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Last minute pitches from the last minute candidates. The pitch is high now that we enter the last two days of election fever. Is it really fever? Are the polls right in saying many people will opt to stay home? Will they venture out of their homes and caravans to vote on the day anyway? Is Joseph Muscat’s Labour Crew heading for the protest victory that will fuel the illusion that PL is now a winning machine (again)?

More directly. Are the people who count still easily convinced by the Nationalist pitches? Are there any people who count? Isn’t it more “one for all and all for one” and there is no place for the swingers? Or are the swingers really determining the fifth seat? In that case will they opt for the shaky Cassola option or will they prefer beach to polling booth?

I must admit that the Milan -Liverpool 3-3 Champion’s League debacle provided tenser entertainment. On the other hand we are already drawing possible valuable lessons. The nationalists at Stamperija are becoming as paranoid as Joseph’s accolytes. Their gagging order on candidates was proof if we ever needed any. The labour crew are still as disillusioned that they have brought off the necessary change as ever. The greens still do not plug the only line that could give them a breakthrough.

Meanwhile come Saturday we will be voting to elect our representatives in Parliament. We might want someone who can act as a reasonable conscience for our government – checking its faux pas before the Commission steps in and pushing its cause within their formation. Able candidates are needed. Yes-men (and women) are definitely off the list.

Does it really take guts to be able to veer away from the norm and vote intelligently with your interests at heart? We’ll know this Saturday.

On 6th June 2009 vote the J’accuse way!

Vote Crossly, Cross-Vote

1. CASSOLA 2. MIZZI 3. DEMICOLI

J’accuse… pushing the right buttons since 2005

This one goes out to the Boyz in Blue (no expenses spared) and the Red Revolutionaries (they’re coming home, they’re coming home)  to Paul Borg Olivier, Louis Grech, Vincent Farrugia, John Attard Montalto, Stefano Mallia, Glenn Beddingfield and David Casa.

Press ENLARGE button to enlarge (J’accuse is not responsible for any wrong buttons being pressed). The SUGABABES perform THE song for this election… PUSH MY BUTTON…

More to come…

More Push The Wrong Button antics in today’s Times. This time it is Nationalist (sic) candidate Vince Farrugia who accidentally sent an email directive from Stefano Mallia intedned to guide all PN MEP candidates to the Times.

“I am very taken up with the demands of the election campaign” and so am unable to give “a comprehensive and proper account of the expenses incurred for the election campaign which is still underway… Once the election is over I will ensure that all accounts are properly done.” Dr Mallia also instructed candidates to say: “I am also committed to abide by the transparency rules as adopted by the Nationalist Party… These rules regulate PN elected MEPs with the highest standards of accountability and are unprecedented in Malta with no party committing itself to transparency rules other than the PN.”  – Times of Malta

Thanks to Sully for pointing this out. The Times of Malta is running a story about how the Nationalist party MEP candidates (the same who signed a Simon Busuttil drafted document about transparency in accounting and expenses) have been asked to stonewall any queries about their campaign expenses. It appears another button pushing error by Nationalist (sic) candidate Vince Farrugia resulted in the Times of Malta having a copy of the standard reply instructions dictated by Stefano Mallia.

There is,as yet, no sign of this information appearing on the blog of the purveyor of all things “expense-related” (read Joseph Muscat’s car) even though, as Sully pointed out there would be an “in the family” source who could provide all necessary information. 

Meanwhile, back to the email sent out instructing PN candidates to basically give no information until the election is over. Now what kind of picture is being painted here? It was said recently of Joseph Muscat that he is of the “do as I say don’t do as I do” type. Looks like Simon and his  pick’n’mix companions might be of the same ilk. What’s the use of committing yourself to unprecedented transparency rules if you cannot even stick to them in campaign mode? What are the electorate supposed to do? Take your word for it? Like what? Mistra? Caravan sites?

And how will the rules be implemented? Conjointly? In Stefano Mallia style? With all the candidates having the same blooming excuse at the same bloody time?

Here’s what happened with regard to the PN candidates:

Most PN candidates, including MEPs David Casa and Simon Busuttil, followed the party’s directive and disclosed nothing, sending only the prescribed text. Three PN candidates stood out for their transparency, however: Rudolph Cini listed his personal expenses as €2,110 and another €3,600 by supporters; while Alan Deidun said he spent around €4,500 on direct mailing, fliers and business cards. Edward Demicoli did not list his expenses but was the only candidate to admit that he has exceeded the legal spending limit.

The Labour party candidates’ replies are about as believable as Pinocchio on ecstasy. Then there were the “small parties”:

Alternattiva Demokratika sent The Sunday Times a detailed breakdown of expenditure, even money received through donations, totalling around €14,300 and signed off by the party’s treasurer. John Zammit of Alleanza Liberali was the first to answer with a detailed list of expenses amounting to approximately €6,300. Independent candidate Cecil Jones also sent a list expenses totalling €1,576, including hairdresser appointments.

I’m not saying vote John Zammit or Cecil Jones… but they seem to have got the hang of accountability to the electorate much faster than the PN with all their “unprecedented transparency rules”. As for Stefano Mallia and Vince Farrugia… there goes all the Pushing the Right Buttons propaganda… down the slippery slope of candidates for political expediency…

Yes We Can. It seems.

“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.

This article and accompanying Bertoon appeared in yesterday’s edition of the Malta Independent on Sunday.

The next time you will be reading this column there will be five new Maltese MEP’s and one MEP in waiting. The people will have spoken and the verdict will have been read out. In all probability everyone will claim a victory of sorts. Joseph Muscat will once again show extreme naïveté and proclaim that “without any doubt” the election result is a clear indication for a change of government, Lawrence Gonzi will probably claim that given the odds this is another victory for the nationalist cause and Arnold Cassola… well Cassola will probably be mulling about his ambitious statements late in the campaign.

Far from the Trade Fair Grounds in Naxxar, where every vote has been counted, another parliament and another set of parliamentarians are still reeling from the shock caused by the uncovering of expense claims much to the general amazement of the public. Certain constituencies in the United Kingdom fell just short of stripping the shamed Westminster MPs naked and covering them with tar and feathers. The majority seem to think that these expense claiming MPs deserve extreme punishment for making such ridiculous claims from the Exchequer for such frivolous items as moats, fancy wallpaper and pornography.

Suddenly the whole ship of the political class is sinking and – funnily enough – the Lib Dems and Greens find themselves in a relative advantage. That’s bloody typical isn’t it.? They are miles away from an election, very little seems to be done in terms of immediate retribution and the people obviously poll in favour of the minor parties as the only trustworthy bunch of the lot. Even Holy David Cameron seems to have go quite a battering and he’s looking less like the Tory version of Invincible Tony Blair of late.

In all likelihood the UK voters will return to the fold of the main parties come next election. As a friend of mine likes to say, the closer they get to an election the more likely are the Lib Dems to have some earth shattering scandal and the more likely are the English voters to confirm the Tory-Labour duopoly. Still. The MEP Expenses shake up might have had a sobering effect on the electorate – particularly in realising that when the rules of the house are left in the hands of the masters of the house there is always a high probability that the masters of the house will be partying away with your money.

And Now the Gravy Train in Brussels