Reader Danny Attard has made an interesting point in comments to the previous blog post. He highlighted a question that I had posed back on August 7th in the post “When the Rule of Law is a Gambling Act” when I asked the following:
‘So. We have a list of questions for Mr Fenech. How do “lacunas in the law” in March become “evident” certainties in August, enough to justify a police raid?’
No answers have been forthcoming as yet, but the question still holds.
It’s 2009 and the students at the University of Malta have caught the progressive flu. In a move that is definitely intended to mimick the more progressive politicians (read twisted ideas of cool and trendy) a new organisation was launched on campus. While you could be forgiven for thinking that the name Pulse was so extraordinarily passé and out of touch you are now allowed an intellectual barf bag into which to expel your natural reaction to the absolute dimwitted name that Move tends to be.
The twenties had Avanti! and now the noughties have Move. What did the latest addition to the heartland of promising politicians have to propose upon its birth on campus? Why if not that absolutely progressive, earth-shaking, monumentally mind-blowing suggestion that condom machines be installed on campus! I had to double-check in the hope I was wrong but hey… nope… like a latter-day Joseph Muscat on a stipend, Move will strive for Condoms on Campus.
As though we did not have enough rubber johnnies climbing the political greasy pole already.
L-impjegati funzjonarji tal-kumpanija nazzjonali tal-energija irrabjati. Ghandhom ghad-deputati parlamentari li ghogobhom izannznu abbozz ta’ ligi sabiex il-kumpanija li jahdmu maghha tigi ipprivatizzata u tinqasam f’kumpanija ghal kull belt kbira – jigifieri Lussemburgu u Esch-sur-Alzette. Il-haddiema dlonk ghollew lehenhom kontra il-mishut mostru “privatizzazzjoni” u t-tfal tieghu “incertezzi tas-suq” u “nuqqas ta’ permanenza” kif ukoll il-bastardi tieghu “nuqqas ta’ xoghol” u “downsizing“. Mill-ewwel is-sindakati hargu bil-ghajta solita taghhom “Issa Daqshekk” u gheddu li jaghmlu hafna storbju u frakass jekk id-deputati ma jirtirawx din il-proposta oxxenament ridikola.
Mhux hekk ghamlu d-deputati u allura il-haddiema tal-kumpanija nazzjonali tal-energija twahhdu fi protesta u bhall-folla ta’ Ruzar qamu f’daqqa jghajjtu u joholqu “pannes” u “bloquages“. Qatt ma fhimtha din tal-istrajk li iktar ittellef lic-cittadin komuni milli lis-superdeputat li jasal ghax-xoghol bid-driver u li ma jkollux laqghat qabel wara nofsinhar. Sadattant eluf ta’ eluf ta’ lussemburgizi, frustieri residenti u transfrontalieres qded jidghu ghax il-bozzoz tal-mija ghorrief tal-kumpanija tal-energija qazzu l-alla tal-energija pulita u ibblukkjaw kull triq principali go nofs id-dukat. Ma nafx liema simpatija riedu minn ghand il-popolin – votant u mhux votant – imma din tal-karba u dimostrazzjoni rari tikkonvincini dan l-ahhar.
Issa erhili nghaddi mill-Petrusse, Gare, Pfaffenthal u hekk biex nasal ghal Kirchberg flok sewqa ta’ hames minuti kollox minn Belair ghal Kirchberg dirett. Kollha hela ta’ hin … u energija.
Din il-bloggata dehret l-ewwel fuq Kinnie & Twistees. Kont ilni tlettax-il xahar ma nikteb fuq dak il-blog. Bidu gdid?
There is a rude Maltese expression that I doubt has a long historic pedigree but which has become part of popular usage. It involves a zoological appreciation of the natural impossibility that would be cross-breeding a pachyderm and a member of the gryllidae family using nothing more than a great deal of patience and a modicum of saliva. I was reminded of this expression when reading the Times report of Joseph Muscat’s announcement of a “demonstration” in Zabbar. It turns out that “the people” will be demonstrating “peacefully but firmly” that “the truth will prevail”. Now, to continue on the lines of zoological appreciation mentioned earlier, if that is not a load of circum tauri then I do not know what is.
Pratchett has adapted his famous “truth” quote in the new book “Unseen Academicals”. Terry is now firmly convinced that “Truth” is a she – mainly because if a Lie will get to go half-way around the world before Truth can get its boots on – then Truth has to be a she. In any case, Minister Fenech has been travelling – not around the world but to London to watch Arsenal in the company of owners of major gaming operations right at the moment when the new gaming laws are being debated in parliament. The Prime Minister does not believe that this is a conflict of interest. There may not be, but one really does have to wonder why Minister Fenech needs the luxury of a private plane and company of parties interested in the outcome of currently debated legislation in order to go to the Emirates Stadium. A bigger question would be Why Arsenal?
So the Lie is travelling around the world, Truth is having a bit of a difficulty getting its boots on, and Joseph? Inhobbkom Joseph is preparing a right proper demonstration. The man must surely believe in the effects of zen. Or he must agree with the not so old Maltese adage:
“Bil-pacenzja u ftit bzieq, iljunfant hexa wurzieq.”
(With some patience, and a bit of saliva, an elephant screwed a cricket).
This article and accompanying Bertoon are published in today’s edition of The Malta Independent on Sunday.
There are days when no matter how much I try, I fail to find a topic that will serve to meld together the little fragments of information of the past week. In such cases I tend to roll my eyes in autistic desperation while hoping for some divine intervention that will unblock the inevitable flow of words that normally follows the general thrust of the aforementioned umbrella topic in the manner of a smoking locomotive on a binary track.
Rarely, very rarely, the bloated muses of the hebdomadal columnist fail to turn up for their weekly appointment. I am therefore left stranded up a narrow, faeces-infested inlet while riding a primitive form of maritime transportation bereft of any form of mechanical propulsion – or as my girlfriend insists I explain – I find myself up shit creek with no paddle. Literally speaking that is.
A newbie to the Maltese blogging world (and an interesting specimen at that) this week stated: “The migration of J’Accuse to the print media marked an end to that blog’s cult status, the domestication of an avant-garde.” I beg to differ. On second thoughts I don’t even beg. I assert my disagreement with the utmost conviction and determination. To my mind, the only deterioration since the aforesaid migration has been the lugubrious long-winded verbosity that weighs down the measured thoughts that would otherwise have been expressed in telegraphic form on the blog of “cult status”.
In other words J’accuse is about as “domesticated” as a wild zebra named Spartacus so we assiduously resent that accusation. “The Malta Pamphleteer”, for that is the name of the anonymous blogger who dared ruffle the feathers of this (wild) peacock, is worth a read though – if you can stick through J’accuse’s 2000 word weekly digest then you can definitely survive a dive into the Pamphleteer’s politico-historic evaluation of liberty and Giorgio Mitrovich. It’s a read-only project for now but could be an interesting basis for discussions on the role of a liberal democratic party in Malta. The only pity is that maltapamphleteer.wordpress.com risks becoming as long-windedly indigestible as J’accuse on a bad day. A very bad day.
The new law intended to regulate gambling is currently being debated in parliament. J’accuse has often taken a stand criticising the hypocritical policy approach towards gambling taken by government. On the one hand it attempts to attract the investment of internet gaming companies (and ancillary revenues) and on the other it stands on the moral high ground shaking an angry finger at those men fixated in the one-armed bandits and other slot machines. We are pleased to note that we are not alone in denouncing the contradictions of the PN government (see “Game Off” by DCG on today’s Malta Independent).
