter, is Labour against abortion without any reservations? During the television programme Dissett, we heard one of Labour's deputy leaders, Toni Abela's take on the subject.
He said that abortion is bad but, and here's the catch, abortion in his book should be tolerated under "special" circumstances. In fact, way back in 2003, he had written: "I agree with abortion if the life of the mother is in danger, in the case of rape and if it is certain that the unborn foetus will be a severely handicapped child." Since appearing on Dissett, Dr Abela has performed a 360 degree change of heart. He has now retracted his 2003 writings and his verbal pro-abortion stance. But, I ask, where lies the honest truth?
Not so long ago I mentioned the tragic "disposal" of female babies in China. Well, now I needn't go that far away: discrimination between healthy babies, the not-so-healthy ones, normal pregnancies and forced ones, has been openly considered in Malta. Just to play devil's advocate where was Dr Abela going to draw the line when abortion is justified? After all, many a wife could probably claim being violently raped by their own "drunken" husbands, ergo, by his reasoning they could abort too, right? We are treading on very shaky ground indeed here.
It is to be noted that, throughout this controversy, Dr Muscat, the leader of the Labour Party, said, brace yourselves... that he was unaware of what his deputy leader had said, maintaining that Dr Abela was always against abortion!
They say that ignorance is bliss. Perhaps Dr Muscat was also ignorant of the fact that a group of Labour fanatics had created a site, We Hate Lawrence Gonzi And The PN, on facebook.com. Perhaps he was oblivious to the fact that a Labour candidate spewed heresy, blasphemy and hatred towards the PN in the GWU daily (January 15) alleging that God must be Nationalist and much, much worse.
We simply cannot have an aspiring Prime Minister taking one stance on mega-controversial issues and his aspiring ministers and diehard minions taking a different one. We cannot have the leader of a "progressive" movement turning a Nelson's eye on unacceptable extremes of political rivalry. Perhaps during his sermon on Sunday, the Labour leader will take five minutes to explain why he is turning a deaf ear to the cacophony resounding from the Labour camp.
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lgalea
Feb 27th 2010, 09:28
J Martinelli Perhaps you should start the process yourself Martinelli. You didn't deny any of my posting because you cannot Martinelli. Have a good look at http://www.maltapolitics.com/ and see the various links including http://www.maltapolitics.com/vjolenzanazzjonalista.htm on PN and State-sponsored violence during PN Governments Martinelli. LIsten to what the EFA and GBDP had to say on violence.
C.camilleri
Feb 27th 2010, 06:29
Dear Berta
You are always on the look out for ifs and buts on what the PL and its leader does or say.
But the reality out there is that many families are not making ends meet. It was reported this week that daily around 10 families have their power supply cut off.
And you know what? Its not Joseph or the PL who is running these island but the PN. Obviously its hard for those on the gravytrain to even notice the hardship middle and lower income families are going through right now.
One only hopes that we dont have a repetition of what is going on in Greece where the Conservative party went to the polls before schedule because of the financial rebus they accumulated ( even giving wrong info to the EU about the real financial situation) and left the Socialist party who succeeded them to face the music. Over here it happened before, one only hope that history does not repeat itself.
laurence schembri
Feb 26th 2010, 21:40
Knickers in a twist...knickers in a twist Joe, of course unless the oid english saying been twisted in Canada.
J Martinelli
Feb 26th 2010, 19:54
@ lgalea
I wish you could put yours into some good use.
@ Laurence Schembri
How did you figure that I am putting any blame on you?
If I am not mistaking you for someone else, I think that you declared elsewhere that you do not belong to any political party. That makes two of us and that is why I can, and you could too, make comparisons between PL and NP policies without getting your knickers in a knot.
Don't speak for me because I get a charge out of seeing so many comments by writers who ought to know better and if they do and still twist or deny facts, then they lay bare their agenda.
Ronald Zammit
Feb 26th 2010, 16:17
@ Berta Sullivan, J Martinelli e la bella kumpanijja : I really do not blame you for trying to divert your worries as to what is really happining to your GonziPN by expressing in your comments all your wishfull thinking against the PL. Whether you believe it or not the GonziPN is fast loosing support from the vast majority of the Maltese people for reasons that I am sure you and your GonziPN administration are fully aware of, but you all prefer to ignore for obvious reasons. Berta, perhaps your L.Gonzi next Sunday after the PROTEST, will take five minutes of his time to ask himself why is it that he keeps turning a deaf ear to the cries and needs of the public in general especially the working and middle class........
ROBERT HENRY BUGEJA
Feb 26th 2010, 16:14
@ James Grima and Berta Sullivan....
I would really love to see your desperate faces when the LABOUR PARTY takes power COME NEXT ELECTION...You are so ridiculous thinking that power was a divine gift from God to the PN!! Keep trying to raise your hopes in vain!
lgalea
Feb 26th 2010, 15:37
J Martinelli Even idiots have brains. Re Raymond Caruana EFA promised to tell us who killed him. If you have any evidence that this murder was carried out by PL supporters present it to the police or shut up and don't try to put the blame on PL supporters.
EFA also promised to tell us who murdered Karen Grech but he NEVER kept his promise.
EFA used to accuse PL supporters in the police force of violence against PN supporters. How come that instead of kicking them out and taking measures against them he gave them PROMOTIONS when he was elected? How duo you or anyione else know that those who attacked the Curia and The Times were PL supporters Martinelli? Do you have any evidence? Ever heard of fifth columnists Martinelli? How many PL clubs were burned and your EFA said publicly that they did so because of euphoria? Have you ever heard how your EFA said "Hawn jien, suq", Fejn huma l-laburisti?"
James Grima See you after the next election with a PL Government James.
laurence schembri
Feb 26th 2010, 15:01
Joe,Hope you are not putting the blame on me, what has these unfortunate people to do with my comment, I was simply saying, that today is easy to fool people, Internet is a useful cadget used the right way, but it can also be abused. But, back to fiction, I will leave that to you to deal with, you have proved your capacity so often in your lenghtly over the top shallow comments, not even comments, a tome really. I still wish you a good day, hope that the snow and cold weather has abated a little by now, can`t make out why you get so hot under the collar. Cheers matey. I`m a good man really. Before I go. if Berta have a good brain she should put it to better use.
James Grima
Feb 26th 2010, 14:30
@ Berta Sullivan
Don't forget that PL is full of rudeness, and bad manners. Heh imbghad iridu jihdu il gvern. Barra minn fuqna.
J Martinelli
Feb 26th 2010, 13:58
@ Berta Sullivan
Labour: 'Progressives' = move forward. 'Moderates' = shift to reverse. Result = 'status quo'.
The 'Moviment' is certainly in 'neutral', also referred to 'sitting on a fence'
No way to describe LP's situation other than 'the more terremoti and the more changes, the more things stay the same'.
@ laurence schembri
Why don't you write a piece of fiction where Raymond Caruana, Karin Grech, Nardu Debono were murdered by Nationalists, Pietru Pawl Busuttil framed by Nationalist elements within the police force, the Gudja PN club shot at by a disgruntled Nationalist and the tal-Barrani debacle was when Nationalist shot at Nationalist....? After all the Nationalists burned the Times, wrecked the Curia, burned their own clubs and attacked their own leader's family....!
It would be the best seller of the decade!
@ Gerard Cassar
Berta Sullivan has a brain.
Typical of a Laburist stirring the pot!
J.Borg
Feb 26th 2010, 13:48
Everybody writing and disagreeing with Joseph Muscat. I personally agree with what he is saying with regards to divorce. He wants that this subject is debated by all and then a bill presented in parlament on the parameters of discussions held. Yes what's wrong with giving members of parlament a free vote on divorce. For me the PN isn't acting well, as we all know that even from the PN's side there are those against and in favour.
So according to Berta Sullivan, those in favour of divorce from the PN's side shouldn't be allowed to contest the election, since the PN is against such bill. Or since they are in favour of divorce, because they have to tow the party line they are to vote against such bill?
"that it is against abortion and probably against euthanasia too......."
First you say that Joseph Muscat repeated the same things as regards divorce, now with regards to euthanasia you say "Probably"....everyone heard Joseph Muscat say categorically that PL is against abortion and euthanasia, so why try to confuse people Ms.Sullivan.
Still pondering on Dr.Abela's comments with regards abortion.......we all know that Dr.Abela stated that he is against abortion.
P. Schembri
Feb 26th 2010, 11:52
@Ms. Sullivan. People with glasshouses should not throw stones, and that's what you just did! You tell us about a hate brigade against the PM and the PN. Are you conveniently shutting one eye and blind yourself to the indiscriminations incurred on the labourites? Are you so blind, and deaf, that on 101 Radio, you can feel the hate towards everything Labour, oozing out? Are you so blind that even if you open this newspaper, and read the comments, you see the hate there is from the PN followers towards Labour? How can you be taken seriously when no one from the PN side even apologised for the injustices incurred on the Labourites in these last 20 years? Open up your blue blinkered eyes and face reality!
Ramon Cutajar
Feb 26th 2010, 10:59
Since appearing on Dissett, Dr Abela has performed a 360 degree change of heart. He has now retracted his 2003 writings and his verbal pro-abortion stance. But, I ask, where lies the honest truth?
If Dr Abela did a 360 degree turn, it means that he is supporting abortion once again.... Use maths properly please!
James Grima
Feb 26th 2010, 10:55
If Labour will be in government? My foot. Oh, it will never ever happen. Labour will remain until in opposition forever. Malta do not need divorce, and other far liberal "reformes", so it does not need the LP.
Muscat. Pat
Feb 26th 2010, 10:50
The song" Before you accuse me take a good look at yourself" by Credence Clear Water Revival comes to my mind whenever I read the tirades emanting from B. Sullivan. Many Maltese no longer know who to believe when it comes to the fraticidal war within the PN, whether its Arrigo,Debono, Orland, Mugliet, Dalli, Mifsud, Farrugia versus Gonzi .
To make matters worse, the evil tax on cooking, heating and showering, is threatening the social and economic peace of the island, at a time when the economy needs pampering not whip lashes! If, after Sundays mass protest, and Mondays Parliamentary debates, Gonzi does not see reason, and come down to earth, (if all this fails), then Malta's econmic and social future will be put in jeopardy, with all its tragic consequences. The people's deafening cries of pain and hardship need to be listened to!
Gerard Cassar
Feb 26th 2010, 10:27
Labour government the state will not interfere with the individual's choices (February 7). What he meant exactly is any body's guess.(copy and paste from Berta Sullivan article)
Once Berta Sullivan does not understand this stance, then she ought not to have written what she did. Once you do not understand an argument don't try to comment on it. So simple.
laurence schembri
Feb 26th 2010, 10:01
And how do you know that the site was created by Labour fanatics, what if a Nationalist fanatic wanted to stir the pot a little, to create a site is as easy as pie. Please don`t get taken in by what`s on Internet, a seven year old kid could do it.
lgalea
Feb 26th 2010, 09:32
Dear Berta, as they say kieku l-gemel jara hotobtu jaqa' u jmut zoptu. Please apply this to the PN.