Category: Campaign 2013

Categories
Campaign 2013 Mediawatch

Talk is cheap

The reports from Malta are beginning to make the island sound like Italy in the famous “anni di piombo” – only that stabbing, and not shooting, seems to be the preferred form of violence in 1/3 of the cases reported in the last three days. Sadly all the victims were of the gentler sex and ,coming as the they did after Josie Muscat’s unfortunate choice of words, the crimes have somehow been linked to some twisted train of thought that might exist in the mind of the aggressors. It goes something like “Hey, that nutcase Josie said that most times when a husband beats his wife this boils down to having been provoked. So let me get out my special Laguiole knife and find ma biatch and stab her to kingdom come”.

Tenuous? Very much if you ask me. I’m thinking that it does not really take a very wrong idea being expressed publicly for it to trigger off this kind of crime. In most cases these are crimes of passion – and the kind of passion we are talking about is far far beyond the realm of “first transport of sudden passion inspired by Josie Muscat’s non sequitur of a statement”. Besides, what about the Moroccan lady also found “in a pool of blood” but about whose death there is no suspicion of foul play? Respect for the deceased prevents me from passing observations that would be more appropriate in the case of Frankie Boyle but surely the asses out there braying about Josie’s Provocatory Inspiration should know better?

Then there’s the political side. This morning’s standard read through my FB wall led me to the tiny post by Labour’s president Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi. This other course colleague of mine (a vintage year that class of ’99) posted:

“Three grave crimes in three days – three women victims – action is required! Do you remember “at home and at work without fear?””

The last reference is to an old PN electoral slogan. Stefan probably does not see the irony that the “fear” in question at the time managed to hit home to many people because it was the kind of fear instilled by the Mintoffian regime. Like it or not the culture of not being safe at work or at home (and I would add “at school”) was very much the result of thuggery and violence that was rampant in the late seventies and early eighties. So yes, Stefan, I do remember the slogan and it’s rather funny that you’re asking us to remember it seeing how your movement is so adamant about how useless these Mintoffian flashbacks are.

As for the link between the three crimes and some implied inactivity by government this is even more tenuous than the Josie Muscat link I mentioned earlier. It is stomach churning material how members of both parties find it so easy to throw illogical leaps and links at what they must assume is a very gullible electorate fully believing that anything goes. A Moroccan woman died in a fall – the cause of death is still uncertain – at home, a former policeman shot his wife and an MMDNA nurse was stabbed in Qormi – and whose fault is it according to Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi? Why obviously it’s the fault of the party that once had “at home and at work without fear” as its slogan.

To be fair to Stefan it’s not just him playing this game. PR man Varist has already regaled us with a couple of insinuations too while a couple of sanctimonious bloggers are “guilty” of playing both the “blame Josie” and “blame Gonzi” game.

It’s going to get hotter as the election date gets closer. Hold on tight and try very hard not to be provoked.

Categories
Campaign 2013

Those Lazy Parliamentarians?

For a while I too had got caught in the whole spin business about “our lazy parliamentarians who have delayed the end of summer recess unashamedly”. Having rightly sussed the nationalist ploy to survive to the start of the recess and then hopefully plot the end of Franco over the summer, I wrongly assumed that the October return to business was something extraordinary and that this year’s parliamentary break was a little OTT. Enter Fausto the nitpicker and lo and behold.. there’s no such thing as an abnormal October return to work. It turns out that parliament summer breaks normally end on or around the 1st of October.

There is, after all, nothing strange for parliamentarians to get back to school almost a month after the last school bus started its routine rounds.

For your perusal here is the list of opening sittings after summer recess for the current legilature:

In 2011 the parliamentarians brought their sun-tanned behinds back to the seats on the 3rd of October.

In 2010 they left their yachts and summer houses on the 29th of September. 

2009 marked their “earliest” return to their seats – the 28th September.

In 2008, the first post-election relative minority government and opposition sat down for work after summer on the 29th September.

There. Franco. No need for so much fuss aye?

Categories
Campaign 2013

Wiċċ taz-zokkor u provokazzjonijiet oħra

Il-Membru Parlamentari Ewropew Nazzjonalista Simon Busuttil bħalissa bieżel ifakkar lill-kostitwenti tiegħu illi għadu kif ingħata premju bħala wieħed mill-Membri Parlamentari tas-Sena. Fil-każ tiegħu il-premju ingħata fil-qasam tas-saħħa, mid-dehra bħala rikonoxximent ta’ ħidmietu fil-qasam tad-dijabete “minkejja li la hu u la ħadd minn qrabatu ma huma afflitti minn din il-kundizzjoni”. Rajtha ħelwa wisq din tal-premju għall-ħidma fil-qasam tad-dijabete. Bejn għax tinstema qisu xi premju nobel u li f-daqqa waħda Simon sab xi kura għall-marda misħuta u bejn għax wara kollox dan Simon Busuttil b’dak il-wiċċ ta’ good boy. Qed tifhem? Simon Busuttil… issa offiċjalment il-wiċċ taz-zokkor.

Li ma fhimtx proprju huwa din tal-MEP Awards – speċi ta’ X-Factor u Europe’s Got Talent. U hija daqxejn tan-nejk da parti ta’ Simon li qed ifakkar lill-kollegi tiegħu lokali kemm hu bravu u fuq kollox kemm ħadem meta is-suddetti kollegi għadhom bil-btala tas-sajf. Dak il-wiċċ taz-zokkor l-ieħor li ma jibagħthielekx bil-posta Franco Debono ilu jgorr li jmisshom ilu li reġgħu bdew bl-iskola u homework il-parlamentari nostrani. Imma forsi fejn taf, bejn daħqa u oħra Simon l-istakanovista bl-unuri Ewropej jaf vera qed jibbottja liċ-ċorma għażżenin li hemm il-Pieta biex iqumu minn fuq sormhom. Jekk mhux għad-dijabiete għallinqas biex ma jkomplux iqażżu ‘l allat tal-olimpu bl-inattivita tagħhom.

**

Kellna ukoll wiċċ mill-passat li reġa tfaċċa… is-Sur Josie Muscat. Qalilna li ħafna drabi in-nisa imsawta ikunu ipprovokaw lir-raġel. Ma nafx x-inhu il-kuntest u nispera li hem xi skużanti għal din l-oxxenita hekk kif imlissna mill-ex politikant tal-estremisti Maltin. Ġa kien hemm ibleh amerikan li tkellem dwar “legal rape” u xi kulltant ikollok tirrefletti kemm fil-verita għad hawn min jaħseb hekk u li aħna neħduha for granted li emanċipaw ruħhom għas-seklu elfejn. Premijiet ma hux se jirbaħ Muscat (Josie) għax ħa pożizzjoni li ftit li xejn ser isib min jaqbel miegħu.

Ara Muscat l-ieħor (Joseph) dak jaf x’irid. Dal-weekend ippublikalna it-tnax il-linja gwida li suppost jilluminawna xi ftit dwar l-ideat konkreti li ser ikollu l-moviment progressiv la toqrob l-elezzjoni. Fejn xtaqna l-illuminazzjoni sibna dlam profond u estensjoni ta’ opportuniżmu li issa qed isir meskin. Li għadni ma smajt lil ħadd mid-dinja xellugija progressiva jammetti hija ħaġa ważda u importantissima u bażikament hu dan li ġej :

Jekk għal mument ngħidu u naċċettaw li d-dinja preżenti kif impittra minn Muscat u sħabu hija reali u li Malta hija verament itturufnata bi gvern korrott u biproblemi serji ta’ faqar, immigrazzjoni, edukazzjoni u saħħa – jekk għal mument nibilgħu din l-idea u inħaddnuha bħala verita assoluta (li mhux diffiċli tagħmel dan)… allura kemm iktar u iktar Malta qieghdha tibki għal alternattiva serja li verament u realistikament toħroġna minn din il-miżerja? U jekk inhu hekk allura jistgħu is-Sur Muscat Joseph u sħabu l-moviment kosmetiku progressiv jiefqu jitmejlu bin-nies bil-buzzwords dwar roadmaps, linji gwida u programmi misjura mill-poplu u minflok dan il-circum tauri joffru alternattiva VERA?

Għax jekk l-alternattiva hi dik li qed tiġi ippreżentata u offruta sa issa allura mhux wiċċ taz-zokkor għandhom dawn il-progressivi imma wiċċ infurrat…

U twaħħlux fija… għax mhux tort tiegħi… ipprovokawni.

Categories
Campaign 2013

Self-aggrandisement

Blowing your own trumpet. Over-selling yourself. &c. &c. As though it is not enough that your average voter is kept completely in the dark as to the actual content of the plans for government from the two major parties (barring of course a hermeneutic roadmap or other) he also has to succumb to the marketing overload coming from individual candidates gearing up for another campaign. Facebook is replete with a variety of “individual” campaigns . There’s George Pullicino asking you to join “Team GP” (smart one George but make sure the printers don’t give that Orange a Romanista twist).

I believe that yesterday I saw Charlò Bonnici calling out for members to become part of “his team” while Silvio Parnis is already in “ear-ring giveaway” mode as reported in the pink part of the blogging world. Newcomers are the hardest to fathom – is a potential Franco Debono lying in the background? How can the early signs of megalomania be spotted? Well one clear indicator could be the candidates who oversell themselves and whose PR manager does not seem to see a problem with multiple interviews puffing one’s own ego. Cue Claudio Grech… the latest subject of the shtf never-ending satirical campaign.

Fresh from under the wings of Austin Gatt (hmmm not so sure about the fresh bit) Claudio has joined that other horse from the Gatt stables (Arriva Delia) in the business of self-promotion.  So what do we get? Not one but two interviews in the Sunday papers. Unfortunately for Claudio both papers chose a particular trumpet blowing headline. In the case of the Sunday Times it was “I’m the face of evolution” while in the case of MaltaToday we had “I am an action man“. Right. At least Franco Debono had the decency of boasting about certificates and exam results assessed by others.

Did Claudio utter those two phrases or are they the interviewer’s summary? Whatever the case we get a picture of arrogance – a trait that seems to be the particular branding mark from Austin’s stables. Will it be succesful?

I am sceptic.

 

 

Categories
Campaign 2013

Ħaddieħor

Jiġru affarijiet kulltant li int mingħalik kienu jiġru biss lil ħaddieħor. Kull tant ieħor nieqaf u naħseb li “il-ħaddieħor” li għandna ġo moħħna ma hu xejn ħlief l-alter ego tagħna. Dak li l-ebda qaddis ma jgħinu, dak li kull żvintura tiġri lilu u dak li kif ngħidu f’dawn iż-żmenijiet moderni … jekk għandu jerdgħu jerdgħu. Fil-kollettiv ta’ ħsibijietna il-faqar jiġri lil ħaddieħor, ħaddieħor ħareġ mill-iskola ma jafx jikteb erba’ kelmiet sura, ħaddieħor (miskin) injurant, ħaddieħor jiffaċċja problemi ta’ immigrazzjoni, integrazzjoni, diskriminazzjoni. Ħaddieħor ħaqqu l-ġustizzja vera imma għalina dejjem hemm skużanti. Ħaddieħor ħaqqu l-forka għax saq bil-mobajl ma widnejħ jew ipparkja double-parking imma aħna “kemm neħles din il-qadja”, “kemm għidt lill-mara li se nasal tard għall-ikel” jew “iwa madonna lili qbadt fuq il-mobajl”?

Bħal dak il-biċċier minn Ħaż-Żabbar li mar jistad u intilef (imma sabuħ). Storja ta’ mirakli u wegħdiet lil Madonni ta’ Pinu, Medjugorje u fejn trid iva. Imma laqtitni l-istorja li rrakkonta bl-ikbar onesta. Kellu sangwiċċ li għamlitlu l-mara u ramiegħ lill-ħut għax ma kellux aptitu. Ikel ma kellu xejn miegħu u ġismu kellu jaħdem 48 siegħa fuq belgħa te u stoċċ ħelu. La “flares” la kumpass, la mobajl … xejn. Il-Mediterran, baħar magħluq fejn anki jekk tagħlaq għajnejk taħbat f’xi art u tikteb odissea jew titniżżel minn xi appostlu, sar desert bla tmiem. Id-disperazzjoni tħalltet mat-tama – o tama qaħba li tittanta f’kull bnazzi kif ukoll fil-maltemp. Imbagħad ġabruh u salvawh. Ħajja ġdida.

Imma mhux dik il-kwistjoni. Il-kwistjoni hi l-biċċier li ħareġ jistad jaf ma ħax wisq affarijiet miegħu għax fil-kuxjenza tiegħu id-dsigrazzji jiġru lil ħaddieħor. Inqas responsabilta għalina mhux hekk? Mhux fil-ħażin biss ta’ … imqar il-lotterija ta’ kull ġimgħa. Xi Super 5 tmisslek il-mitt elf. Dik mhux ovvja mhux se nirbaħha jien? Se jirbaħha ħaddieħor. Ja bagħal.

U l-politiċi tagħna bħalissa qiegħdin jegħdew jgħidulna kemm ser ikunu tajbin għal ħaddieħor. Għax bilfors għandhom lil ħaddieħor f’ moħħhom meta per eżempju iwiegħdu iktar xogħol fl-industrija tal-manifattura. Ħeqq miskin, ħaddieħor ikollu jaħdem siegħat twal b’paga (mhux minimum wage) li tikkompeti ma dik tal-ħaddieħor li jaħdem fil-Maghreb, fl-Ewropa tal-Lvant jew iċ-Ċina. Ħaddieħor se jsir magna ta’ prodotti li Alla biss (u forsi ħaddieħor) jaf x’inhuma.

U jgħidulna li se jibnu “middle class” ġdid. Ijja eh. Se jkun kuntent ħaddieħor. Għax ngħiduha kif inhi. Min iżżobb jaspira biex ikun “middle class” illum? Mhux dak il-ħaddieħor li dejjem jerdgħu? Imma miskin se jaħseb għalih ara l-lijder. Ħa jaħseb għal ħaddieħor femminili ukoll. Gvern femminista biex ħaddieħor ifarrak l-ostakoli li sa issa suppost waqqfuh. Bilfors ħaddieħor – dak il-ħaddieħor li se jkun kuntent bl-indħil ta gvern li jaħdem bit-tikketti. Issa se “jagħraf” unjoni bejn koppji omosesswali. Isa ħej. Forsi ser jagħtina xi identikit biex inkunu nistgħu nidentifikawhom? Ara skond il-Linji Gwida 4.1 tal-2013 nista kważi kważi nieqaf insejjaħ lil ħaddieħor “pufta” biex ma jibqgħux jinħolqu ekwiviċi. Qaluli li anki “fidil” qiegħda borderline għax taf tiftiehem ħażin – u ħaddieħor jaf jieħu għalih.

Taf kont mass meeting din il-ġimgħa. Jew fuq il-fosos jew ta’ Qali kont imdawwar bil-folol u rajt lil ħaddieħor ikanta, ħaddieħor ixejjer il-bnadar, ħaddieħor iħarref fuq palk u jroxx il-bżar li ħaddieħor jagħma bih.

Taf kont hemm u taf waqaft tirrefletti – ġejja elezzjoni… tiġi u tmur u tkun qisha ġrat biss lil ħaddieħor. U int fejn kont bqajt għax dakinhar ħallejt lil ħaddieħor jbellagħlek ir-ross bil-labra. Ħallejtu isawwar stejjer dwar kif d-dinja fil-futur tkun aħjar għal ħaddieħor u int komplejt miegħu – għax ħaddieħor hekk għandu bżonn. Ivvotajt u fil-verita ma tafx għal min u għal xiex u eżattament x’inhu ġej.

Għax fis-saħna tal-mument ħaddieħor dejjem isib il-mod kif jirkbek u int mingħajr ma taf issib ruħek fuq dgħajsa f’nofs baħar bla ikel u xorb tittama li ħaddieħor jiġi jsibek u jsalvak qabel ma tmut.

F’dan il-pajjiż ma nsolvux problemi. Nindukrawhom. Il-Ħadd ieħor it-tajjeb.

Categories
Campaign 2013

The politics of denial

Something’s going all Pete Tong in the Nationalist party pre-electoral strategy. Either that or the  powers of self-persuasion among some people must be unnaturally high. If a week is a long time in politics then surviving the minefield of a combined JPO & Franco Debono assault on the stability of a slender parliamentary majority for almost a year is quite a feat. For a long time we had to make do with the histrionics of a party in government attempting to horse-trade its way to the end of the last parliamentary session. The nationalist government alternated from a policy of accommodation to hard-bargaining with the volatile requests of the rebel MPs.

By the time Parliament went into recess we had an obvious situation of Cohabitation Government with Pullicino Orlando and an undefinable shape-shifting relationship with Franco. So long as parliament had been in session Franco Debono’s clout with the PN was simply stated as that extra vote needed to guarantee a governing stability. With the recess came the PN’s definite confirmation that Franco Debono would not be standing for another election in its name (and that instead the electorate would be regaled with the unenviable choice of such party stalwarts as Emmanuel Arriva Delia).

Parliament is still in recess. Franco Debono is not. One of his latest posts is dedicated to pointing out that while school is starting parliament is still “on a break”. A laborious read through Franco’s blog will also lead anyone with a brain between his ears to one conclusion: this man has undoubtedly chosen to break ranks from the party (or rather realised that there is no place for him therein). Bridges are being burnt with every misspelt word that appears on his blog. There will be no more horse-trading. No more appeasement. No more winning of valuable time. The time for Franco to be consigned to the footnotes of history is fast approaching (see the J’accuse “When Franco is history“).

Which brings me to the questionable strategy mentioned at the start. For a long time it seemed obvious that the only use that Gonzi’s PN had left for Franco was as the final trigger before the election. It was evident that the PN government’s last move would be to force Franco to be the catalyst for the end of this legislature and the beginning of the next. So far so good and Machiavellian. The rebel MP seemed to be slow on the uptake at first but has now sussed up to this plan and seems determined not to fall into the trap of becoming the ultimate scapegoat.

Which makes all the songs and dances emanating from Pietà rather incongruous. On the one hand there is the general theme of “all is fine and dandy and it would be even better had we not had the minor inconvenience of Franco Debono” and on the other there is the “we will remain in government so long as we enjoy the confidence of parliament”. Now it was one thing before summer to allow public opinion to dither as to whether or not the latest confidence vote would be clinched by “convincing” unsettled backbenchers. We could dismiss the horse-trading to nervous shifts within the power structures of an ageing government. It is another thing though for Lawrence Gonzi to speak to the assembled faithful in Floriana and act as though Franco Debono’s blog is just a bad dream.

What do you mean so long as we enjoy the confidence of parliament Lawrence? Surely it is also clear to you, following this summer’s shifts in the rules of the game, that any kind of confidence you might believe you enjoy is entirely superficial? As David Guetta’s music played and the new breed of nationalist (what nationalist exactly) candidates marched onto the stage (Without You!) sans Franco we were entitled to ask: for how long more this charade of denial?

Yes denial. Because no matter what the PN strategists might try to sell you now, the setting of an election is a decision that is fast slipping from their hands. We were prepared to tip our hat to a strategic victory that meant winning valuable time over the summer months for a regathering of the forces and (re)drafting of a final electoral strategy. The delay strategy might backfire though if extended to an illogical period beyond the convincingly realistic. For Lawrence Gonzi to resume the “government as usual” spiel in September while the evidence all around him points to anything but that might be a hard act to convince even the most blinkered of nationalist flag-wavers.

Financial estimates, votes of confidence… Gonzi’s PN is lucky if it gets to the finish line and the cutting of the ribbon at the new parliament complex. There’s that and the amount of time being wasted focusing on the almost has-been rebels when much could be done at the moment exposing the faux politics upon which Labour and its Potyemkin Congress has embarked.

The botched strategy at the moment points to a possibly bigger fault line within the party itself that goes farther than Franco Debono and the tantrums of the discontent. One could hypothesise that various strands within the Pieta party have already smelt the scent of an inevitable loss at the polls and most efforts are being channelled into the post-electoral battles that will define the new post-Gonzi PN. That would explain the new alliances and alignments when it comes to candidates and districts and it would explain why little or nothing seems to be done in terms of real election campaign tactics.

Above all – and now more than ever – it seems that together it is no longer possible.