Sunday, 25th October 2009
Should I go or should I not?
Many are those who determinedly will attend today's Labour Party National Manifestation. However, others might still be pondering. After all, what is wrong with a peaceful democratic walk?
Similar demonstrations have been carried out in various European countries for different reasons. I personally believe it is an automatic right; since we live in a democratic country, to be able to make our voices heard and to convey our opinion.
Aren't we as European as the Spaniards who protested against abortion a couple of days back? Or as the French who marched on to demonstrate on agricultural issues last week ? Or the as English ? The Germans ? The Greeks?
In spite of everything, there are true, honest and justified reasons for everyone who shall attend. Be it a student, a housewife, a pensioner, a skilled worker, a self employed or a business man. Doesn't the cost of living effect all of us equally and the constant rise of inflation which are the highest in Europe? What about the high utility tariffs? The rise in unemployment that has reached more than 7000 and, may I add, that we are now experiencing the highest rate of unemployment amongst new graduates. Is this what Europe was promised to be? As European citizens we know we deserve better.The government should fulfil our aspirations and help us maximize our potential to the full.
What explanation can you give to a Maltese house wife who pays 30% to 60% more than a German house wife for the same shopping items?
The government's instability is now crystal clear. It is impossible to have a Prime Minister who is turning a blind eye to almost all the problems our country is currently facing.
Needless to mention that Gonzi is overlooking the €80 million loss on the Fairmount shipyards contract and the way the contract of the power station extension was awarded.
The Nationalist Government is not willing to discuss national issues in Parliament. This is absolute arrogance as the PN assume they have a divine right to govern this country for eternity. Therefore, it is up to us civilians.
Together we can make our voices heard and show that we know Malta deserves better and portray that we will not accept being ignored.
The conservative forces of our country are stuck in the past while, on the other hand the progressive movement is looking forward. The people of our nation want to move forward and not back. Consequently, we all agree that being complacent is not a means to move on! Its about time to stand up and be counted!
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Comments
You idolize a man, you apparently not know well enough!
Mintoff present with the mob of demonstrators on Independence night? Am I to take you seriously? Mintoff was deathly afraid of crowds, always ran up the Castille stairs for fear of someone taking a pot shot at him and even took his lunch (soup filled thermos and sandwich) to Parliament for fear someone tried to poison him! Heavens! One wonders why he did not join the mob attacking The Times, just around the corner!
As it turned out, the Independence celebration went on without a hitch and GBO took the right precautions. Too bad the disbanded mob can never say that they had contributed anything positive at the moment of Malta's birth as an independent nation. Shame on them!
Hallina, Charles, I know that a few days ago you had a birthday bash, but by now I would have thought that the effects had worn off!!
I was there, a few feet from all the dignitaries, I saw, I enjoyed and I will cherish forever!
@ J Martinelli.
There was no threat of a coup d’état attempt, the off limits ordinance was imposed after good old GBO acted on wrong advise.
On that historic night I was there too with my fiancée, her cheering and I jeering, both our emotions were red hot as we were both active in politics then. She belonged to the PN and at that time I was already converted and idolised Mintoff and still does.
It was Mintoff who led the group of protestors not Anton Buttigieg even though he may have also been there. The slogan was ‘ If they have a right to approve we have an equal right to disapprove’. Incidentally, Anton Buttigieg became President of the Republic; Independent Malta had a Governor General representing the British Monarchy.
“I was there, I know, I saw and I heard. Now the picture is complete, as it should”.
Likewise here. I hate to see partial truths, the other parts left out for whatever(?) reason!
GBO reintroduced the ban during Independence celebrations because he received intelligence that there would be a coup d'etat attempt. The information came from British intelligence sources, therefore GBO instituted the ban. It is also worth mentioning that during the ceremony itself, a band of Labour supporters allegedly headed, no less, than by Dr. Anton Buttigieg, later to become President of Independent Malta, tried to disrupt the ceremony by causing a disturbance. With prior information at hand, the police quickly intervened and removed the demonstrators.
I was there, I know, I saw and I heard. Now the picture is complete, as it should.
Animal lovers can't be all that bad, and, good for you to have such wonderful species. I too have a Parakeet (Budgie) and talks up a storm. No political slogans for him - he is sassy enough as it is!
I wish I would persuade myself to go on Facebook but I turned down many invitations to participate since I heard too many negative connotations about it. There are too many creeps out there looking for personal information and they use every possible means to surreptitiously obtain information they have no business having.
Never any hard feelings from here, neither.
J Martinelli
As the number 1 apologist for Gonzipn at all costs, are you denying the biggest hofra that Malta has ever had which your Eddie and Gonzipn have made to the tune of more than €4,000,000,000?
Re black dust, if it doesn't bother you, why don't you leave your far-away Canada and come to enjoy it here Martinelli?
May I also remind you that meetings and demonstrations were prohibited in Floriana and Valletta under PN administrations and the prohibition was immediately removed by a Labour government in 1971? So much for freedom under PN.
As usual, when you do not have good arguments to rebut the arguments being put forward, you revert back to history as do other pn apologists.
I have a good sense of humour yet somewhat reluctant to accept superfluous remarks with the excuse of being humorous. That having been said, no heart feelings here.
Greetings? Go on Facebook, see my Profile.....its bursting with well wishers.
Yes I’ve got two parrots, Joey and Lorry and they are always at each other’s throat. I also have a Green-checked Conur called Dexter, very comical and extremely intelligent, he talks a little too. And then there’s my all time favourite, Charlie the Parakeet (tat-toppu), he is very talkative and effectionate; he’s always asking to be kissed.... ‘Hello Charlie...gimme kiss” so sweet. We also had a Peacock and a Peahen but we gave them away as he used to make too much noise when he gets randy, which used to be very frequent.
Since during the past 20 years, there has been a Nationalist Govt, it's only normal that they should have addressed the problem if the first sightings (& experiments) of black dust were done 9 yrs ago. As for the other circumsanstances you mention, I would never shake them off just because I'm a PL supporter, and indeed if something had been done earlier, perhaps the problem would have been much milder now. Unfortunately I can't really comment because I was a toddler then. :)
Your patronising comments are extremely flattering. Perhaps the lack of civility in your tone comes from being so cosmopolitan. (i'm sorry the argument that you are correct and others are ignorant just because you've been abroad is extremely naive). What I think is that I can't see why we should be consoled that we can venture out at night as you say, because in a small country like ours it really shouldn't be a problem, and if it becomes so, then something must really be wrong. I stand by comments on prices, every individual has to make ends meet with their wages, and comparing with other countries is actually quite futile.
I hereby retract the 'politically motivated' comments accompanying my greetings.
So, again, a sincere happy belated (by one day) birthday, Scotch or no Scotch.. By the way, I see no greetings at all from your many friends, except mine!
You should have realized that the comments made were tongue-in-cheek. Where is YOUR sense of humour?
How touchy! Or should that be, how touching!?
By the way, I didn't know you keep parrots!
Have you been to Marsa ,Birzebbuga or Kalafrana lately?
For most people politics is a past time to spice up life a little, for you it’s a full time occupation, how very boring. It gets really serious when you can’t even keep it out when conveying greetings. Or perhaps it’s your sense of humour, as tasteful as our tap water which even my parrots refuse to drink.
When you have spent some appreciable time outside your backwater village and possibly lived in cities abroad where it is unsafe to go out alone after dark maybe you will understand what I was talking about. I can assure you that I do get out, evidently quite a bit more than you do! In your obsession with pay cheques you are completely ignoring the fact that most essential commidities in other European countries have extortionate prices compared with the pittance we pay for them here.
I am more than familiar with our local 'merchants' habits of raising prices periodically so as to ensure that their pocket lining retains its lush depths but this does not change anything.
By your insistent repetition of the inane comparisons I referred to in my blog it is evident that you have completely failed to understand anything I wrote.
Well, Happy Birthday, young feller!
I hope that you will have a few nice Scotch whiskeys suitably diluted with water freely running from your taps and which the national debt contributed in some measure to the installation of reverse osmosis plants and replacement of rusty water mains inherited by the NP government in 1987 from Socialist regimes.
If you prefer your Scotch 'on the rocks' like I do, freeze some of that water and enjoy!
@ D Attard
Yes I have driven on Malta roads fairly recently and yes there are some built on dirt not yet replaced which are due to be tackled in 2010. And yes, taking ten years to analyze some black dust is unreasonable, but then, black dust existed for the last 50 years, twenty of which were spent under Labour governments. Why is it NOW that such problems have suddenly become so urgent? Where were your protests when the Marsa station was converted from oil to cheap Polish sulphur ridden coal? Or, when in its hay day, the Shipyard was a continuous source of soot plaguing Senglea, Cospicua and Vittoriosa and surrounding areas? Was that OK then, but not now?
Oh dear have we come to a state of affairs that we are to be consoled by the fact that we can venture out in the streets at night?
As for prices, please consider our pay cheques as compared to those in other countries. Here we have a situation where prices go higher and our wages stay put. If you live here and don't see that, perhaps you should get out more... buy some stuff and compare prices over a period of time.
@ Nikita Alamango
The answer I would give to the housewife alluded to in your fifth paragraph is to tell her to consider herself lucky that she (and her spouse) are well on their way to owning their own home, to be in a country where it is still safe to venture out into the street at night, where we have no homeless people strewn on the sidewalks of our towns and cities . . .
Oh and then I would remind her that in reality we only pay higher prices for a portion of the things and commodities we buy locally . . . she would have to pay almost twice the price for any sort of fuel in Germany, up to ten times as much for property . . . or twice the equivalent of her house loan repayments in rent, almost six times the rates for energy . . . need I go on??
People that make such nonsensical and generic comparisons REALLY need to get out more ! !
In the final analyses,getting down to brass tacks, in essence leading a country is like taking care of a family, a balancing act. A family living in reasonable comfort without sinking in unsustainable debts is a credit to the bread winner\s.
A continuous imbalance of payments since 1987,sinking in debts and selling its family silver is a country on its way to destruction. ‘Tiehu bla ma trod is swar thodt.’
Il bravura kemm tipproduci u kemm tghix tajjeb bli taqla. Id-dejn kullhadd kapaci jaghmlu.
So much for today, I don’t want to spoil my birthday.
I'm sure, then, you'll agree, that taking 10 years to attempting to examine the source of black dust is a bit over the top.
As for bringing Malta into the 21st century with national projects - have you driven around Maltese roads lately?
I'm sure no one would call black dust a pet peeve if they'd have to sweep it off their property every other day or so, knowing full well it's being inhaled by themselves and their little ones. But then again...who cares about the people?
Yes Joseph spoke on the issues you mentioned hereunder, but he also explained how the current administration has turned Parliament into a joke, with Govt members not attending and not answering questions. Oh...but I'm sure you'll have an answer ready for that too, probably something having to do with the 80's.
The question, 'Should I go or should I not' is a personal question best answered by individuals themselves. If people are compelled (not asked to) to go, or are extremely curious at what Joseph may offer as alternatives to the present government's solutions, then by all means they should go.
However everything is so predictable - tonight's newscasts (especially from Super One) will emphasize the event's success and tomorrow's LP print media will have a large picture of the thousands attending the rally. Choice quotes from Joseph's speech will feature prominently especially regarding the electricity tariffs, the extension of Delimara station, the black dust and other similar pet peeves which will surely ignite the masses!
What will be starkly absent, will be Joseph's detailed solutions - how he, as a Prime Minister would handle these problems especially at a time of global recession.
Joseph should remember that there will be many who will not swallow the bait!