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After the dust settles -Muscat's Cheek
The moment you think that our collective gaggle of representatives had scraped the bottom of the barrel out comes the latest bravado. This time it is the Master himself : Inhobbkom Joseph. I cannot decide what to believe: Is it Joseph who thinks that every other voter is damn stupid or are voters really that stupid and swallow this shit? Excuse my French. What faeces? I hear you ask. Well let me quote the Master as quoted on MaltaToday (quoting from TX)….
Joseph Muscat said on TX yesterday that Gonzi has no choice but to vote yes and represent the will of the majority. “MPs must vote yes, or else abstain if they have a problem of conscience… the prime minister has cornered his party by taking an official stand against divorce.”
Muscat also said the PN should change its official position on divorce after the people voted in favour of the divorce bill. “Gonzi’s position against divorce today is just like Labour’s position against EU accession or to withdraw Malta’s membership. That is the PN must revisit its position against divorce because it goes against the people’s will.”
Muscat said that Labour MPs were free to be activists against the introduction of divorce and were free to abstain on the vote of the divorce bill. The Labour leader also said his party had left the door open for MPs like Labour MP Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, who said she would be abstaining on the divorce bill vote.
OK. Here’s a reminder. In point form. So we can think calmly.
1. Joseph Muscat INSISTS that the PN must revisit its position against divorce because it goes against people’s will. So this man is stupid (sorry) enough to believe that a NON-POSITION on divorce is not against the people’s will? How does Labour’s NON-POSITION on divorce reflect the will of the majority? Explain.
2. “MP’s must vote yes or else abstain” says Joseph. Funny that Joseph now has the right to prescribe votes for other MPs when he cannot even old his own house in order. And again, how does Gonzi “have no choice but to vote yes” but other MPs must “vote yes or abstain”.
The shit has hit the fan as J’accuse predicted. The logical leaps and attempts to justify abstentions and the temptation to get a minority No vote are incredible. From all sides. Our politicians have abdicated their duty to legislate in favour of a minority right from day one. They passed on that responsibility to a reluctant voter who is now baffled that once he gave them a new remit there is so much pussyfooting and shuffling of feet.
Here’s how it stands:
1. Neither PL nor PN can afford a situation where the law does not pass. The law will pass.
2. Joseph’s PL is trying to get political mileage by focusing on the PN’s original position against divorce while trying to make us all forget that the “free vote” was Joseph’s idea originally – and that it is just as much an abdication from political party representation as a NO vote.
3. Gonzi’s PN is in a quandary. On the one hand Joseph’s antics have thrown the party a lifeboat – the grapevine is already building the either/or option and lesser evil spin – ready for the next election.
Both party’s are suffering the consequences of the Spineless Coalitions they formed in the desperate attempt to garner the relative majority that gives them the coveted crown. The King got his crown but none of them can wield it in the interests of its people.
J’accuse and many others are being vindicated for their ideas back in 2008 when we were “objects of hate” and purveyors of “wasted votes”…. simply because we did not buy the lesser evil option. We urged people to vote for parties with clear policies on specific issues and not the populist giants.
It’s not always fun being right.
In un paese pieno di coglioni, ci mancano le palle. – J’accuse 2011
*Caveat: This post is based on MaltaToday getting the report correct. We are prepared to retract our opinion that Joseph Muscat is definitely an opportunist politician should he or the Labour party come out with a correction of any of the abovequoted statements.
I somehow doubt that any retraction will be needed. So Inħobbkom Joseph says PN must vote such and such, but he can not rein in Coleiro Preca, Vassallo, etc.
1) After having watched TX yesterday, I can confirm that that was indeed the gist, almost word for word.
2) It’s actually quite amazing how spectacularly spot-on our warnings were three years ago. But don’t bet on even a mere acknowledgment from the purveyors of the “objects of hate” line, even as they take a hard-line stance on the latest shenanigans.
3) Acknowledgment is, in fact, another key component of a functioning democracy.
I do not have any strong views either way (on above arguments) but would like to share some thoughts that to my mind explain some of the concerns:
Muscat INSISTS that the PN must revisit its position against divorce because it goes against people’s will.
A fair enough question i think. Will the NP contunue to have it on its agenda that it stands against divorce? Does it have an inclination to remove the law at a future first opportunity? Imagine the impact on our prospects if Labour did not change its stand on eu post election.
(how is it) that a NON-POSITION on divorce is not against the people’s will? Since the non-position the people had their say so the non-position is water under the bridge no? And we all know that divorce legislation will pass through parliament through the critical mass of support on the labour side.
“MP’s must vote yes or else abstain” says Joseph…And again, how does Gonzi “have no choice but to vote yes” but other MPs must “vote yes or abstain”.
I believe that the argument goes something like ‘ Dr Gonzi as Prime Minister of a people who had their say and who will be proposing the bill to Parliament means that it will be strange (is it?)if the priminister as Primeminster would present a a bill that he may vote against…a technincality of no great shakes either way if you were to ask me.
What is to Muscat’s credit is that Malta will soon have divorce legislation and to my mnd he was the outstanding catalyst in the process with JPO as the official historical figure who will carry the banner…I do not think we can take that away from Dr Muscat.