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Oh! Yes You Will!
“You will not read about this in J’Accuse even though at one point it seemed that the man could not get enough reminding us that the Nationalist slogan for the 2008 general election “Flimkien kollox possibli” was plagiarised from Sarkozy’s 2007 presidential campaign slogan. Sarkozy’s slogan, by the way, was “Ensemble tout devient possible” (”Flimkien kollox isir possibli“) not “Ensemble tout est possible” (”Flimkien kollox [huwa] possibli“) which Jacques regularly uses. But I guess some freedom with translation should be allowed when such an important point is being made.” – Malta9thermidor, e-day -6
It’s election time so you may forgive Fausto’s keyboard if it turns into a frenetic shade of blue as he prepares for that regular appointment of becoming a PN stalwart through and through. He believed that we would let this one go by. He actually thought that you would not read about this in J’accuse but the opportunity was as succulently appetising as yesterday evening’s viennetta and strawberrries and we could not really let it by.
I will let readers savour the above introductory paragraph in “Reduce, Re-use, Recycle“, Thermidor’s latest attempt at Green-bashing while ignoring the blemishes of the party he tends to find most pleasing among his voting options. Thermidor is still convinced that J’accuse is on some green backhander due to the fact that for the third election running we conclude that a voters’ number one should go to a green candidate. Not quite, Fausto. What is really really exciting right now are Fausto’s logical somersaults in ordr to justify the doings of the men and par condicio women at Stamperija.
Together We Plagiarised a Phrase
Take this Sarkozy slogan business. 6 days before the election Fausto seems to have come up with a solution. The use of the word “Flimkien” (together) in previous campaigns means that when the nationalists used a phrase with a specific meaning that was most evidently stolen from a campaign in the same period in France that was mere coincidence. Fausto takes a leaf out of spinmeisters and focuses on the Flimkien/Together aspect of the slogans – not exactly a rare word in politics is it?
What he does not see is the second part of the phrase “everything is/can be possible” – which translates to “kollox possibli” (the ” is/can” be conundrum being less clear in Maltese than in French – since when would anyone say “isir possibli” Faust?”). Now there’s a rare phrase in politics – one whose synonym is “Yes We Can” incidentally but more of that later.
At the end of the day the first few paragraphs of the post serve only as a lame introduction to what is to follow, which in terms of Green Bashing is just about the scraping of the bottom of the barrel. You see Fausto Majistral, who will deny that his motive is to minimise the green vote as much as possible, is actually, really, verily, trying to make us believe that he does not know the difference between a Europe-Wide campaign and separate national campaigns. Fausto tries to tell us that the Maltese Greens are copycats and plagiarists because their slogan is the same as that of the European Greens:
A Party Slogan is A Party Slogan
I had already said that the Greens slogan of “Energija. Esperjenza. Ewropa.“, borrowed (or “plagiarised” — depends how you want to see it) from the European Greens was lame. It’s lame in and of itself. But all the more so when applied to the case of the Maltese Greens.
Thank you Fausto. Thank you for this opportunity to remind readers that the Green party is a much more cohesive entity in the European field than the pick’n’mix EPP grouping in which the PN places itself. The reason that Alternattiva Demokratika have the same slogan as the European Greens is because … IT IS THE SAME SLOGAN. That’s not plagiarising because, as far as I know, you cannot plagiarise yourself. What is lame and sad is the recent appropriation of the “Yes We Can” slogan by Cassola and Arqueros. Desperate, to say the least, but even there do we find a saving grace. Arqueros’ article in last Sunday’s Indy did end with an acknowledgement to Obama’s paternity of the slogan. You cannot really see the same kind of acknowledgement in the PN campaign or in recent articles by David Casa for example.
Duty Calls
And then there was this gem – fruit of an incandescent typing by the detached defender of the Stamperija deeds:
But Jacques is busy using inch space on the Indy for vote phishing for Cassola (if Jacques were serious in wanting to spread Malta’s MEPs amongst as many political formations as possible and giving higher preferences to candidates who least stand to be elected he’d be giving his first preference to John Zammit). So duty demands that I step in.
Duty? Let’s kick off with the John Zamit gig. Fausto conveniently ignores the fact that J’accuse is pushing for EFFECTIVE REPRESENTATION. When we ruled out AN, IE and the comic Liberali from our lists it is because we see these groups for what they are. If I am serious about obtaining effective representation for the country I would not be giving my preference to John Zammit. Then again the John Zammit card favours the PN groupies tremendously. Time and again this comic side of Maltese politics has been used to burst the bubble of such ideas as a national threshold for national elections: “Mela trid li jitla’ Lowell jew Zammit?”. The banality of their comments escapes them…
J’accuse is not vote phishing for Cassola but for effective representation. Thre way votes will give more power to the Maltese electorate. With Cassola in the EP there is one other watchdog who can uncover government cover ups on the application of EU law. Which is not what you wil get with Triccas and co is it? Not even Super Simon was able to avoid 5 years of illegal tax on departure… how’s that for effectiveness Fausto?
Vote Crossly – and Ignore the Last Minute Stabs
Your Prime Minister went to the hunting community and warned them that if they did not vote they would get Cassola. How’s that for clarity Faust? Before last election the Nationalist party removed unsightly caravans from their place – the caravans are back and this at the same time that JPO and APC will be dancing the night away at Mistra. National issues is what the PLPN wanted to base this election on. There isn’t much to shout about there either.
At the European level we have an opportunity (once again) to bring about change. A vote for a third force could test the ground effectively and actually enhance our representative power – much to the chagrin of the PLPN armada. I doubt we will do so in the end but hell, it’s worth a try. It’s more of a Yes We Could than a Yes We Can but thanks to the fuddled rubbish propaganda and twisting of facts we will probably be voting more of the same.
Neuter Our Effectiveness in the EP? With advice from Thermidor … of Course We Can!
Proprjament ridt nikkumenta taht SILENCE OF THE NATS imma jew ghafst il-buttuna zbaljata jew ma rajtx il-comment facility.
Issa jonqos li fuq din ta l-ispejjez elettorali johorgu jghidu in-Nazzjonalisti li il-limitu ta infiq hu baxx wisq. Jista jkun. Imma allura ghandhom ibiddlu l-ligi u mhux jiehdu l-istruzzjonijiet minn Stefano Mallia biex ma jikxfux kemm nefqu f’parties jew min hallas ghalihom.
Insomma …. rajt li Daphne regghet intefghet tikoreggi l-Ingliz hazin ta l-Maltastar (ghandha ragun). Forsi trid tidhol taghmilhom xi editing? Tghidilna jekk qatt ghamlet xi editing jew copywriting ghal xi ministeru jew agenzija tal-gvern? Kollox apertament ovvjament….
The Green Party PRO once called me an “apologist” and someone who “parrots” tal-Pieta’. In his own moral snobbery — typical of Green Party supporters — he failed to notice that his job, by definition, requires him to do those same things for his party. This post reminds me of that exchange. Fausto’s keyboard is turning blue but Jacques’ is expressing his troubled deliberations on “effective representation” which, invariably, end up with an endorsement for whichever Green candidate is running. Of course, it’s only to have Maltese MEPs in as many EP groupings as possible. I can only pity John Zammit who make an identical argument in his latest YouTube vid and is still considered as the comic Zammit next to the serious Zammit.
On Sarkozy’s slogan, nice try taking it off to the murky waters of translation. But let’s get back to the core argument and indisputable facts. Sarkozy’s presidential slogan was “Ensemble tout devient possible” and on more than one occasion J’Accuse claimed it was “Ensemble tout est possible”. You see, those that those who are ready to affix the sing “Green apologista” to your blog point this out as a case where, for the sake of some Nat-bashing you are ready to take some liberty with the facts to bolster your argument. After all “Ensemble tout est possible”, unlike what Sarkozy actually used, is unequivocally “Flimkien kollox possibli”. But I’m sure you have a better explanation, firmly grounded in you eternal quest for the Holy Grail of Effective Representation. Care to give it?
@ Fausto – Ikkalma gbin. Sa fejn naf jien hadd ma qal li int xi PRO ufficjali tal-PN. Nemmnuk meta tghid li m’intix ufficjal tal-PN (lanqas Stefano Mallia mhu ufficjal tal-PN imma hlief jaghtihom l-istruzzjonijiet bl-email u jaghmel surveys ma jaghmilx) – sempliciment “qed jghinhom ftit”. Ghaliex qed tisthi tghid li trid tghin il-PN jahasra? Tant imbarazzak il-kandidati Nazzjonalisti? U imbilli xi wiehed minhom ha parti f’dibatitu ma CNI? U imbilli wiehed jghid li hu kontra d-divorzju imbaghad ibiddel id-diska l-gurnata ta wara? U imbilli wiehed qabdu ugigh ta zaqq u ma marx il-festin ta JPO ghad-unur tieghu? U imbilli ilhom jghaffgu bl-emails? U imbilli rajna survey fazula fis-Sunday Times? L-aqwa li naqbdu ma Jacques…. u l-islogan ta Sarkozy u l-Hodor….. ara x’nitnejku…..jekk gejna f’dan anke l-islogan li qed juza Gonzi “Small is beautiful” hi ikuppjata…. u m’ghadna xejn (hlief thassibna xi ftit ghal xiex kien qed jireferi). Tantx titmashan ghal kull haga ta xejn Faust, ghax veru tidher redikolu…u n-nies li ghandhom hafna Taste u Flair jibdew jidejqu jaghmluha mieghek… u sahansitra jibdew jipreferu jmorru ghal hamburger ma Muscat. Sahha