'Dissenter' told he no longer represents Labour

Mosta councillor Ivan Bartolo, who until recently was also secretary of the town's Labour Party club, was yesterday informed by the party's vigilance board he will no longer be allowed to represent the party.

Last February, Mr Bartolo had voted with Nationalist councillors in favour of a motion urging people in the town to vote in favour of EU membership in the referendum.

Following this move, the MLP Mosta club had removed him as secretary but he still sat on the council. Mr Bartolo declared publicly on Friday he would not vote in favour of Alfred Sant as leader.

"I still considered myself to be a party delegate, but now, out of the blue, vigilance board chairman Tommy Roberts wrote to tell me I had been kicked out as my behaviour as a councillor went against the code of ethics for candidates and the party.

"(Party general secretary Jimmy) Magro has now also informed me I am no longer a delegate as I have been removed by the MLP club," he said.

Mr Bartolo said the party's vigilance board never sent for him and he was not given any opportunity to defend himself.

"I shall be writing to them to defend my position. The party is saying it will respect the will of the people. So why is the party not respecting my will too? It is clear the MLP is going to become pro-EU. Why should I wait for the party to tell me what to think? I was in the right all along. It is those leading the party who were wrong on this issue, not me. So why should I be penalised for this?" he asked. He said he intended to continue to occupy the seat on the Mosta council as an independent councillor.

Mr Bartolo started having problems with the party when he took up a job as editor of Fuq ix-Xarabank, produced by Where's Everybody? which was boycotted by the MLP.