Speaking in the name of…

The GRTU said today that Vince Farrugia, a PN candidate for the European Parliament elections, would stay on as its director-general but would not speak on its behalf until the elections were held on June 6.

Which means what exactly? That should Vince Farrugia not get elected on June 6th he would then revert to being neutral Vince and be able to represent the interests of his union as best he can? Not that we were worried that Vince could not guarantee sniffing which way the best wind is blowing – given his comments to di-ve.com the other day. The GRTU is content with the fact that its staff were used to working while Vince is away so this short absence while VF jumps on the PN bandwagon won’t affect them much.

Meanwhile, back in Bruxelles, Simon Busuttil has been appointed spokesperson on the EU Asylum Support Office for the EPP. This means that Simon will be representing the EPP when the new EU legislation on the EU Asylum Support Office is drafted. Well done for Simon. Simon forgot to take heed of RMTT’s warnings of not exporting partisan quabbles to EP matters and could not resist a swipe at Joseph Muscat on the matter:

“….this proposal is not a Socialist discovery as Dr Muscat would have us believe. It is an EU initiative that goes back to the Hague Programme in 2004. So, as usual, the Labour Party is trying to steal credit for other people’s ideas. Secondly, three years ago I supported a budget amendment proposed by Louis Grech on this office, even if plans were still vague because the matter was still being studied by the Commission. My support was also reported in the media; so it is incredible that the PL should now claim that I did not support Mr Grech.”

The language is a bit sorry for someone accusing another party of “trying to steal credit”. It’s not Labour’s idea, no doubt about it… but doesn’t Simon leave you with the lingering doubt that he tries to imply that it was his own (or his party’s)? Don’t worry… it wasn’t either. It’s an EU initiative. It is only now, that we are in the run up for an EP election campaign that both PN and PL are busy claiming fatherh0od of such ideas.

While our parties bicker on issues under the general subject of “Who’s Your Daddy”, the East-West divide that had healed since the fall of the Berlin Wall and end of the Iron Curtain has revived following last weekend’s debacle on what kind of aid is necessary. Hungary seems to be the main spokesperson for the floundering East European states as the EU faces the first real challenge to its foundaitons.