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Muscat hints PL will not take divorce position

Joseph Muscat indicated today that the Labour Party would not take a formal position on divorce.

He said in reply to questions at a PL conference that he personally had a clear mandate about divorce. Prior to his election as party leader, he had explained his personal position in favour of the introduction of divorce and had also said that he would grant Labour MPs a free vote in Parliament.

At the time, he said, he had not expected divorce to come up in this legislature. Malta was now in this position because of lack of leadership by the prime minister.

However, the goings on within the Nationalist Party did not change his own consistent and well known position.

Should a referendum be held, the only change would be that it would be the people who would have a free vote. All Labourites, therefore, would be free to vote as they wished according to their conscience.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said last month that the Nationalist Party would take a position on divorce after discussion within its structures. A political party, Dr Gonzi said, should assume responsibility for its decisions and take a position on matters of principle, without, however, imposing anything on anyone.

Former PN leader Eddie Fenech Adami told The Sunday Times today that the PN should formally adopt a position against the introduction of divorce.

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D.Galea

Feb 1st 2011, 09:33

The is the good part Mr.Abela, from what I am reading Labour is about keeping the vote an individual decision while the PN is leaning more to draw everyone to make a stand like a herd of sheeple.

m. borg(slm)

Jan 30th 2011, 14:02

For your information JM has been more right than you'd care to admit since you wear blinds like a horse. Also JM has made it clear that Divorce won't be an electoral issue but it would be suggested as a private members bill. As regards JPO introducing this said bill you are gravenly mistaken that there is any blackmail on his part, it was simply a ruse to draw peoples' attention from other more important issue like the high increase in cost of living, the attrocious and criminal increases in electricity and water bills due to incompetence, the infamous BWSC contract, Valletta gate, gonziPN infighting etc. Except that the plan back fired and caused more damage than good to the party. That what happens when you use dirty politics and ones agenda is simply the ways and means to hold onto power and the goodies that come with such power. If you remeber well the out going general secretary Mr Salib had declared without anything to hide that he was not happy with JPO and if it was him he would have resigned, because of the Mistragate. gonzi laid the bed now he has to sleep in it .

Anthony Mizzi

Jan 31st 2011, 08:02

Yes Joseph Muscat is right again, consistent and making his position known without any mumblingor lawyer jargon ....as usual -

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Malta was now in this position because of lack of leadership by the prime minister.

However, the goings on within the Nationalist Party did not change his own consistent and well known position.

josephine fenech

Jan 30th 2011, 19:45

Fuq min qed titkellem. Fuq il PN zgur

Manuel Micallef

Jan 30th 2011, 12:37

@ ASpiteri Nahseb li qed titlef il-punt. Joseph Muscat ta' free vote lil nies tieghu biex jideciedu fuq il-kuxjenza taghhom, u huwa qal l'opinjoni tieghu personali b'mod car. Dik hija pozizjoni minna innifisa.... Joseph Muscat irried lil Poplu jideciedi kif jahsb huwa u mhux kif il-partit jghidlu - fuq kustjoni li hija personali, ta' opinjoni personali u ta' kuxjenza. Personalment, naqbel 100% ma Joseph u nistenna lil Goniz jkollu l'kuragg jaghmel l'istess... pero' miskien ma jistghax ghax irrikatat minn niesu!

John Mifsud

Jan 30th 2011, 14:15

An ex St Aloysious student or not he has declared himself against divorce, I cannot see why he should cause trouble among the Maltese just to show how strong he is. That was Eddie Fenech Adami's style and look where it got us in the 80s.

Joe E Galea

Jan 31st 2011, 08:39

What a stupid argument you brought up!!

Oh my God, I realise why this island is ruled by incompetents when having nonsense people to vote them over and over again.

Joseph Borg

Jan 30th 2011, 13:07

u btw .....kif int daqshekk inteligenti li iddecidejt li ghax jiena naqbel mad divorzju jiena nara sal ponta ta mniehri! Just for the info. jiena ragel mizzewweg u kuntent bil hajja mizewwga tieghi u anqas tghaddili min mohhi li xi darba niehu id-divorzju pero IVA naqbel li kull individwu ghandu jiddeciedi ghalieh hu u mhux haddiehor. Jekk il poplu jrid hekk isir hekk...dan il balla biki u btw....nahseb ma tantx kont tajjeb fil maths ghax iktar nahse li Marriage - divorce = cohabitation milli Marriage + divorce....l answer kellu jkun Marriage +divorce = a new opportunity to start a new life.

Peter Spiteri

Jan 30th 2011, 13:31

Joe Zammit did you ask them and all the rest of the Maltese citizens Joe?

John Mifsud

Jan 30th 2011, 14:03

CORRECTION Separation without Divorce = cohabitation. Since if a person is married and not divorced there is no way he/she can remarry. We already have a large number of cohabitating couples even though we don't have divorce. We also have single persons cohabitating maybe because they are afraid of "till death us do part" bit.

E Phillips

Jan 30th 2011, 20:12

And the big problem with cohabitation is what exactly?

axuereb

Jan 31st 2011, 09:05

The great majority of PL members and supporters are Catholics and against divorce. What are you on about? Did you forget how the church treated Labour supporters in the 60s? You cant have been talking to a lot of PL supporters because you will realise that they are in favour of divorce in their majority!

Emanuel Farrugia

Jan 30th 2011, 12:49

Meta l-Volpi ma setghax jilhaq l-gheneb, beda jghid li huwa qares. Inti taf xi tfisser meta wiehed ikun tal-glekk fl-art ? In this case, and on the specific subject of DIVORCE, the PL dont need to attack the Government because the PN is doing it for them ? Keep remembering it was JPO who moved the Bill.

C.Camilleri

Jan 30th 2011, 14:06

You are wrong my friend. The PL position is clear for all to see. The party will give a free vote to its mp's if the vote is taken in parliament and a free vote to its supporters in case of a referendum. It' you are not able to decide on your own and want your party to decide for you then so be it. But please for once let us leave partisan politics out this important decision that needs to be taken.

Raymond Camilleri

Jan 30th 2011, 11:59

lol very smart!
what are parties there for then? The Labour NON-Party.... chickens!

John Mifsud

Jan 30th 2011, 13:52

@ Raymond Camilleri don't speak too soon, I bet PN will be saying the same thing, otherwise all those who vote against divorce will be voting against PN, which would not be fair since I know staunch PN supporters who are in favour of divorce.

J Fenech

Jan 30th 2011, 14:00

I think the biggest chicken is Gonzi for going down the referendum route. Since when does the majority decide on something that a minority would benefit from? That's why we don't do a referendum on single mother benefits, uemoplyement benefts and last but not least why we didn't do a referendum on whether members of parlament should have a pay increase. Hat's off to JPO, at least he had the guts to make a change.

Joe E Galea

Jan 31st 2011, 08:42

@Raymond Camilleri: So are you proposing a dictatorial style of leadership? I don't blame you since you are very happy with a disctatorship style of government masked behind a false democracy. I think people like you and others in here do much better not to post anything. Please stop showing how ignorant you are.

axuereb

Jan 31st 2011, 09:12

@ R Camilleri:

God gave you a brain, use it!

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