Saturday, 19th September 2009
SPORTING ELVES
The advantage of writing a blog is that conventionally it is unbound by the strictures of deadline that main-stream journalism imposes.
This is a pretty way of saying that you can goof off and let your blog swing in the breeze that blows through the ‘Net if you’re so inclined, especially when you’ve put one up with which you’re quite happy and which is still making people comment.
My last little effort, dumping somewhat on Mr Maurice Mizzi and his pronouncements from on high about how to solve the immigration problem (and that evocative manner of putting it is his, not mine) was on these lines, and the comments, some good, many inane and a few downright racist, rolled in with desultory regularity.
That, combined with my being occupied with other things, like lazing around or working (no prizes for guessing which took precedence) caused the blog to be left up for what now appears to be an unconscionable duration.
Which is not to say that this won’t, either.
Now that the torpor of August is over, our well-beloved politicians are rousing themselves from their well-deserved rest (in whose opinion it is well-deserved I will, of course, leave to you to debate) and making their presences felt.
We have the guys on the Nationalist side gearing themselves up for the Independence Day celebrations and the guys on the Labour side cranking the machine into action so that they don’t get left out of the news.
The sight of Dr Joseph Muscat touring the Playmobil factory, happily, allows me the luxury of an inane crack on the lines of “is he looking for some new people to run the Labour Party?”, but let’s leave that aside.
Then you get the guys who occupy the tiny spaces outside the real political spectrum, such as Josie Muscat, trying to persuade the media that they are worth giving a few moments to, though if the best these people can come up with is having two National Days, then it’s time for a radical re-think on their part and on the part of the media.
This time of the year always renders the Nationalists, and consequently the Government, open to charges of “bread and circuses” or of acting in the manner of Nero.
The country isn’t at its very best, I think it is fair to say, what with the world economic crisis (or should that be crises?) having an effect on us and domestic affairs also not exactly being such as to give the PM and his band of Ministers restful nights. As always, if you take the Orizzont/Torca/SuperOne/MaltaToday lens as the one through which to examine our immediate surroundings, you would have to conclude that all is for the worst in the worst of all possible worlds, and the antidote that is provided by Nazzjon/Mument/101NET is wearing a tad thin.
The reality is, of course, that Maurice Mizzi’s ludicrous 50,000 below the poverty-line notwithstanding (where the man got that figure is lost in the mists that no doubt drape his garden at this time of the year) we’re not having such a torrid time. Things are not great and people have lost their jobs, which is never anything to be made light of, for all the thinly-disguised glee that the anti-Government media sometimes displays, but there are green shoots of optimism showing, here and there.
Not if you believe the Lil’Elves, though, of course. These charming little creatures, identifiable either by their names or by their horrendous grasp of spelling, syntax and grammar, (or, very often, a combination of both) first made their appearance during the last General Elections, when they tried, unsuccessfully as we all know, to bolster Labour’s chances of winning, chances which were, according to the polls before the campaign started, on the lines of a shoo-in.
That was before Alfred Sant had his effect on the race and from then on, all the Lil’Elves in the world couldn’t save it, though that’s as may be, now.
We’re seeing a resurgence of the dear little creatures now, their having had a boost to their ecology by the EP Elections just past. They seemed to get a second wind before then and Labour’s undoubted success (well, let’s say relative success) has given them even more power to their fingers (you don’t use elbow typing)
There is a clear campaign running to make sure that the comments sections of the Times are full of negative jibes against anything the Government tries to do, whether it is bad, good, neutral or whatever.
Even when something happens that is not within the Government’s control, you get a whole slew of erudite comments being made, generally in lousy English (or more precisely, in Maltese but using English words) and with spelling that clearly benefits from spell-check but not from syntax-check. And that’s to say nothing about the depth of thought that goes into some (most) of the negative comments. If you want evidence, as Wren had said, look not around you, in this instance, but below, where I’ve no doubt that the Lil’Elves will jump in.
There’s nothing wrong with political parties having strategic and tactical machines in place: it is the essence of democracy as we know it that broad-brush strokes are applied in order to get swathes of the electorate marking the ballot-papers on the correct side. Whether this is the sort of democracy that we want is a whole other argument, of course, but while it is the one we have in place, there’s nothing we can do about it.
But please, guys, try to get your act together and not be so tedious. And do take some lessons in basic English, too.
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Comments
I have to generalize because it will take writing a book to treat each argument individually. For example, the politicians you mentioned who switched parties fall under two separate categories: few if any, who CROSSED THE FLOOR, and others who switched at election time. Secondly switching from PN to PN does not count even if, for expediency, a letter was inserted between the 'P' and the 'N'. Switching from PCP to MLP was simply the recognition that under the PCP, Dr.Buttigieg's political career was in a cul-de-sac and he had the intelligence to switch to a more electable party at that time.
You know my views about Mintoff so there's no need to comment regarding the influence he had on your decision to switch and neither shall I comment about the departed.
More importantly, I have no problem with your allegiance to the LP and (almost) never had any personal problems with you. As a matter of fact I tend to treat some of your outrageously biased opinions with empathy, but when you cast stones from within your glass house, then I have to hurl a few back at your shattered glass house and your beloved party's!
'The real point at issue is not that the adherents of one or other political party'
So can you explain to me why we are all under the impression that 'Lil Elves' actually refers to labour supporters and not to nationalist supporters?
'...Not if you believe the Lil’Elves, though, of course. These charming little creatures, identifiable either by their names or by their horrendous grasp of spelling, syntax and grammar, (or, very often, a combination of both)...'
@ J Martinelli
You tend to generalise. At the moment I can only think of a few politicians that were successful after crossing over namely:- the Late Coronato Attard crossed from PDN to PN, Marlene Pullicino from PN to PL, Daniel Micallef from PHN to PL, George Bonello Depuis from PHN to PN, Anton Buttigieg from PCP to MLP, Guido de Marco, the man you regularly quote, from PN to PDN to PN. Two of these made it to the highest office.
As for my early conversion I can tell you that the Late Agatha Barbara, Anton Buttigieg, Guze Cassar, Notary Abela and above all, Dom Mintoff influenced me to switch to labour. And I have no regrets at all at all.
Converts standing up to get counted Joe. Read today’s Times.
Quote “Marisa Micallef, the former chairman of the Housing Authority, has been appointed a strategy adviser to Labour leader Joseph Muscat, The Sunday Times reports today.
She joins a small team of consultants reporting directly to Dr Muscat. Her main role will be to help convert voters who never considered Labour.
In the past, Ms Micallef used to be criticised by Labour for writing pro-PN political articles while chairing a public entity.
Asked by The Sunday Times for its comments, the PL said the 'past was past' and it meant business when it said it was building a new movement.
Ms Micallef unsuccessfully contested the 1998 general election as a PN candidate. She resigned from the Housing Authority in 2008.
Another former head of a public entity, Marlene Mizzi, chairman of Sea Malta, was among the Labour candidates for the European Parliament elections earlier this year, while last year, former PN candidate Marlene Pullicino was elected as a Labour MP.” Unquote.
Turncoats who resort to unjustified vehement attacks, after the maximum spin on reality is used to portray that which cannot be attributed to their former favourite party, are dangerous to their new found party. Their allegiance to the 'new party' is often suspect.
Example: How many politicians who cross the floor are successful in subsequent elections? If a few squeak in, how many see Ministerial appointments? Why? Because their 'new' party will never trust them enough. It is like the fact that if one goes bankrupt once, he is liable to do it over and over again - and that is documented. Ask any Credit Reporting Agency to confirm.
And, by sheer coincidence, it is mistrust which has kept the LP out of government for so long!
Switching parties does not give anyone any new found credibility and often, especially when that person finds, to his/her horror, that the party they jumped to became a perennial loser and the party they jumped from won five out of six elections/referenda thereafter!
I can only guess that in your school days there was a certain charismatic lady Minister of Education who may have influenced you to switch!
“Your copy-and-paste Wikipedia entry mentions people not Lil'Elves.” Correct me if am wrong, does this mean that the PL supporters,refered to on this blog as Lil'Elves, are not humans?
My question was why do you consider people who change their political opinions as “dangerous turncoats”? “Dangerous turncoats” was the term you used in the other post. Now you are telling me that
I got it wrong and that you do not object to people changing their opinion. So much for credibility.
When, as a young boy at school, I abandoned my former sympathies and supported Labour, or as you call it lejber, I done so through conviction not to find a safe haven.
I am so sorry I misspelled Laburisti! I thought that Lejburisti is the true Maltese version like 'tijm' is for 'team', etc.
From now on I shall oblige and refer to Lejburisti as Laburisti. I hope that you and others will be elated.
@ Charles J Buttigieg
You got it wrong. I do not object to people changing their opinion. As a matter of fact that is why a certain sizable portion of the electorate are labeled as 'floaters' because they choose to change their opinion of political parties from one election to the next. They are a very important part of the electorate since frequently they influence the outcome of elections.
What I object to is the vehement attacks, after the maximum spin on reality is used, to portray that which cannot be attributed to their former favourite party.
If either you or Joseph Buttigieg Attard decide to leave the safe haven you found in the LP and rejoin the divided, crumbling, unpopular Nationalist Party, I would take your support with a grain of salt. However, I will certainly not hold my breath!
Some people (not you or JBA) leave parties for egotistic reasons!?
I guess you need some Maltese language lessons. You seem to have a problem when trying to spell Laburisti. Could it be that Laburisti have a problem with English while Nazzjonalisti have the same problem but with Maltese!
All_politicians_campaign_to_ maximize_their_support,_this_is_the essence of democracy in the absence of which you will be left with political apathy at best and a one party state at worst. Throughout our political history the popular support for the PN went up and down and peaked at 51% now it’s down to 40% and sliding. Labour was at its lowest ebb in 1962, gained power in 1971 and lost its absolute majority in 1981. It regained its power in 1996 and lost it soon afterwards in 1998,at the last count it broke all records since 1947 and garnered 55% support and is still rising.
Unlike myself, it took Joseph Buttigieg Attard years to change his opinion, in case you don’t know I too used to support GPO’s PN many years ago, do you sincerely consider this entire shift as a dangerous situation because voters change their opinions? Would you also brazen me as a dangerous turncoat if tomorrow I start supporting Gonzipn?
Incidentally, Joseph Buttigieg Attard blew a whistle to disrupt a PL not a PN Mass meeting in Gozo. At that time, almost the entire Gozo_population were anti Mintoff and now the absolute majority supports Labour.
The real point at issue is not that the adherents of one or other political party should be above being questioned. It is about the use of use of unambiguous and comprehensible language when questioning and when answering.
Hate speech? Nah, it’s all love thy neighbour stuff here.
Your copy-and-paste Wikipedia entry mentions people not Lil'Elves.
By the way, there's nothing wrong with a pigeon's brain, as long as it's inside a pigeon's head.
"You still have not discussed my assertion that ABC classifies his readers in 2 groups".
Take it up with ABC then, not me!
Are you, by any chance, implying that ABC's blog amounts to hate mongering?
Why is it that truth hurts so much? Maybe ABC is keeping score and besides, when he advised contributors to use better English and comments which make sense, he made no distinction between Lejburisti and Nazzjonalisti. Both should be more careful in the use of the English language.
'Hate speech is a term for speech that attacks or disparages a person or group of people based on their social or ethnic group[1], such as race, gender, age, ethnicity, nationality, religion, or lack there of, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, ##language ability###, ##ideology###, social class, occupation, appearance (height, weight, skin color, etc.), mental capacity, and any other distinction that might be considered by some as a liability. '
You still have not discussed my assertion that ABC classifies his readers in 2 groups
1) literate nationalist intelligentia that find no need to question the government.
2) illiterate left wing supporters that are part of a campaign to balance out political discussions on certain blogs including this one.
'At a time when national unity is vital, the Labour Party's motto remains 'divide and conquer' which has proved to be elusive to it and passé'
It is quite obviously naive that the government wants everyone to feel happy about everything it does. One tactic to counteract criticism is to say that all those who criticise want to divide the country. Demonising or rediculing those who criticise has only one intent which is to desuade further criticism.
I agree with d.Attard,This article has some characteristics typical of a hate speech. A hate speech directed towards people with unrefined language abilities and against labour supporters.
Widipedia
Discuss
@ Robert Attard
One's opinions and ideologies can never be superior or inferior to someone else's.
There can be a difference of opinion (obviously) and there can be practical ideologies and impractical ones depending on the angle from which they are viewed.
When you addressed ABC's comments like this: "In other words you're saying :
1) Only nationalist government supporters can leave their comments", were you not implying that Labour supporters are not welcome to leave their comments?
I am certain that Labour supporters who write here are not paid by the LP as much as the NP does not pay me. In a democratic society everyone can express his opinion whether for or against a government which, by the way, is a fairly recent (since 1987) phenomenon since there are no longer any roaming thugs working up anyone who utters the least complaint against the government.
We, of a certain age can read Labour comments for what they are and for what they are intended to do. Indoctrination and spin remain LP tools.
At a time when national unity is vital, the Labour Party's motto remains 'divide and conquer' which has proved to be elusive to it and passé.
In my opinion, there is no more dangerous person than a turncoat!
Woe to the party which gives refuge to such persons!
You may have many more reasons to apologize for, besides blowing a whistle at the Gozo NP meeting!
I agree with you re insult to pigeon's intelligence. In another blog I also spoke up on behalf of jellyfish when the intelligence of petard aficionados was likened to that of these lowly invertebrates. (And jellyfish don't even have brains!).
So Antoine, lay off the pigeons!
I have to disagree.
I never said that non-government supporters were not allowed to write in this Blog.
But it is apparent that ABC tries to discourage this by calling these people stupid illiterate little elves (which quite frankly is getting old).
I respect everyone's opinion and I strongly belief that I should NEVER presume that my opinions or ideologies are superior to those of others.
This article was all about 'min ma jaqbilx mieghi ..injurant laburist imhallas mill-partit'.
Which part of my response to Robert Attard was "unfair", as you put it?
All I did was to interpret ABC's last sentence of his blog and none of it was aimed at Mr. Attard. I felt that Mr. Attard's remarks were as a result of misinterpretation and nowhere, and never have Labour supporters been deprived of writing in this blog as Mr. Attard implies. As a matter of fact, it almost feels that it is exactly the other way around since at times, very mild adjectives I use, cause my posting to be banned or at best, heavily edited and usually they are in reply to much more caustic provocation by some well known and frequent participants of this blog!
Very few writers here are not politically motivated since often, it is the essence of ABC's blog itself. Rarely do you write without explaining your political leanings although your standard disclaimer is that you do not support the (Malta) LP. Does that make you apolitical?
Keep on writing Peter since some of your comments are spot on while others elicit further comments which make this blog so interesting!
Can you please quote words and phrases which have inspired each of your Lil'Elvish points?
@J. Martinelli : I am admittedly of the Left but cannot endorse LP and I amire how right-wingers can read the innermost thoughts of their fellow travellers. I do not think you are fair on Robert Attard and your posting is politically motivated. How convoluted is your last sentence after I had praised you for clarity!
You got it all wrong!
What ABC really meant was that when writing against the government, the writer should mind the correct use of the English language. That way, it becomes less strenuous on the reader and any adjectives, properly placed, would enhance the comprehension of the true feelings of the complainant.
@ Robert Attard:
I was wondewring how long politics would be kept out of this thread but you are correct as ABC invites comments such as yours.
1) Only nationalist government supporters can leave their comments.
2) Those who do not agree with you are being paid by the labour party.
3) No man in his right frame of mind should voice anything negative towards the governement.
4) Only those who can write good english have the right to express their opinions.
Teyk fer instens:
"by their horrendous grasp of spelling, syntax and grammar, (or, very often, a combination of both) ... "
1. spelling
2. syntax
3. grammar
"Both" indicates two elements.
Just kiddin', Dott. That one struck a chord. It tickled the funny bone, so to speak.
And then, there was a crowd of Homing Pigeons, veterans of WWII, retired from the RAF after a distinguished service as couriers of important messages from behind enemy lines, when one of them discovered this blog with Mr. Vella's insult to their intelligence. It turned to the others and said: "Hey guys, did you know that Maltese peacocks can bray?"
The reply from the rest of them violates this newspaper's sensibilities.
Examples of pidgin English: self admittance, lemming-bird, measley, if there ever proof needed..., small bread crumbs (as opposed to big bread crumbs?), etc.
Example of pigeon brain: Erm....well, the comment as a whole would qualify I suppose.
Hahahaha...
That...and the mess 'one' leaves behind in this blog(sic!)
As mentioned before, for writing such drivel, no doubt (and it seems quite obvious) that one is 'humbly grateful' for the small bread crumbs/measley morsels that fall from the master's "table of the Few"....
("No room" on the GREAT TABLE for our feathered friend, no matter how much cooing,gentle pecking and no matter hown hard the feathered chest is beaten or (blue) flag waved, it seems.)
I keep asking myself can 'one' REALLY see such measley payment for scooping (not swooping) so low really worth the humiliation of such demeaning writing and lack of use of "one's" intelligence...?
Then again, and by self admittance, we can also see that we have no busy eagle here but a pigeon who prefers laziness to decent occupation.
In typical manner we've seen the same "birds of a feather" imitate the Charge of the Light Brigade...
Dear oh dear oh dear..pathetic!
If there ever proof needed of the existance of the lemming-bird it would surely be found right here.
Pigeon.
Colours Black/Blue.
Facing extinction through fossilisation,
Gets extremely excited at colour RED.
@ D. Attard: Your posting is too diffuse for me to reply within the prescribed limitation.
' J Martinelli : I readily excuse a misplaced homophone in a perfectly
understandable posting. As for the bulk of ABC's blog it is not really my concern.
I share your observation on response by gentle readers but that is down to them and not to a somewhat cantankerous aged foreigner.
ABC's advice regarding the correct usage of the English language has certainly struck a cord and as expected, there will be scores of excuses about English being our second language, ignoring the fact that it happens to be one of our TWO OFFICIAL languages! Proficiency is expected in both languages.
Several decades ago, half of Europe did not teach let alone understand the English language but today one can communicate with ease in most countries. I wonder why? I particularly detest those who insist on writing in Maltese in an English newspaper because they either cannot write in the English language or, they try to hide their usual nonsense from English only readers.
My English may not be perfect all the time, but at the very least I try to check my spelling and proof read what I write before I press the SUBMIT button!
' D. Attard: To Google Beate Abel then cut and paste the subsequent
article is a pointless exerciseand even if you did it in a different manner
it remains without purpose. This is a discussion group.
Is your more recent comment addressing me?
What is your point I managed to prove? I am not aware that we are engaged in an exchange of views.
Your only contribution to this debate is a reference to a pigeon brain that you see as being some kind of a problem.
I can't make heads or tails what you are on about and would appreciate if you were to clarify.
thanks and reagrds
Like you I thought he was joking but it appears the humour was unintentional and d.attard wants us to take him seriously.
Dear d.attard, thank you for proving my point.
what will remain of the english language if we keep out maltese, hindi, italian, australian, french, spanish, german?
i recommend
'English idioms in the first language and second language lexicon: a dual representation approach'
by Beate Abel and published by the University of Wuppertal.
'In two empirical studies, judgements that native speakers of German make about the decomposability of English idioms were investigated. A decomposable idiom is an idiom whose individual components contribute to its figurative meaning, whereas the constituents of a nondecomposable idiom do not make such contribution. The findings were analysed and compared to native judgements. The Model of Dual Idiom Representation is introduced to explain the differences between the two groups. At the lexical level, the model postulates the parallel existence of idiom entries and constituent entries. The degree of decomposability and the frequency with which the idiom is encountered determine lexical representation. If there is no idiom entry for a particular idiom, conceptual representations are accessed during comprehension. Because nonnative speakers encounter idioms less often than native speakers, the first language(L1) and second language(L2) lexicon vary with regard to the number of idiom entries'
@ dr saliba, you are obviously out of your depth.
ABC has warned me in an earlier comment to avoid the question of language in Malta and in particular English. I will take my chance in what he referred to as a minefield-and it is.
You are aware that I am a native speaker of English and that I have a long experience of Malta - over eighty years.
I can understand most of what of what D.Attard and C. Buttigieg are saying but their postings are not idiomatic and such as myself remain confused - but please do not ask me to be explicit. as my aged mind is not so nimble these days.
I can always readily understand what such as ABC or Dr Saliba write.
Transfer this state of affairs to international communication and Malta comes off badly.
In no manner am I denigrating the Maltese language itself but it should be kept out of English. So often it is obvious that some Maltese speaking and writing in English are still thinking in Maltese. and translating.
The two postings in question are out of the normal course of events so I sk
you two gentlemen to go easy on me if I am out of order
This last pearl of wisdom of yours should be eligible for the Pulitzer Prize!!
Do you really mean what you wrote in your parody of a comment or were you trying, and failing, to be sarcastic?
This syntax patronising blogger has no difficulties to overlook his acolytes when they very often express themselves in pidgin-English. Its protecting your own and castigating the others.
Sadly, some privileged propagandists work hard to have us believe that 60% of the Maltese population is a race of ignoramuses because we don’t send our children to ballet lessons and we don’t trust Gonzipn.
The phonology and syntax of an acquired second language including the mastery of specific syllable onset clusters and the attainment of the binding models of reflexive anaphors produce many variations across natural languages.
Practitioners of a second language arrive at parameter settings that fall in between the native and the second language settings.
This occurs when the second language has a less marked setting than that of the native language or when the native language itself is less marked than the second language.
It is therefore perfectly in order for a Maltese person to express him/herself in Maltese-English.