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...
Those Lazy Parliamen...
posted by Jacques René Zammit
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...
Wiċċ taz-zokkor u pr...
posted by Jacques René Zammit
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’...
Self-aggrandisement
posted by Jacques René Zammit
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...
Ħaddieħor
posted by Jacques René Zammit
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...
The politics of deni...
posted by Jacques René Zammit
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 Stereotypical Jo...
posted by Jacques René Zammit
A homosexual, a woman, a Gozitan, a farmer, a patient, a hunter, a student and an election candidate walked into a room. Is it the start of the latest viral joke? No, it’s just work as usual at Labour’s Congress about the future that unites us. Progressive Labour seems to be...
The wrong shade of g...
posted by Jacques René Zammit
I must admit to being surprised. My duties elsewhere keep preventing me from blogging with a more teutonic regularity but I still take a peek at what is being said ‘ere and there just to keep abreast of the latest developments. Seems like a November election can all but be ruled out as...
The PM & the Bl...
posted by Jacques René Zammit
Appreciators of that fine vein of British humour that is the Monty Python collection will surely be familiar with the persona of the Black Knight that makes a fleeting (and diminishing) appearance in the movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail“. For the unfortunate few who are...
Academic?
posted by Jacques René Zammit
It’s unbelievable. Joseph Muscat has gone on record stating that AST’s article was “an academic exercise”. What exactly is that supposed to mean? Is it to be ignored because “academia” is just an exercise in mental masturbation? Is Anton Refalo’s...
The queue as a polit...
posted by Jacques René Zammit
The queue has taken centre stage in what has been dubbed the “Battle of the Billboards”. This summertime kerfuffle is a mere taster of pleasures yet to come since the electoral campaign promises to be a concentration of superficial messages orchestrated in physical tweets plastered...
From Sarkozy to Saat...
posted by Jacques René Zammit
It’s out. The Nationalist party has “launched” a new billboard – complete with press release and comments by the party President. The PN is really trying its darned best to water down the importance of a press release and a press conference. First we had PBO calling not...