Tuesday, 12th February 2008
Eddy... Eddy
Eddy Privitera, who has been a Labour apologist for as long as I can remember, loves to spread the word and give us all the benefit of his wisdom.
One of his latest gems, echoing faithfully the message coming out from MLP-HQ, is that I am one of the main soloists in the PN's orchestra. Along with Daphne Caruana Galizia, Privitera says, I bow and scrape to the tunes called by some conductor in PN-HQ.
The man is sadly deluded. For starters, apart from dropping by to Net TV to be interviewed about the events of October 5th 1977, when university students were beaten up by the cops of Mintoff's regime, I haven't been to PN-HQ for years. And nor have I met up with any PN spinners or policy-makers, for that matter.
The thing is, and this is what people like Privitera just can't live with, people like me and Daphne don't need anyone to tell us how to think. In the past, a past Privitera clearly hankers after with a passion, if you dared to express an independent thought, you were looked upon as a dangerous hooligan. Anyone with even a byte of memory will remember how the regime equated itself with the nation: anyone who opposed was branded a traitor, a running-dog lackey of the reactionaries, part of the orchestrated chorus of disapproval for the regime.
Sorry, friend - we think this way because we think this way, not because anyone makes us think this way.
That BirdLife campaign
Did you see my handsome face on that BirdLife campaign? Yes, ok, I know, we differ on the adjectives but I can dream, can't I? I had a quick look at the FKNK web-ite, where a forum runs for conservationist hunters and trappers - a phrase I can hardly write without cracking up - and their reaction to the campaign was revealing. These guys seem to think they're really macho. If I needed any reason to carry on opposing illegal hunting, this is it.
Doing the election math
Are you doing the math, as the Yanks love to put? If, like me, you don't want to see Dr Sant as Prime Minister, do some sums, why don't you? I like Harry Vassallo, I've known him for years and he's as honest as the day is long and a nice guy, to boot, but voting for his party is, the way the electoral cookie crumbles, a vote for the MLP. If you want to vote for the MLP, fine, go ahead and do it, but if you don't want the MLP to be in Government, you have to consider voting PN, because if the PN don't get a majority as compared to the MLP, the latter will run the show, however many votes the AD get. This is because you can't use your votes to make a coalition, only your seats and it's way too late by then.
On the other hand, if you want to vote for Norman Lowell, Josie Muscat, Emy Bezzina and their motley assortment of candidates, hell, go ahead and do it. There's nothing I can write that can change your sort of mentality. Why are you even reading this?
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Comments
In the meantime challenges to the comfy status quo have come from AD and, increasingly, from a bunch of independent young people who think that Malta can move away from a choice between the religious right on one hand and total cynicism on the other.
Reform the parties and reform the system returning it to one of legitimacy, accountability and good governance for the good of our children. The current mechanism of yes-men-ocracy will not get us very far.
The short term aim of electing the safest government will not be an antidote to many problems for very long. What discussion are we willing to start about the real change that is needed? Who will be discussing the viability of coalitions, proportional representation and the re-enfranchisement of the people?
Definitely not a PN, MLP or for what it may matter a coalition government comfortable with a system that has once again served its ends and is comfortably ensconced for another five year term of ignoring the will of the people.
The future is not theirs to take but ours to make. It's up to us all at the end of the day.
I reside in a country where different inter-party coalitions abound at communal level as well as at statal and federal level.
In a coalition, the stronger party will still have the major say, and hence, democracy is in a way safeguarded.
It cannot, and it should not, be a disadvantage that political parties learn what political comprise entails when national interest demands it.
The concept, that more than two parties be represented in parliament, can be indeed associated with a concept of more (liberal) "democracy".
Is parliament even 'supposed' to be a power struggle? I would have thought that the struggle would have ended upon election. Sadly this is not the case and it is well known that MLPN have a bad habit of being at loggerheads on many things - other than certain remarkably exceptional moments such as agreeing on public funding of parties (from peoples' taxes).
What we do require is a less oppositional system in parliament. I would even dare to suggest that a dissolution of the party system would do more good than harm, the interests being less partisan and more individualistic.
Then one might see ideological alliances between individuals forming in a more natural and organic manner than has been the case in a long long time, if ever.
Better an individual voted in upon merit than (party) colour, right?
However I do agree with you on the bird shooting/snaring front. If it were for me I would remove the "illegal spring" bit from your tee shirt. But alas we live in a democracy where even morons with a room temperature IQ get to vote. We have to do something about that.
One last observation if I may. Everyone has a right to appear outrageous, but in that photo you are abusing the privilege
AND
".......It ( the AD) has become only an instrument to attack Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and the nationalist Party........"
LAST AND NOT LEAST
"......................I am not prepared to work in a Party and be responsible for the election of another party that wants to separate Malta from the E.U AD believes in so much............"
.........................Right from the horses mouth if we ever needed a horse to tell us!! Mr.Roussignaud left no doubt Vote AD get MLP.............thanks for the coaltion offer, maybe some other time!!
It is not correct to state that countries are trying to move away from the multi-party system towards a two-party system. The overwhelming majority of European countries have multi-party systems which are stable and deliver. Italy may seem to be an exception but it has still had the highest GDP for many years.
A multi-party sytem equates with more democracy as a wider range of views are expressed and represented. Our laws and constitution provide protection against certain illegal or racist legislation being enacted. That is why, no party can suddenly decide to introduce laws which introduce discrimination against certain classes of people (human rights laws which are entrenched do not allow this). Moreover a party such as AD does not attract criticism because of its policies or record in this regard but solely because PN supporters assume that it is "stealing " their votes.
After having taxpayers’ money spent on partisan billboards and newspapers, cheekily termed as ‘informative’….we now get more obvious partisan campaigns paid directly by the MLPN….i.e. indirectly by the same shrouded minority wagging any MLPN govt.'s tail!
By the way, we have seen a labour administration making major decisions without even informing the minister concerned, let alone the cabinet.
Imagine a party with only one representative in a coalition.
1. agreeing on a transparent prior coalition with AD, so that the ‘change within’ some are professing, is really induced by a new broom with no strings attached, or
2. ‘encouraging’ a number of party faithful to give 2nd preference to AD in the districts where AD is relatively strong, to ‘ensure’ that AD gets at least one seat – thus avoiding any potential ‘wasted’ votes and a MLP (sole) govt. with only a relative majority (below 50%).
The latter strategy can lead to two scenarios either,
1. AD and MLP forging a coalition (albeit doubtful if a 2nd preference ‘PN push’ is evident), which would always be preferable than an absolute one party govt., and could be a blessing in disguise to the longer term prospects of a decent opposition; or
2. MLP still obtaining an absolute majority (+50%), whereon any seat less for the PN (but attained by AD), would not have effected the result and neither spell doom. Indeed AD’s seat will be beneficial towards broader representation and objective parliamentary discussions, rather than the current bi-polar set-up.
And by the way, prosit for participating in the BirdLife campaign….cause either way you’re helping the birds….at best stalling the vile hunting season, or, at worse scaring the birds away, if the season is inexplicably still on :)
Pity all citizens will have to subsidize the hunters if the government does not stop Spring hunting.