Brazilian Soreness
Some things just don’t agree with me; like runny eggs, jellied eels, soggy aubergines, and Brazilians.
I also don’t like most flavours of politicians, but come election time, I start suffering from the self-destructive need to follow and scrutinise them.
I convince myself of course that I need to do this in order to decide where to eventually cast my vote, but probably it’s because there’s a Christian Grey in all of us, making us love a good dose of self-flagellation every once in a while.
So, as far as my gag reflex allows me to, I am currently watching and reading everything that could help me decide which party is the least self-absorbed, who is less likely to bring us down on both knees begging for a hand out, and who will embarrass us the least with the international community.
I’m also trying to figure out who is more likely to stand up for the voiceless (with more than lip service), and who will finally do away with religious mantras and start treating all humans equally.
And, because I’m one to learn from experience, I’m trying to figure all this by listening to what politicians do NOT say, as opposed to what they emphasise and overstate.
After last week’s political debate on Xarabank, my stomach wasn’t stable enough for another attack this week, so for health and sanity I decided not to watch yesterday’s show which was a discussion about last Friday’s debate.
Resilient as I am though, this morning I tried to watch the online repeat of the programme , but I had to give up only seconds after it started.
You see, I soon landed on the part where Claudine Cassar couldn’t for the life of her get a word in edgeways - the part where the other Neanderthals (except for Mario DeMarco) were shouting over each other like a pack of hoarse geese, callously ignoring Claudine’s polite pleas for order and decorum.
I’d like to point out in fact that if we ever want to see more women in politics we need to do one of two things – we need to either stop this unrestrained savage way of discussing things in public or stop bringing up our girls to behave like proper ladies.
But I digress.
Though I didn’t watch yesterday’s show, I’ve singlehandedly decided that it was the PM who scored the most goals during the debate. I’m sure of this because even though he tripped in his own Brazilian, and even though his bluff was sheared off later on in the week, he still won the numbers game.
Just like he’s a hands-down winner when it comes to the economy and our financial numbers when compared to other European countries, he’s also a winner when it comes to audience numbers.
Purely from a public relations point of view, and purely from what is supposedly non-partisan media, the PM’s message reached more ears than the rebuttals against him.
Here’s how:
On Friday the PM embarrasses Joseph Muscat in front of 180,000 viewers (this is approximately how many people would have watched Xarabank that day).
On Sunday, I out the Prime Minister’s Brazilian faux pas on my blog on the Times, maybe reaching a few hundred readers.
For some reason this is not picked up by the mainstream media until Tuesday, when finally TVM’s 8 o’clock news covers the story making Oderbrecht Solutions Malta sound like the be all and end all of all construction companies. It uses footage of employees from other countries making it look like this is footage from Malta, and in its relatively long feature it fails to mention the crucial bit of information that Oderbrecht had only ever employed a handful of Maltese people and is now closed down. That’s another 140,000 viewers duped thanks to our national broadcaster.
On Thursday morning, Tonio Fenech (not the PM) finally admits that the company has closed down but, by this time, most people and the media have lost interest, thus the news only gets a fraction of exposure that the original debate did.
So there, as far as numbers go, the PM came out a sure winner. As I said he’s also a winner when it comes to the economy, but does this mean that he’ll also be the final winner of votes?
Are there more people who value a healthy democracy than people who value a healthy economy?
Do the majority think that the two can be separated or do most think that there isn’t one without the other?
How many think that the PM did not lie, but simply didn’t say everything, which makes it ok?
Should we blame Joseph Muscat for not knowing how to react and letting the PM pull a fast one?
Did the national broadcaster purposefully leave the most crucial bit of information out, or was it a question of incompetent journalism?
Popular Stories
In Discussion
19 Comments
Post comment
Please sign in or create your Account to post comments.
Mr Joseph Carmel Chetcuti
Nov 13th 2012, 06:27
Only an idiot who knows nothing of the complexity surrounding company law would expect a PM or a Leader of the Opposition to know what companies are operating in Malta. The PM appears to be one of them. What about shelf companies, I wonder. Can the PM name them?
James Grech
Nov 12th 2012, 11:36
Alison, it seems that you're not that good with numbers. If 180K saw xarabank, which is highly unrealistic, given the ridicule that this program and its presenter are stooping too, then it would be safe to also assume that these 180K now know that the PM lied through his teeth and that he's been doing this all along.
G Schembri
Nov 11th 2012, 20:18
I cannot understand how Dr Gonzi scored better than Joseph Muscat in the opinion of someone who says hates politics. How can you say that gimmicks like saying downright lies is scoring, then saying that having a repeat of Dardir Malta, also scores in PN's favour.
john davies
Nov 11th 2012, 18:39
Don’t blame the politicians, we voted them in, then allow them to behave as they want.
In fact why do we let politicians run anything ??? the majority are control freaks only there to further their own ends, they make decisions on subjects they usually know nothing about & the people pay for their mistakes.
D Borg
Nov 11th 2012, 13:09
Dear Ms. Bezzina,
I respect your opinion, however I utterly disagree that Dr. Gonzi is a winner with respect to the economy or finances. He has not been thrashed (yet) however I do not see him anything near a winner.
B. Cachia
Nov 11th 2012, 11:39
2) Malta's GDP per capita, and hence our standard of living, remains low. It's the lowest in Western Europe and is not keeping up with gains being made in Eastern Europe either. In particular, Maltese GDP growth has been neglible over the past decade. This is hardly a spectacular economic performance.
Joseph Aquilina
Nov 12th 2012, 12:43
Go and see how much it costs to live abroad!!
B. Cachia
Nov 11th 2012, 11:36
1) I'm not sure about the economy bit. Malta's debt level is high but not as high as it is in some of our EU partners. Economic growth is more or less following the same path as the European average. Neither better nor worse. Unemployment has risen but it's lower than the European average (and always has been, for structural reasons that have little to do with the Gonzi administration).
Mr John Borg
Nov 11th 2012, 10:03
Alison unfortunately I have no other option than to label you as another PN stooge... and your credibility has gone down the same drain where the credibility of your OWNER GonziPN has gone!
I any other country, not a "pajjiz tal-mickey mouse', a liar is called a liar not a "political point scorer".
In any other country a lying PM would save his face and resign!
Andy Farrugia
Nov 11th 2012, 10:59
Hahahaha! Tajba din....."another PN stooge", based on what criteria, pray? On the "min mhux maghna, kontra taghna" adage for complete dolts? Now I have frequently disagreed with Ms Bezzina on matters spiritual, societal, etc, but to brand her as a "PN stooge" is ludicrous to the nth degree. Hilarious!
Jimmy Abela
Nov 11th 2012, 16:56
@Andy: Actually it's probably based on the criteria that Alison does her best to give the impression that she almost hates politics, and followed Xarabank only to rest her conscience sure when making the decision at the polls. However, reading between the lines of her Brazilian Soreness blog, it's the ultimate proof she's a staunch PN supporter trying to appear as impartial..
Andy Farrugia
Nov 11th 2012, 19:39
@ Jimmy Abela
Hilarious! Have you ever considered embarking on some degree course in Psychoanalysis?
Mr John Borg
Nov 11th 2012, 20:16
@ Jimmy Abela. Thanks for spoon feeding my reasoning to Mr Farrugia.
Unfortunately some people prefer to keep the blinkers on and pretend that others follow suit!
pat muscat
Nov 11th 2012, 09:39
Politics is about trust. If the Prime Minister takes us for a ride, how can we trust him?
Jimmy Abela
Nov 11th 2012, 01:45
Alison with all respect, do not try to give the impression that you're some independent non biased person: it's an insult to those who follow your blogs. If you are impressed with a Xarabank performance, you've got way to go..
A simple example is your mentioning of economical and financial figures - the last reports of Standard & Poor's and Moody's prove a total different picture..
M. Grech
Nov 10th 2012, 21:26
Why did Dr Gonzi go for a fast on Dr. Muscat? Dr. Gonzi felt he was on the losing end during that debate and he went for it to score despite the eventual repercussions as they developed this week. I see a trend here. Every time PN and PL leaders meet on TV, during important debates, the PN leader always tries a fast one hoping he gets away with it! Remember? People now wait for it in such debates!
Joe Muscat
Nov 10th 2012, 18:32
Seriously? Would it be ok for us to disagree with your ridiculous generalisations? And, you might have lost interest by the time Tonio Fenech admitted the company had closed, but that does not mean everyone else had although that's what you would have us believe.....One of the most irritating factors of most Nationalist Bloggers is their twisting of facts and their dishonesty,a bit like GonziPN.
ANTHONY PAVIA
Nov 10th 2012, 18:17
May I assure you that even the birds on Comino are well aware of the PM's gaffe. It was too huge a gaffe for a small nation's PM to get wrong, about a large company's HQ move. No wonder the PL justifiably capitalised on it. Surely PN apologists would have had a field day (remember the minimum wage freeze spin?). The fact that GonziPN procrastinated an apology ensured more egg on Gonzi's face.
m. borg (slm)
Nov 10th 2012, 16:44
"On Friday the PM embarrasses Joseph Muscat in front of 180,000 viewers ...."
How did you come to this conclusion?
Doesn't make sense or are an expert on people's reaction?
Please choose the reason of your report below: