Thursday, 28th August 2008
COOLING OFF
Maybe it’s because the weather has been a touch less hot and sticky or maybe there are vestiges of creeping maturity taking hold, but there have been signs of late that the more rabid of commentators to blogs and news stories are being replaced by the voice of reason. I was going to use “commenters” but the flippin’ laptop insisted on scrawling a squiggly red line underneath, and it would only accept commentators.
For instance, a story about the recent tragedy at sea, involving a loss of life in excess of fifty souls (and I use the word pointedly) didn’t attract a unanimity of voices calling for the AFM to stay in port. Admittedly, when I had a shufti through the electronic papers this morning, before settling down to write this, it was still early (the hazards of middle age – sleep is less easy to come by) and those who tend to wrap themselves in the flag in the hope that their incipient racism is disguised probably hadn’t yet dragged themselves out of the pit.
This is not to say that there haven’t been rails and rants of peculiarly virulent strains. Toni Abela, Deputy Leader of the MLP for its affairs, for example, has been sounding off at Daphne Caruana Galizia because, apparently, she slipped from the highest of high standards Dr Abela seems to have set for her. From the depths of Dr Abela’s elevated tones, you can glean that, horror of horrors, Mrs Caruana Galizia made reference to some female bits and pieces and, even greater horror of horrors, compared some of Labour’s great and good to said bits and pieces.
Oh dearie dearie me, what a scandal, what sheer embarrassment, pass me the smelling salts, won’t you, Mildred, I’m feeling one of my turns coming on.
Dr Abela saw fit to insert me, in my other writing incarnation, into the proceedings, seemingly because he felt I should have chastised Daphne for her crass vulgarity and, even more, for her lese majeste’ (again, those squiggly lines, but this time, I’m having it my way)
My response to Dr Abela, which thus far has only seen light of day in his blog, which isn’t exactly knocking on the doors of the Sunday Times Bestseller List (not even the paperback version) was that I’m not one of those cheap tabloid journalists who delight in pretending to be shocked by the motes in other people’s eyes while ignoring the beam in their own. I used the Maltese phrase “oqbra mbajjda”, if I recall correctly, which is a rather picturesque way of calling someone a hypocrite.
Let me give you an example of the sort of tabloid journalism to which I’m referring. You will recall that episode up at the University which contributed so much to Alfred Sant becoming the Leader of the Opposition, yet again, albeit for a few days, until he finally decided to chuck it. On that auspicious day, when the University students lived up to the promise of their forebears (that’s me folks) and told Labour precisely where to get off, a Super One news crew, doing their duty by their party if not by their profession, decided it would be a super wheeze to train their lenses on Daphne Caruana Galizia and her son, the latter not being a public figure. The young gentleman invited the Super One chaps to indulge in travel and amorousness, not in that order, whereupon a storm of Biblical proportions ensued.
You’d have thought, listening to the news broadcasts, that DCG and her offspring had been caught celebrating a Black Mass on the main altar of St John’s at noon on Easter Sunday, with an effigy of the Pope as the centre-piece.
What people like this don’t realise, of course, because they’re out of touch with the real world, inhabiting, as they do, a world made up of their own convictions and their own perception of the people to whom they have to appeal, is that by getting all up-tight and prissy about people, shock horror, using vulgar words, those of us who have a brain and use it just shrug and say “and so?”
We’re more shocked, you see, by rank hypocrisy, by self-serving pseudo-morality and by verbal and philosophical duplicity. We’re also way more shocked, if you like, by the way certain commentators pander to their own perception of what their “market” wants to hear, when they fail to condemn thuggishness and arrogance, say, when union leaders threaten to storm Castille, for all that we’d love to see that particular farce unfold.
We’re slightly more shocked, to an extent, to see the way a number of people, in the face of all the evidence, still lionise Dom Mintoff. The fanfare of raspberries blown the way of the Gaddafi Award for the Defence of Human Rights that he was given (I still can’t write that without shaking my head in awe at the potential for self-delusion within the autocratic left) prompted all the Dom-lovers to come out of the woodwork, rewriting history merrily as they churned out line after line after line after line of tripe about how Mintoff had, singlehandedly, dragged the poor out of the gutter, kicked out the Brits, educated us all, tended to our medical needs and, generally speaking, had been the Santa Claus to our Tiny Tim.
Or was that Scrooge?
I’ll be accused, by the younger Lil’Elves, of living in the past, while the older ones, probably using CAPITALS and mildly irregular spelling, vocabulary and syntax, will berate me for failing to recognise the magnificence that is Dom Mintoff.
To these, I’ll respond that a) the past is not so long ago that other people don’t keep dragging Mintoff, blinking myopically, out into the spotlight, for all of us who remember him with less than complete fondness to take the opportunity for some payback and b) taken as a whole, the Mintoff legacy is one of bitterness, classism, mediocrity and ill-mannered loutishness.
In fact, even taken on a case-by-case basis, there’s not much to recommend Mintoff to anyone seeking to take a benevolent view of our history, leaving aside one of the supreme ironies, that he was instrumental in our joining the European Union.
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Comments
By the way, I seriously wish to suggest that Daph becomes candidate for the European Parliament. She is not less valid than Marlene Mizzi and others. She is not too old - only about 50 - as compared to others like George Abela who is a candidate and 60 years of age.
If on the other hand, Daph has already offered to become PN candidate for Europarliament and has been refused by the PN, then we should first of all know the reasons, then organise a petition and make the PN accept her as candidate. That's what's done in a democracy.
Let us all Daphne fans make sure Daph goes to represent us in Europe. And I am sure she would leave the other candidates kilometers behind in the voting.
Kuragg Daf! Ahna warajk!
May be, just may be, Reputation Management was always been there but it was not effective with the more discerning and discriminating "floating voters" who are so crucial in our close-run general elections. They do not have short memories and they are not so gullible when they are fed distorted versions of the political violent of the Mintoff-KMB era.
Few of the younger new voters are ignorant of our recent history and fewer still would be foolish enough to ignore those hard lessons and sweep them under the carpet.
It may have escaped your notice that the Lilliput representative has adjusted his claim against the Mintoff era to a harmless - bitterness, classism, mediocrity and ill-manners.
If this were true, all that one can say is that, well, nothing has changed since :)
See how this excludes any hint of an amazing contribution that made the 'letters pages' yesterday:
Quote: (Mintoff) should give a big chunk (of monies) to those families who suffered the loss of a husband, son or any other relative as a result of the various Socialist Governments' "humanitarian" policies between 1971 and 1987 Unquote
(Siege mentality that makes one believe anything, or what?)
So now that all the negative hype against the great Mintoff era has withered to ill-manners, (a justified claim I say), we can all proceed to organise the largest Mintoff monument to end all monuments (subject to Mepa permits of course).
Any locations anyone? :)
p.s. locations proximate to property owned by NP members of Parliament, their apologists, drivers and body-guards will not be considered.
@ Keith Grech.
Gerrymandering is a dirty game played by democratic governments. In Malta it was used on several occasions by the PN as well as by the MLP,its immoral but legal. Only hypocrites and victims of the result would deny these facts. A case of do it to others before they do it to you.
In 1971 Labour garnered 4000 surplus preferential votes but gained a one seat majority only with 4 votes yet in spite of Labour winning with an absolute majority the PN still fought tooth and nail on the grounds of the then seat principle.
In 1981 Labour won with the seat majority in accordance to the rules entrenched in a constitution drafted by the British Government and unanimously approved by our parliament during a PN administration. Initially the PN accepted the result as democratic but after a few days EFA declared that the PN shall boycott parliament.
1987 saw the Labour Government amending our Constitution to reflect the vote’s majority as we know it today to make Malta a pioneer of this system. Some dictatorship. I shall now expect people who cannot dispute these facts to come out looking for my grammatical errors.
I admire your urge for open debate of issues relevant. I am afraid you will not get that anywhere mainstream (Ivan also pls note).
I agree with your Mintoff take. Yet this is no reason for non-debate.
I was a kid-in-shorts in the 60's, transported to 'il-fossos' and the like to manifestations the nature of which I do not recall, yet do certainly recall the fear(nay terror)-of-Mintoff that was injected in my every capillary.
Years later, just before Mintoff came to be PM, I was duly dispatched to the safety of a UK college with images in my mind of churches-to-be-dismantled and red havoc consuming every village corner.
From the ditached comfort of a uk common room, pouring over the centre pages of the london times, and healthy exchange with college lecturers, i obtained for a first time a critically honest view of Malta and Mintoff, as he negotiated for Malta .
And for a first time I felt proud to be Maltese.
Can we all take a few steps back and view Malta past and present with honest detachment?
I think not. Possibly not before we identify the beneficiaries of what i see as being institutionalised hate.
If you are so sure of what should be written about why don't you start your own column/blog and let others decide whether your views are worth reading at all?
"True irreverence is disrespect for another man's god."
- Twain, Mark
I have no problem to admit that I am a sensitive person, very sensitive to other people’s feelings and when I defend myself I try not to generalise like you often do. Your last posting speaks for itself.
I have no recollection of how you and I first communicated over what I had written about you in your absence, seems like it was very offensive because you keep bringing it up. Whatever, I apologise without any difficulty. I do however recall one your letters to a local paper where you said that Mata only attracts low class Brits or words to that effect.
In closing, if you enjoy debating and blogging, but feels uncomfortable with the Maltese you may find ways to make your stay more serene.
- the lil'Elves are mentioned
- Mintoff is mentioned
- Joe Muscat, Jason and Super One are today's honoured guests...
you know all the REALLY important issues...
no mention of "boring" and "non-important" minor present-day issues like:
"Deficit balloons as government sticks to its projections
Government spent more on interest on loans"
with statements like:
"The total government debt outstanding at the end of July amounted to €3,486.9 million, an increase of €159.6 million compared to the gross Central Government debt outstanding at the end of July last year.”
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080830/local/deficit-balloons-as-government-sticks-to-its-projections
Or
"Deficit grows by €74.6m in seven months"
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080829/local/deficit-grows-by-74-6m-in-seven-months/
King Arthur would disapprove
But the icing on the cake in IM Beck today?
"It's a dirty job, but somebody has to do it. I bet this last paragraph is probably the one which, truly speaking, annoyed the Lil'Elves the most."
(He's referring to his eating habits)
Annoyed? This Lil'Elve for one is mightily pleased that you're Beck to what you do best...!!
You say 'It is not easy being an Englishman on a Maltese blog'
Well, it's not easy being a Maltese on a Maltese blog :) The way we go at each other duly prodded by our kind and jolly host makes a blog first and foremost a 'fun' place.
May I say that I have noticed your ultra-prudent contributions of late and at the risk of sounding patronising I suggest you feel free and let fly and enjoy the cross-fire :)
I personally can feel your great attachment to Malta that is the result of on-the-ground experience that makes you Maltese too.
Many of us have an Italian or English or Island in him/her. Byron craved to be a total European even if he eventually passed away fighting the greek fight.
I hope to enjoy your further contributions that I look forward to with particular interest.
Regards
I commiserate with you. You have been so long amongst us and you have still not grasped one elementary fact. In Malta, when the cheer leaders shout that he is our saviour you shout Hear! Hear! When they tell you that he is a professor of democracy you shout louder still Hear! Hear! When they tell you he is a traitor you scream and shake your fist in agreement. And when they tell you "As you were!" you start throwing kisses again. Applaud when they apply for integration but be prepared to effect a smart "About turn" when the waving of the Union Jack is replaced by cries of "Pay up or go home".
Using your brain to think for yourself is a luxury and could be risky at times. Express a divergent opinion, no matter how timidly and how correct you are, and be ready to avoid the flashing flick-knives.
Join the club. There is no age limit.
I agree... that's wishful thinking though... intelligent comment usually requires intelligent thinking. Defending Mintoff's award for Human Rights (of all things!) hardly qualifies.
Where is Martinelli? Look over your shoulder!
Why not take a look at the UK and then decide who is the more turbulent of the two?!” Keep your cool as well as your brainpower about you otherwise you will be attacked for bad grammar. Try- Why not take a look on UK and then tell us which country is really in turbulent straits.
Gaffes? I picked this one out from Face book. I certainly wouldn’t like to be remembered that way.
“Now he was a man of men !!!!!!!! there will only be one MARTIN LUTHER KING in this world of ours !!!!!He had a dream and it was shattered!!!!!!! he will be remembered in the anals of history”
the ride given by the EU vs illegal immigration and no sign of gonzi pn.
Why not take a look at the UK and then decide who is the more turbulent of the two?!
"I do not consider ABC a vile person"
Niether do I ! And I sincerely hope that I do not give that impression.
On the contrary, I find him quite intelligent.... just unfortunately (again my opinion) 'mis- guided' into seeing everything as mlp=dark ages= bad=..... you know the rest!
Perhaps all this due to personal reasons (experience, beliefs etc?) ... perhaps not (becuase it suits him?)... who knows?
My genuine opinion is that he is not a bad chap but does have a nasty side that should be kept under control lest it interfere with good old fashioned logic....
A bit of a sore loser perhaps...? Maybe... maybe not.
Mixes one issue/person with another? you know: 1+1 = 1000
Otherwise, generally not a bad sort.... which does not excuse certain behaviour & comments said privately or otherwise.
Enough said.
;)
I agree with your appeal and will therefore bow out gracefully of this thread albeit sad, but resigned to the fact that certain truths and questions remain buried deep and or distorted....
To be frank, if I wanted to join a debating society I would find other more appropriate and mentally invigourating place than il-Bocca's little virtual world(s).
I am only appealing for more dignified comments because that would enhance the prestige of contributors more than an expression of pride in being intolerant.
I bow to your superior judgement that "Il-bocca's contributions being either(?) civil nor(?) dignified. I make a distinction between good-humoured banter and intolerant, uncivil and undignified responses which lose value by their very intemperance.
I do not consider ABC a vile person. On the contrary, his pieces in the Time of Malta indicate that he is a sanguine fellow. He banters anybody who crosses his path, (and I suppose he does the same to those who do agree with him!). That is acceptable. It is one of his traits.
Isn’t that the reason why we keep revisiting this web-page?
Blogging should not be taken so seriously, otherwise it would be dull and boring. :)
In spite of our political polarisation I promise you that we are a Nation of sensitive patriots, over sensitive and too noisy sometimes but certainly not disordered or chaotic.
In all honesty I would like to think that your assessment was only a figurative one and possible an inadvertent bad choice of terms. But it did come out sounding like the antonym of endearment. Maybe it’s my Latin oversensitive nature.
It would seem that Malta was allowed to join the EU so that there will be a place for all the illegal emigrants to find shelter on. There has been a lot of the perusual talk about doing the proverbial something about the influx but still, by the thousands they still come.
There is one advantage to all this however, the possibility would be the same as what England is enjoying today. Several track races were won by the British during the just past Olympics by people of colour.
Could it be possible for Malta to be well represented in such games come 2012 or 2016?
1) I do not find il-bocca's 'contributions' either civil nor dignified. Anything but in fact: I see mere personal attacks on anything MLP. In my opinion arrogance and mud slinging is the order of the day. You'll just have to accept my opinion here....
2) Depends on who is 'expressing' himself , it seems.
Your outcries seem very one sided.
Pity but - regrettably- 'fashionable' & very modern...
Just as well there are those who disagree and are not content to be fobbed off with a mere
"As I wrote before but it failed to see the light (shock, horror, censureship...) Q.E.D."
That's just too convenient a way out of not replying to straight forward questions.
And although it does not (again) answer any question put forward, it is, in its own way a way a very, very clear answer per se.....
Conclusion:
1) straight answers to straight questions please.
2) Fobby answers are... just that and show lack of desire to debate any points put forward.
3) And don't throw mire in the wind...
I like your Latin. You should adopt it as your main language. Not many will be able to understand you, true, but then . . . . what's new?
You are right. It is not healthy for democracy to have the MLP in perpetual opposition. It would be even less healthy, however, to have it in government, given the dire "straights" (thank you IGM) in which the party finds itself.
No. But the report on the UNHCR reaction seems to have attracted all sorts of vitriolic comments. Sadly. More of the same. Sorry to "poop the party" but the commenters/commentators of the hot headed kind are still in action.
She has high emotional intelligence and it's her decision what to do with it.
Well written Peter, I am going to the feast of St Dominic this weekend. Birgu has changed so much, for the better I believe. They have an excellent Mayor there. I hope that you manage to return soon, would be more then happy to host you and your wife.
I have my doubts if 'Malta' wants to keep immigrants out.
Bottom line suggests that immigrants (not just the ones coming via the established sea-route), keep construction and operational costs down and keep a check on wage inflation.
immigration is seen in specific circles as being good business. Wages in Malta are increasing at a rate well below that of inflation. No wonder the Mintoff symbol gives conservatives the veritable shivers.
You would expect Republicans to be keen anti-immigration. Yet we may recall George W Bush's hug-an-immigrant slogans.
You, ABC are king at churning out rubbish.
Please stop shedding crocodile tears for DCG and her upstart offspring. They need 'education' after all not 'love'.
I do not see any need to answer your rhetorical questions.
No one could possibly doubt your proven ability to be intolerant but, speakig for myself, I do not believe that that is anything to boast about. Intolerant outbursts only draw attention to an inability to give a dignified logical response to civil expressions of disagreement.
I was keen for Malta to join the EU-though to be honest I could not see what the EU could gain or benefit by including some more turbulent members (I discount the strategic legend) but the job was done despite MLP.
The report did say that Malta was the smallest member of the EU and was extremely exposed to illegal immigrants but I maintain that the EU does little to solve the problem. For the life of me I cannot see how Malta alone can deal with the matter.
The immigrants don’t want to be in Malta and Malta does not want them but surely the EU could move them on to countries with ample space and declining populations?
All European people are going to end up somewhat darker- for this influx can never be stopped so the countries might as well accept their fate.
Why?
Is it only restricted one way....?
If it gets tedious this way... you should try reading just that (and nothing much else!) the other way!!!
Respect works both ways, Dr.Saliba. I hope you agree because I can be most respectful to those who give respect. And most intolerant otherwise...
You put me in coventry...(how childish!) yet here you are answering...albeit not to any question thus far put... we'll put that bit confusion down to old age rather than to graceful elevation from 'Elve' status....
>you have so many personal axes to grind,
I think not.... one have axes to grind when one loses not wins battles.....
(that shouldn't confuse you much...)
;)
> but you should pay attention, boy... it's the Beck column that has the restaurant mentions.
Oh I know which column its in - just thought you do a better job writing about meals rather than the usual (in my oppinion) drivel found in both columns, namely....
- your version of history
- you continual attacks on nonagenerians (sic!)
- your refusal to live in the present but in (parts of) the past
- your refusal to answer pretty straight forward questions....
Still not paying attention boy...? write down 100 times:
"abusus non tollit usum" and "quod me nutrit me destruit."
> Do try to keep up.
Way ahead of you...... zooom!
I wonder what ABC would have said had it been directed at Gonzi!
In all fairness, I do not think the plot, (or 'fraternal link') is THAT thick & complicated.
No fair damsel in distress here!
No, I put it down to plain old simple: another chance to say something bad about (spit on the floor and crush underfoot) anything MLP related....
Dear, oh dear.... times ARE bad, Charles!
Well.... its either that or having to write something about today's dire straights (not of the musical variety either!).... and we couldn't possibly say anything remotely bad about today's situation, now can we??
That would be perceived as pure sacrilege by the 'white knights' at ArthurPN's Round Table -
totally out of order...
Louis Dudek
The MLPN divide will keep Malta split into two. Maybe it is time to change our constitution and adopt a system similar to that of the Isle of Man were political party systems are not strong, and most members sit as independents with no party allegiance.
To all Lil’Elves and Lilliputians, the world is not coloured in red or blue.
The world is not coloured in red or blue.
Here in the UK the government is unpopular causing the political pendulum to swing Rightwards despite the Conservatives taking so long to get their act together..
There is little point in my fellow elves out there ranting against the Nationalists for though the political pendulm was swinging Leftwards the MLP chiefs made a mess of the election and the faithfull perceive that the same faces front the Party-apart from a young untried leader.
That leader is now considering appointing a CEO-attempting to offset the three old stagers?
There is a danger that the Redskins will have too many chiefs but not enough braves. and I consider that my Maltese comrades should cast a beady eye at the multi-feathered top end at their own glass house at Mile End..
My brothers of the Left on this blog seem to make the most noise and they might well display more dignity in the furtherance of socialist principles..
Keep the Red Flag flying though!
Is man basically good, or evil? Some say he is good, and some say he is evil. Man will operate with good, or evil. It depends on his environment. End of story.
Dear, oh dear! Talking about regurgitating more of the usual...
Here's hoping that the replies to your scribbling do not zoom by overhead unnoticed as usual...
>I’ll be accused, by the younger Lil’Elves, of living in the past...
They say that one should neither live in the past nor in the future but live.... today. Try it.
>probably .... will berate me for failing to recognise the magnificence that is Dom Mintoff.
At a precursory count, 9/10 of your scribblings include something against him. Surely the rumours why you hate the man with a passion can't be so..... can they?
>In fact, even taken on a case-by-case basis, there’s not much to recommend Mintoff to >anyone ...
Would you care to state this as fact or as a mere opinion? Do answer, this time will you?
>Toni Abela, Deputy Leader of the MLP for its affairs, for example....
Being of the (spit on the floor!) MLP (Big?) Elve variety ...he's NOT entitled to an opinion is he now?!! How dare he!
Hmmmm.....
What no 'nosh recommendation' to end off with? What a slip up..!
As the master in the public school dream would say.... "Pay more attention.... boy!!"
I wonder how he will portray Dr Mario Demarco and Dr Paul Borg Olivier, whom I admire a lot and consider the greatest assets of the PN for the future.