Hold on, what year is it again?
31 05 2009
Today week, we would know who the Maltese MEPs are - definitely the hottest topic at the moment. Well, that and Susan Boyle. For the past days I’ve found myself following political debates which more often than not, seem to spin in the same direction and what is meant to be an MEP campaign turns into an Anti-government propaganda, and I needn’t explain the stupidity of all that.
Having received so many comments from diehard Labour supporters on my previous blog post, I’ll try to make this a little more impartial.
In my opinion, the purest campaign at the moment, no pun intended, is the AD campaign. As Arnold Cassola has stated throughout these weeks, they have never once, in this election and the one 5 years ago, stated that Spring-hunting was a possibility in the EU. Whether, as Dr. Perici Calscione said, there was a form of agreement or not, I don’t know, and neither does the rest of the public. That’s the problem. However, anything that someone says, should be quoted in context. It is immature politics and if anything, shows a great form of weakness, if the Labour party are ready to start quoting MEP candidates out of context.
A friend’s dad yesterday asked me, ” So why should I vote for PN candidates this time? “… “Consistency,” was my answer. Have they made mistakes in the past? I have no doubt. ( Well, here’s hoping they didn’t cancel out each other’s votes in issues such as burden sharing..) However, Labour candidate Sharon Ellul Bonici is using her Euro-skepticism as an asset in this campaign. She’s been booed and criticised, however, in all honesty, she has been the one to stick to her principles. When on Friday night during Xarabank, Dr Alan Deidun, PN candidate, waved the EU flag, he was hissed and booed by all the Labour supporters and candidates in the crowd.
Yes fellow bloggers, the EU flag was booed. The same attitude towards the EU that PL had 5 years ago during the referendum. Now, in 2009, go ahead and vote for them to speak your opinion in the EU parliament. Direzzjoni Success.
Perfect .. couldn’t have put in any better :p prosit Yan again
Nicely put.
However, I’ve strongly become of the opinion that the whole build up to the elections have been nothing more than a farce. I’ve lost faith in the Government and I’ve never had faith in the PL, they lost their chance when they didn’t appoint George Abela as their leader. I’m voting, like many others, as I feel it’s my duty to vote, as I’m not going to abstain as the candidates get elected anyway. And yes, I’m voting for the PN… but it’s not a vote of faith, but a vote to them simply because there isn’t anyone else who I can bring myself to vote for. Except maybe Lowell, and I’m serious about that.
At the end of the day, all the candidates are out there so that they can pick up a nice pay cheque of €400,000 a year when Lisbon is ratified. So essentially, we’re voting for them so that they get a better life than that they already lead.
Everything, everything, everything about it just reeks of hypocrisy.
Mark, thanks.
Matt,
Your points are valid. After so many years in government, it is only natural that PN would lose the faith of a few supporters along the way. By and large, it would have almost been better if PN hadn’t won this last election. However, and this is the point I’m trying to get across. This is a vote for the EU parliament AND NOT for the Maltese government. For example, 70% of environmental laws come from the EU, how can these elctions not be taken seriously enough?
Yes the €400,000 count. Of course they do, a form of incentive after all. But once theyre all going to get it, might as well choose to give it to those who deserve it. Might as well give it to those who make you voice heard, and their vote counted…mhux hekk?
hmm good point yan…
However, as a someone that doesn’t wave anyones flag, i do believe i should stick up slightly to PL…
The labour party is doing its best to try change its ideologies and thus gain more support. However, what they cannot change is the way their elder supporters think. Lately, an incident involving an old lady from Senglea, was reported in a local newspaper, and it was reported how “her wish was to meet her idol, Dom Mintoff “. Apart from this being some extra information we could have done without, it brings into light a very important aspect of maltese society, and in this case, PL supporters. Dom Mintoff has been out of power for a number of years. The little good he did to this country is overshadowed by his wrong doings and bringing Malta to a near communist regime. A lot of people have the same wish as this old lady. A lot of people would still vote for mintoff if he had a crazy idea to contest any form of election. And most of these supporters, are labour. Labour supporters, who are ‘blind’. The labour party knows that these people are hardcore supporters. They are their major voters. But the labour party also wants to change, to adapt and serve the needs of the country in the 21st century, and help solving problems that it faces day after day. However, a party without supporters is nothing. It also needs to try change the way its supporters think…and that is not an easy thing to accomplish.
hey Luca,
Re; Dom Mintoff. Well that’s a clsoe chapter, but yes a percentage of Labourites are Mintoffjani, but there’s nothing anyone can do about that.
What I would like to comment on, was what you said here, “The labour party is doing its best to try change its ideologies and thus gain more support.” Well, I don’t know about that. First and foremost, if you’re referring to what I said in my blogpost, the Labour audience in Xarabank wasn’t made up of Mintoffjani pensioners. Secondly, if this change in ideologies consists of mis-quoting other candidates, voting incorrectly in EU parliament, attacking Gonzi when in reality, Gonzi isn’t contesting any election , to mention a very few, I think they were better off without this change.
I agree with your notion of it not being a local vote but a European-based vote, I’ve distinguished between the two long ago in that sense. Hence the reason why I disagree vehemently with the anti-Government campaigns such as water and electricity tariffs etc that Labour have been demonstrating all throughout.
Once again, and I can’t insist this point enough, I’m not not going to vote (double negative); I am primarily voting PN because the PL, in my eyes, are still as anti-EU as they were back in 2003. As I mentioned, the whole thing is hypocritical - they have a leader who was one of their main campaigners against EU membership back then and then, all of a sudden, he was transformed into a pro-EU candidate when the 2004 MEP Elections came along. Now, suddenly, Mr. “Inhobbkom” is as pro-EU as they get. As the Maltese expression goes, Alla jbierek. Furthermore, one of their candidates for the EP elections is none other than Sharon Ellul Bonici, the renowned Eurosceptic. Incredible, isn’t it?
If that’s not as big a U-Turn as I’ve ever seen, then I don’t know what is.
Matt,
At least Sharon is being consistent in stick to her euro-skepticism and trying to use it as an asset in her campaign. I’m not sure that makes a lot of sense..but anyway she’s been more or less consistent.
Yes I agree with all your points about PL, and about PN, however honestly, in the EU, forgetting Malta as such, the PN MEPs have been more responsible, trustworthy and consistent. And since this is an MEP election… I think all responsible voters should be able to tell the difference. It’s hardly rocket science.