Update: Did we say IVA to Gaddafi's money?

L-Ewropa hija Akbar?

" ... jidher li fondi Libjani gew investiti fil-kampanja enormi li saret f'Malta biex din tidhol membru tal-Unjoni Ewropeja".

This declaration was made by Alfred Sant yesterday, on the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 (Torca).

Ándale, Ándale?

Arriva, Arriva

When Arriva's service was launched on 3 July the result was an utter mess. It looked like it was being run by Wile E. Coyote on Mexican magic mushrooms, not the heroic Speedy Gonzalez at the top of his game.

Rightly so, commuters went ballistic. They had not bid farewell to the coughing yellow clunkers to be saddled with purring shiny green ones which refused to show up. Air conditioning on board was nice but it wasn't enough to calm the nerves after an hour baking on a bus stop.

No, not this Manuel

Che?

Someone signing 'Manuel' sent a very interesting and beautifully written comment on another post on this blog. I think that the questions it raises are so crucial that it deserves to be looked at separately. 

Here is Manuel's comment:

Committing suicide? Call this woman

Marie Louise Coleiro Preca

If you ask the PL to tell you what its concrete policies on the economy, finances, social and foreign affairs, investment and employment - the bread and butter of politics - you will be very hard pressed to get an answer.

Joseph Muscat himself admitted on Xarabank that he will not tell us where he stands till the electoral campaign kicks.

Who's Moody, Lawrence or Joseph? (Part 2)

Joseph Muscat announced his take on Moody's report at a press conference this week.

The head table chairs were occupied by men who worked with all the party leaders since the 1950s: Karmenu Vella (Dom Mintoff, Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici), Charles Mangion (Alfred Sant) and Edward Scicluna (Joseph Muscat).

Who's Moody, Lawrence or Joseph? (Part 1)

That Moody's Investors Services downgraded Malta's status from A1 to A2 and pinned the 'negative outlook' badge to our flag is not good news and it deserves to be given the weight.

Why was Malta downgraded? "The main driver underlying Malta's one-notch downgrade to A2 and negative outlook is Moody's view that the global recession of 2008-09 will leave the country with a legacy of slower medium-term economic growth," say Moody's. 

Now this should get the party going

We were at a party recently - no, not at Consuelo Scerri Herrera's house. After a few bottles a usual suspect embarked on his impersonation routine. 

The hit of the evening was when he took on the character of a young North Korean woman singing 'Ma taghmlu xejn mal-Perit Mintoff'. 

You are in - not at - a party, Deborah

IVA ghall-PL

That Joseph Muscat managed to get Deborah Schembri to run on his ticket is probably the best move he's made so far. The woman is smart, a good communicator and charming.

She did do things a tad too quickly. Like a scene from a John Wayne flick, she jumped from the divorce to the PL bandwagon while both were in fast motion. But that was a tactical mistake which will soon be forgotten.

As I was saying

Alfred Sant

On 13 July, I put up a blog post about Alfred Sant's approach to the Eurozone crisis and how it differs from Joseph Muscat's - click: I'm with Joseph on this one.

Sant's is not really a position. He was, is and will remain opposed in principle to Malta having the Euro as its currency. Typical of the man, once he takes a position absolutely nothing will change it. 

Do I hear rumblings of another boycott, Manwel?

You talking to me

Manwel Cuschieri, the ex-president of the PL is the local version of a radical Muslim mullah. For him, Malta is divided into two tribes - Labourites and Nationalists, believers and non-believers. If he had any say, he would probably require members of each to carry different passports and live in different parts of the country.

For years, when Alfred Sant was PL leader, is-Sur Manwel, as his listeners addressed him, preached his spiteful political religion on radio every day. It gave him a lot of power in the party and even the highest officials kowtowed to him.