JUST SAYING
Joseph Muscat, as I have had occasion to point out, is quite a one for getting down with the youths. This means that he has to campaign in sound-bites and tweet-sized chunks, because otherwise, he'll lose their attention, given that the poor lambs have the attention-span of a ADD-afflicted mosquito.
This is rather handy for Muscat, because when you don't, actually, have policies, it's easier to fit what you have to say into 140-characters or less and there's not much of a chance that anyone will be able to argue with you. He's getting a double-whammy, that way: putting his ideas (if I may grace them with the description) before a good batch of voters and being able to avoid having to put flesh on the bones, because it's just so boring.
So when Muscat says that the upcoming Local Council elections are going to be really difficult for Labour, those of us who have half a brain are gob-smacked at his chutzpah while the rest, the ones who swallow everything Labour puts out without even batting an eyelid, are primed to greet what will be a pretty resounding Labour victory as it if was the Second Coming.
Because make no mistake about it, it will be an easy one for them. To start with, they're playing home in many cases and to be going on with, non-General Elections always see the Government getting spanked.
And in keeping with his "Oh look, a bandwagon, all aboard" tag-line, Muscat gave us another little slogan, this time about how he will stop ACTA when he's elected, hero that he is. He doesn't bother to explain why (he needn't, all he needs to know is that people are against it) and nor does he bother to explain how he will defy the EU and stop whatever might have been adopted by the time he's got his little legs under the PM's desk.
As long as the sound-bite is a good one, why bother with facts?
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d. attard
Feb 14th, 19:03
It is indeed funny how blogger and his co-spinners flog the 'Labour does not have policies'. They come across as the three monkeys shutting their listening, seeing and speak abilities. Labour has come forward with a significant number of principles that will guide their Governance, the thing they should do at this stage. This oft repeated spin of 'Labour has no policies' becomes the more risible when Government (you know, the body politik that actually governs today) still has to tell us how it intends to reduce its spending by 40 million and how it intends to reduce its spending by a larger amount per annum to observe constitutional obligations to balance budgets.
Mr Andrew Camilleri
Feb 14th, 12:35
And I was just saying how ludicrous is our PM to call a press conference on a Saturday evening, as if it was some kind of emergency, to anounce that Govt will be legislating four new 'human rights'. What a joke this man has become. 'Freedom of expression on the internet'! As if that does not exist at law already! Had JM announced these new rights, I can imagine the hoots of derision and laughter from Bocca and his colleagues-in-arms. But being one who swallows everything GonziPN puts out without even batting an eyelid, Bocca must be might ypleased.
Angus Black
Feb 14th, 16:22
Why are you surprised, Andrew? If ACTA is important enough for Joseph who 'plans to rescind' IF he ever governs, then the importance of legislating the free use of Internet must also be important for the government and more importantly to Internet users. The question is: has Joseph read what ACTA is all about? Not that he and his party have not been caught with their pants down before, claiming that something was done behind their backs while the particular subject had been available and discussed on the Internet for months!
The fact is that Joseph and the LP have not the tiniest idea how to present policies which are designed to improve on what we already have, simply because they have none. Their attempts thus far in re-inventing the wheel have resulted in wheels which are flat on four sides. First Joseph, then Karmenu and recently Aaron and we still have no shred of evidence that the 'government-in-waiting' has anything which the electorate should be looking forward to.
If the proposed government legislation is a 'joke', then how about Labour's attitude towards stipends, electricity tariffs, 51 illusions and their planned vote against the Education bill?
Maybe the NP had one glaring problem in 2008 when according to the LP they should have lost the election. This time round, the LP has a plethora of headaches which will probably translate into yet another defeat at the polls (the real polls, that is). Joseph had better maintain contacts at the EU because if he does not become PM, he would flee back to Brussels at the first given opportunity.
Mr Andrew Camilleri
Feb 14th, 18:04
Mrs Black: you flew off at a tangent, of course. All I said is that the four 'new internet rights' already exist and that Dr Gonzi showed us what an opportunist he is by saying that he is now legislating these rights. This shows how doubtful it is that Dr. Gonzi himslef has read the treaty his Govt signed, after attending only one session. If I may get off on a tangent, what kind of Govt do we have that does not even bother to inform itself about the contents of a treaty and just sign on the dotted line so as to seem to keep up with the Joneses?
James McIntosh
Feb 14th, 09:55
Mr Cardona, the following is the explanation of the word "Bigot"
Bigot; One who is strongly partial to one's own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ.
I do believe that it fits you rather well.
Andrew Borg-Cardona
Feb 14th, 12:53
You're a fine one for talking about names fitting.
Mario Scicluna
Feb 14th, 09:43
Andrew, your quote 'the ones who swallow everything Labour puts out without even batting an eyelid'
is indeed a contrast from another statement 'the ones who swallow everything Partit Nazzjonalista puts out without even batting an eyelid! Time and time again, these 'ones' and many more 'others' are showing that whatever your PN is saying are lies and deceit. In every test put against PN, be it Divorce referendum, LC elections, Parliament majority motions, they are failing miserably, such as your PN is so much afraid of calling for an election! Ah yes, Gonzi is seeking refuge IN HIS OWN general council.
Ivan Grech Mintoff
Feb 13th, 23:08
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120213/opinion/A-little-matter-of-corrupt-practices.406525
Andrew Borg-Cardona
Feb 13th, 19:36
Laiveira, you just don't get colloquial English, do you? Never mind, keep trying, your rewards will come...
Victor Laiviera
Feb 13th, 19:01
I see that the instruction from on high to the attack-dog pack (aka bloggers) included the word "bandwagon" this week.
Victor Laiviera
Feb 13th, 18:59
If I were you, I would avoid remarks about the length of one's legs, for obvious reasons.