Never have we been reminded so persistently that politics monopolise the news, to the point that people who are not engrossed in the whole election shebang are fed up to their back teeth with all the shenanigans. It must be said that the Labour Party (PL) is coming across as cooler and not as defensive as the Nationalist Party (PN), which is showing signs of desperation.
It is not surprising that at election time tension is running high and some people do lose their cool. But I have to say that I found certain remarks, made by the previously debonair MEP Simon Busuttil in one of the latest face offs between the PN and the LP, simply inane.
First of all, of course both parties use people to their advantage. Because, that was the context of Simon’s latest, quite silly, comment when he told Deborah Schembri that the Labour Party (PL) was using her because she had a Nationalist face.
The PN infighting caused by Franco Debono was milked by the PL and now the PN is doing the same with Anglu Farrugia and exploiting the PL’s “links with contractors” and being “too close to big business”.
But hang on a minute, does not the PN have links with big contractors and is also close to big business? A run through past and current media stories will show that it does. So what’s the excitement?
The latest, real hot potato and which the court has put media restrictions on under the terms of the Money Laundering Act, is the ongoing investigation into the oil procurement case. On Friday night, Cabinet accepted the advice, of the Attorney General and the Police Commissioner, to recommend the granting of a presidential pardon for businessman George Farrugia in return for information on the case. Although any added information would obviously help the police they apparently already have ample evidence to secure convictions.
So why is Simon Busuttil harping on about the PL’s business contacts? He also went one step further and claimed, “Big contractors are dictating Labour Policy”. But are they? Did Anglu say this in his interview with the Sunday Times? More on that later.
Regarding Ms Schembri, she came to the limelight during her successful push for divorce in that campaign and, if I remember correctly, it was because of the PN’s stance against divorce that she left that party. Now, one might have thought that the PN’s deputy leader meant that her face was known as being a PN candidate, but apparently not.
He was also quoted as giving a warning, “The packaging of those who had started to wear a Nationalist cloak would come apart and the real face of Labour would be uncovered”. He named Karmenu Vella, Alex Sceberras Trigona and Evarist Bartolo as among those presenting a Nationalist front. The claim is that rather than a ‘New Labour’ image the PL was trying on a Nationalist mask.
I know it is carnival time but all this cloak and mask stuff is a little over the top. I am afraid that not so simple Simon has lain himself wide open to ridicule, which is not something I would have expected from him.
Now, if we are going to be talking about faces, Simon Busuttil’s face gives the impression of an open, sincere and sophisticated man and not of one to succumb to such ridiculous comments and manipulate issues to suit, which brings me to The Times online “Pictures of the week” quote yesterday “Anglu Farrugia's explosive comments in a Sunday Times interview”.
For those of you interested to know whether Anglu’s comments were indeed explosive and want to know what he actually said in the interview, here we go: “I say contractors are close to the Labour Party, like some are close to the Nationalist Party. My problem with contractors is that it triggers fears of corruption.” That is what Anglu said in the Sunday Times interview.
I really can’t see why the PN are getting so excited that businessmen and contractors are courting the PL. They should be well used to being courted by the same people. Besides, we have seen a fair amount of hobnobbing by PN executives and ministers with businessmen and contractors. The latter obviously want to be well in with whoever has the power and purse strings.
Thankfully, despite all the mud slinging on both sides, the campaign has not proved volatile and if the worst thing to be slung at one is that one’s face demonstrates one’s politics, which is how some people perceived it, we should be grateful.
I was quite shocked as I was waiting for something decent (as in good quality) to pop up on my car radio, the scanner picked up a Maltese song (I am afraid I don’t know which channel) saying something along the lines of “It is a good thing I know you otherwise I would smash your face in (inkisirleq wiccex)”. Since faces have been on my mind that phrase stuck. Should any local radio station be transmitting such violent language?
Published in The Malta Independent on Sunday 10/02/2013
It is not surprising that at election time tension is running high and some people do lose their cool. But I have to say that I found certain remarks, made by the previously debonair MEP Simon Busuttil in one of the latest face offs between the PN and the LP, simply inane.
First of all, of course both parties use people to their advantage. Because, that was the context of Simon’s latest, quite silly, comment when he told Deborah Schembri that the Labour Party (PL) was using her because she had a Nationalist face.
The PN infighting caused by Franco Debono was milked by the PL and now the PN is doing the same with Anglu Farrugia and exploiting the PL’s “links with contractors” and being “too close to big business”.
But hang on a minute, does not the PN have links with big contractors and is also close to big business? A run through past and current media stories will show that it does. So what’s the excitement?
The latest, real hot potato and which the court has put media restrictions on under the terms of the Money Laundering Act, is the ongoing investigation into the oil procurement case. On Friday night, Cabinet accepted the advice, of the Attorney General and the Police Commissioner, to recommend the granting of a presidential pardon for businessman George Farrugia in return for information on the case. Although any added information would obviously help the police they apparently already have ample evidence to secure convictions.
So why is Simon Busuttil harping on about the PL’s business contacts? He also went one step further and claimed, “Big contractors are dictating Labour Policy”. But are they? Did Anglu say this in his interview with the Sunday Times? More on that later.
Regarding Ms Schembri, she came to the limelight during her successful push for divorce in that campaign and, if I remember correctly, it was because of the PN’s stance against divorce that she left that party. Now, one might have thought that the PN’s deputy leader meant that her face was known as being a PN candidate, but apparently not.
He was also quoted as giving a warning, “The packaging of those who had started to wear a Nationalist cloak would come apart and the real face of Labour would be uncovered”. He named Karmenu Vella, Alex Sceberras Trigona and Evarist Bartolo as among those presenting a Nationalist front. The claim is that rather than a ‘New Labour’ image the PL was trying on a Nationalist mask.
I know it is carnival time but all this cloak and mask stuff is a little over the top. I am afraid that not so simple Simon has lain himself wide open to ridicule, which is not something I would have expected from him.
Now, if we are going to be talking about faces, Simon Busuttil’s face gives the impression of an open, sincere and sophisticated man and not of one to succumb to such ridiculous comments and manipulate issues to suit, which brings me to The Times online “Pictures of the week” quote yesterday “Anglu Farrugia's explosive comments in a Sunday Times interview”.
For those of you interested to know whether Anglu’s comments were indeed explosive and want to know what he actually said in the interview, here we go: “I say contractors are close to the Labour Party, like some are close to the Nationalist Party. My problem with contractors is that it triggers fears of corruption.” That is what Anglu said in the Sunday Times interview.
I really can’t see why the PN are getting so excited that businessmen and contractors are courting the PL. They should be well used to being courted by the same people. Besides, we have seen a fair amount of hobnobbing by PN executives and ministers with businessmen and contractors. The latter obviously want to be well in with whoever has the power and purse strings.
Thankfully, despite all the mud slinging on both sides, the campaign has not proved volatile and if the worst thing to be slung at one is that one’s face demonstrates one’s politics, which is how some people perceived it, we should be grateful.
I was quite shocked as I was waiting for something decent (as in good quality) to pop up on my car radio, the scanner picked up a Maltese song (I am afraid I don’t know which channel) saying something along the lines of “It is a good thing I know you otherwise I would smash your face in (inkisirleq wiccex)”. Since faces have been on my mind that phrase stuck. Should any local radio station be transmitting such violent language?
Published in The Malta Independent on Sunday 10/02/2013
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