What if it were Tony?

The European elections have now come and gone, and it may now be the opportune time to reflect upon those issues that may have been the cause of some concern.

Throughout these past months one thought has been nagging at the back of my mind. I refrained from externalising this at the time because I had no wish to be seen to be intent on embarking on a personal attack on the individual candidate concerned. Nothing would have been further from the truth. My belief in democracy and in the values that sustain it, including every person's right to seek political office, remains paramount.

Having said that, I couldn't but reflect upon the irony of having the PN court and ultimately convince Vince Farrugia to contest these elections on its behalf. Not that Mr. Farrugia does not have what it takes to be a good MEP, but Mr. Farrugia is the public face of a trade union organisation - the GRTU - and consequently issues of prima facie incompatibility between a trade unionist and a political role were bound to rise.

But even if such issues could have, in one way or other, been addressed and overcome, a paramount contradiction would have remained especially in light of the fact of the PN's continuous attack on the PL and its erstwhile leader Dr. Alfred Sant for having the gall of contending, in the months prior to the last general election, that the MLP and the GWU had a special relationship. At the time, this statement brought on a sustained attack on the MLP and the GWU from the PN, which leads me to question whether the PN and its leadership really think that there are two weights and two measures by which to judge actions within the political arena.

What if instead of Vince Farrugia contesting these European elections on behalf of the PN, it was a Tony Zarb contesting on behalf of the PL? How would have the PN acted? Would it have accepted the notion that a GWU high ranking official has a democratic right to contest on behalf of a political party or would it have lambasted the candidate and the two organisations in typical PN fashion? The truth is that we will never know. However judging on past experience there is little doubt in my mind that in such a scenario, the holier than though PN would have come out in force to tarnish the PL and the GWU.

In my view, at least, the Vince Farrugia candidacy has now legitimised any future candidacy on the part of trade union officials for political office with whichever political party. After all, what's good for the goose, is good for the gander, and thus one can only hope that should such a scenario manifest itself in the future within the PL fold, the PN would spare us the hypocrisy of shedding crocodile tears.

The King is Dead

There is no doubt that Michael Jackson is the undisputed king of pop. His legacy in music terms is such that he will forever rank with the elite.

It is rather unfortunate and sad that Michael Jackson's otherwise brilliant music carrier has been tainted by allegations of improper behaviour of a personal nature, which rightly or wrongly, will forever influence people's judgement.

This said, however, the simple fact remains that Michael Jackson was one of a kind. With his bizarre ways and all, his musical talent was such that it propelled him to stardom from a very young age. For Michael Jackson metamorphosised himself before his adoring fans very eyes. From the young black kid with the sweet voice singing with the Jackson Five, to the superstar of Thriller fame, to the white mega-superstar who gave us Bad, Dangerous, and History.

Few have really come into contact with Michael Jackson to be able to say that they really knew and understood him. His seemingly complex personality may have been the culmination of years of abuse he himself has suffered as a child. It may be the result of years of excesses which many within the music world experience and fall victim off. Whatever the reasons, there can be no doubt that to many of us, Michael Jackson remains an enigma, but whose music has cheered the hearts of millions throughout the years.

Now in death, may he find the peace that he so manifestly craved for in this life and which, in spite of all his talent and success, seems to have alluded him till the end.

With Our Feet Firmly on the Ground

There are no two ways to go about it. Last Saturday's electoral result was a massive victory for Labour and its new leader, Dr. Joseph Muscat.

The margin of victory, some 15% equivalent to some 35,000 votes, is unprecedented. That Lawrence Gonzi and the PN seem to have come out of such an electoral thumping relatively unperturbed is something that should be of concern to us all. There have been other instances when the PN suffered electoral defeats with PN leaders coming out promising a new era of doing politics, of being more perceptive to people's needs, and of taking on the message, only for us to find out that these were but hollow words. Only time will tell whether Dr. Gonzi and co. actually mean what they are saying this time round.

In my view, last Saturday's vote was not merely a vote to elect Malta's representatives in the European Parliament. It was a vote of no-confidence in Dr. Lawrence Gonzi and his administration. Having invested so much in the persona of Dr. Gonzi in the run up to the March 2008 general elections, to the extent that the wizards toiling in Pieta came up with the assimilation of the party with the leader in their GONZIPN creation, it was only legitimate for the people to express their opinion on the overall performance of Lawrence Gonzi and his government. The people have now spoken clearly giving their thumbs down to Lawrence Gonzi and his administration.

Dr. Gonzi must now act. He must show in concrete terms that he has taken on the message that the electorate has so loudly given. This was a clear vote of no-confidence in him and he should do the decent thing and resign.

At the same time, on the Labour front it is imperative for everyone to keep their feet firmly on the ground. This electoral victory marks the beginning of a long and arduous road ahead. As the lessons learnt in 2008 clearly show, there is still a lot of hard work ahead, and we would be foolish to think that this electoral victory makes it a certainty that a new Labour government would be elected to office in the next general elections. We need to keep focused and work with vigour and determination to continue to convince as many people as possible that this country desperately needs a breath of fresh air, a change that only a Labour administration can bring about.

Endorsing Claudette Abela Baldacchino

It is a matter of public knowledge that come next Saturday my first preference vote for the European parliamentary elections will go to Claudette Abela Baldacchino.

My vote for Claudette is one based on conviction. It is based on the knowledge that Claudette is one of the more experienced and competent candidates standing in these elections.

Moreover, Claudette is a person who says what she believes and believes what she says. Gimmicks are not part of Claudette's style of doing politics.

Throughout this campaign Claudette has consistently shown her mettle. She has not shied away from taking on difficult issues, such as the need to tackle social inequality; of the pain and suffering of broken families and the need for a final decision on the question of divorce; on the need to ensure that adequate health services and recource to medical treatment remain available to all irrespective of financial ability. In this respect, Claudette has on innumerable occassions gone one record stating that 'health is not for sale' and has even pledged that as an MEP she would be joining the MEPs Against Cancer political group within the European Parliament.

Claudette has also stood her ground in denouncing the failures of Prime Minister Gonzi and his government and the Nationalist representatives within the European institutions. By highlighting the need for Malta to have a stronger voice in Europe, she has stressed the point that Malta and its people are no second class citizens, and that the European Union institutions need to quickly realise that we will not accept being treated any less than other people in Europe. A clear case in point in this regard has been the debacle about illegal migration, with Gonzi & co having to accept an agreement for voluntary burden sharing when it was clear from the start that such an undertaking would remain a dead letter.

I have witnessed Claudette's tireless efforts in striving for the causes she believes in for the best party of twenty years. Whether it was within the Labour Party structures, at local council levels, or in the Committee of the Regions of the European Union (COR), Claudette has always manifested courage and determination in seeking to accomplish the tasks at hand. The esteem that she enjoys by her fellow members of this European institution are manifested by the faith shown in her when she was asked to pilot two very important policy reports on social issues through the COR, and to coordinate the Social Chapter for the Party of European Socialists' electoral manifesto.

When Claudette speaks of the need for a Social Europe she does so because she understands that the way that the European Union is presently governed is driving us into a wall. It is a political philosophy that is taking us deeper and deeper into an economic crisis of unprecedented proportions. Claudette firmly believes that a change in direction for Europe (and Malta) is desperately needed.

Claudette is on record stating that it is unacceptable that Europe attempts to find solutions to the economic mess it finds itself in by merely focusing on the financial aspects. Such a strategy would indeed by myopic and destined to fail. The fact is that the economic and the social aspects are intimately interrelated, and there can be no sustainable long-term solution unless both factors are adequately taken into account.

I fully concur with Claudette when she states that in the coming years those of us on the Left who hold worker's rights at heart need to be even more vigilant to ensure that all attempts to reduce - if not do away completely with - those rights that workers have gained, with so much effort and sacrifices throughout the years, are nipped in the bud.

The message that Claudette is sending is very clear. Europe cannot solve its problems at the expense of workers and their families. On the contrary, it is only by safeguarding workers rights and striving for more and better jobs that the European economy can recover and experience long-term sustainable growth.

For Claudette, the bottom line remains that the European model is one historically based on the notion of striving to consistently improve the standard of living of persons. I agree with Claudette that we cannot allow those with a sinister agenda to turn back the clock in their attempt to reduce workers to mere cogs in an industrial machine. Our commitment to workers and their families is what makes us Socialists in the end.

A Case of Manifest Danger at Salini Park

Over a year ago I posted an entry in this blog in which I pointed at the manifest danger that exists, particularly for young children, at the Salini Park in Saint Paul's Bay.

This blog entry was picked upon and shortly thereafter I received communication from the office of the Commissioner for Children informing me that they were investigating this case. In fact they did communicate with the Saint Paul's Bay Local Council which, however, was quick to reply that this particular park did not fall within its remit and that any questions or complaints regarding this park should be addressed to the Government.

Since then there has been complete silence. Worse still not an iota has changed to mitigate the dangers that exist within the park. As these pictures clearly demonstrate this is truly a case of an accident waiting to happen.

I honestly hope that this entry serves as a reminder to those responsible that we have an obligation to act to saveguard the health and safety of our children. I hope that this will not be another case when the authorities feel bound to act only after a tragedy occurs and some innocent child seriously injures himself.

A Sad Day

As a Juventus fan it goes without saying that I wish the best of luck to new Juventus coach, Ciro Ferrara. Having said that, I must admit to have been taken aback by the decision by the club to fire Claudio Ranieri.

Admittedly, these past two months, things were not rosy, and it was becoming quite evident that there was growing tension within the squad. The fact, however, remains that Juventus are a mere three points adrift of Milan in second place. It is also a fact that for the last two games of the season, Juventus have a much easier fixture than either Milan or Fiorentina, which have to face off each other in the last day of the season. Second place is firmly within sight, and besides it makes no sense to fire a coach a mere two fixtures away from the end of the season.

And let's look reality in the face shall we? Until this difficult patch, Juventus were having an excellent season. Let's admit it, the quality of the squad is what it is, and there is no comparison between the depth and quality made available to Claudio Ranieri and that at the disposal of Jose Mourinho at Inter. And if that were not enough, during this campaign Juventus have been plagued with a long serious of injuries, further depleting the squad available to Ranieri. But despite all the odds, Juventus were clearly in contention for the greatest part of the season, with a decent run in the Uefa Champions League and the Coppa Italia.

Something must have happened to rock the boat. A lot remains still shrouded in mystery but all fingers point to the infamous dinner between Jean Claude Blanc and Marcello Lippi as having triggered these unfortunate chain of events. Following that encounter, it became evident that Claudio Ranieri was no longer in command and that he had become a sitting duck. Rather than support him, the new Juventus management choose to give him the sack, something anathema to the 'stile Juve' of which all Juventus fans are so proud of.

The fact that Juventus hadn't sacked a coach in the previous forty or so years is quite telling. Yesterday was indeed a sad day in the Juventus history. There is no doubt in my mind that such an event would have never happened had l'Avvocato and Boniperti had still been in charge. Unfortunately, however, as was clearly evidenced at the time of the calciopoli bubble, the present management, competent though it may be when it comes to the business side of things, is clearly unable to handle the sporting aspect of management, showing clear signs of panic at the first signs of adverse results.

As a fan, I can only hope that the team can put this sad episode quickly behind it and rise again to its past glory. As a realist, I fear that this may be quite an unattainable target, at least in the short term.

Five Years On

The fifth anniversary since Malta joined the European Union has come and gone without much of a fuss. Today the European question is no longer an issue to the Maltese people. That, in my view, is a strong sign of the political maturity of the Maltese people.

A decision needed to be taken. Different points of view where exposed, debated, and analysed, and in the end the people made their choice. That choice has been recognised and accepted by one and all, and we have moved on.

Admittedly, every so often, one does tend to hear some out of sync voices emerging from within the Nationalist camp. Oftentimes, these voices are coming from people who seem to wish that time stood still and that we are still back in 2003. These, to my mind at least, seem to be people who are unable to comprehend that in a democracy any decision, however important, is a reflection of the mood of the moment and that once taken, whether one was for or against it, that decision becomes a part of history, something best left for the historians and the academics to analyse and comment upon.

I still find it shocking to note that the same people who find it so easy to criticise Dom Mintoff and the post-1979 Labour Government for being unable to truly come to terms with the paradigmatic shift our country went through the moment Freedom, through the closure of the foreign military bases, was achieved, alas commit the same mistake when it comes to the European issue. Indeed there are Nationalist sympathisers who seem to think that just because at the time the Labour Party proposed different options to EU membership then, in their view the Labour Party should not even contemplate to participate in the European process by, for instance, fielding candidates for the European parliamentary elections.

It really is a pity that such people choose to get stuck in a time warp. Thankfully though, the Maltese people in general have moved on and recognise that today the issue is no longer one of whether Malta should become a member or not, but one that concerns the true aspirations of the people. In other words, the people of Malta and Gozo today do not want politicians to waste time preaching about the virtues or defects of the European Union, but rather they want them to focus their energies on making a success of this venture. It is actions not words that are of interest to the Maltese people.

Five years on, it is safe to say that Malta has only started nibbling at the true meaning of this new reality, and that there is still a long way to go before we can truly say that as a people we are maximising our potential within Europe.

In all honesty, five years on, one can safely say that there have been some positive aspects associated with Malta having joined the European Union. By and large, for instance, Malta has adjusted well to the adoption of the Euro. Similarly, it is positive to note that many Maltese are recognising the fact that now they are afforded greater protection against possible abuse by their government, with Malta having for the second year running registered the highest per capita share of complaints forwarded to the European Ombudsman.

At the same time however, it is worth noting that much still needs to be done. Five years on, it seems that unlike the other new members Malta is still struggling to get to terms with the obligations it has assumed through membership. A long list of European laws and regulations have been transposed into Maltese law, but there still seems to be a big problem with enforcement. Worse still, there are instances when rights and obligations arising through European legislation have been ignored or shelved by the local authorities thus requiring affected citizens or corporations to take the long winded road of seeking redress in a court of law, which as we all know is not renowned for its alacrity. The recent case concerning the imposition of VAT on excise duty levied on cars in Malta is but one case in point.

Come next June, the Maltese people will once again be called upon to cast their vote to elect their representatives in the European Parliament. This time round these elections will not have that sense of novelty which attracted a large number of voters to participate in 2004, an aspect which seems to support emerging data on the likelihood that the participation rate in these elections will be much lower than expected this time round.

Having said this, I am of the opinion that as a people it would be unwise of us to simply ignore these elections. Whether we participate or not, someone will be elected, and it is always better for us to have a say in that matter rather than abdicate that responsibility to others.

More importantly still, the Maltese people would be well advised to note that increasingly the decisions which directly affect them are being taken in the European fora rather than at National level, with oftentimes the Maltese parliament having to play a secondary role by simply acknowledging that which would have been decided upon in Brussels. A clear manifestation of this is the large number of pieces of legislation which are being introduced in Malta by means of the instrument of a Legal Notice issued by the competent minister rather than by an Act of Parliament, which Legal Notices oftentimes merely reproduce European Directives word for word.

It is thus imperative, in my view at least, that we recognise that the European elections are not some frivolous excuse to have some political wrangling to spice up our lives with. The choice of which five representatives we as a people are to send to represent us in this only directly elected institution within the European Union is a very important one that needs to be taken seriously.

Disappointed

There can be no two ways of saying this, I am very disappointed with the way that Juventus have approached this last part of the season. Gaining only three points in the past four games is certainly below the standard that a serious title contender should be setting.

Admittedly the alibis that one can put forward to justify such a slump in form are not in short abundance. To begin with the quality and depth of the squad were manifestly not up to the levels of the other title hopefuls as Inter and Milan. And due to the necessity of playing the Champions League qualifying round, Juventus had to anticipate its training thus necessarily having had to anticipate the players individual and collective preparations.

And to worsen an already bad situation, the incredible number of injuries - 66 at last count - many of which have necessitated players to absent themselves from first team football for months, is a factor which undeniably has had a very negative impact. The fact is that such absences of first team players such as Buffon, Amauri, Zanetti, Camoranesi, Chiellini, Sisoko, and Trezeguet has meant that the rest of the squad had to double its efforts for a significant part of the season, the physical and mental stress of which are now being felt. To compound matters still, the plague of injuries did not even spare the so called reserves, players such as Manninger, Knetzevic, Salihamidzic, Marchisio, De Ceglie, Thiago, Poulsen, and Marchionni, thus denying Claudio Ranieri the ability to have a healthy turn-over amongst the players affording tired players with some breathing space to recharge their batteries.

The compound effect of these injuries has been that many players today find themselves completely burnt out. This is manifest to all those watching Juventus play with the team being increasingly outplayed by squads that in the first round received a soundly beating from Juventus.

As a true fan, however, my disappointment is not confined merely to the squad and the sporting results. Rather I have been taken aback by the seemingly irrational backlash that there has been during these past three weeks by many Juventus fans both in Italy as well as locally who have been calling for the sacking of Claudio Ranieri. Respectfully, I disagree.

For me, all those advocating for Ranieri's dismissal are not being fair to the Juventus coach. With the material that was placed at his disposal, injuries and all, he has steered Juventus to the top end of the table and with a small measure of luck the gap might truly have been smaller. Let's try to be honest about this, it certainly was not Ranieri's fault that Juventus trice hit the woodwork against Sampdoria dropping two precious points, or that Fiorentina managed a last minute equalised in the season's opener. And most certainly it cannot be Ranieri's fault that Reggina's Halfredsson found the shot of his life to beat Buffon in yesterday's clash thus earning his side a precious point. Had Juventus has a small dose of good luck in these matches, those would have been six more points, effectively implying a gap of only four points from Inter.

I believe that as fans we are also duty bound to evaluate things more rationally and be fair with those whose task it is to serve us. As Ranieri has repeatedly stated, when he was appointed coach he embarked upon a long term project with the management unequivocally stating that the intention was to bring the club to its former glory within a period of five years. It seems to me that Ranieri is on track with the pre-set agenda. Honestly, I would be very disappointed to see a man of the calibre of Claudio Ranieri walk away from the club simply because the hardcore Juventus fans cannot be happy with a mere Champions League placing.

For those that have a short memory, it might not be unwise to piont out that it took Sir Alex Fergusson years before his now seemingly unbeatable Manchester United landed its first silverware, and that Carlo Ancellotti who was so unceremoniously dumped by Juventus after two consecutive second place finishing in the Italian Serie A has gone on to reach the Champions League final three times with Milan, winning it twice, and more importantly still in one of these finals beating Juventus. I really do hope that Juventus will not go on to repeat their past mistakes, coaching wise!

Amoral Logic

Every so often, Daphne Caruana Galizia has the habit of putting pen to paper and writing something which really irks me. More often than not, particularly when she writes about her pet hate subjects as the Labour Party and anything and/or anyone related to it, I prefer to ignore her. This being a democratic country, Daphne, just like everybody else, is entitled to hold and express an opinion, however warped of manifestly blinkered that may be.

But when I read her latest blog entry I couldn't help but cringe. Not that there aren't aspects of her latest blog with which I am in agreement. I do, in fact share her concern as regards the gist of her argument therein made, and namely that in this day and age the State can no longer abscond from its duty to provide for abandoned children as well as animals.

Having said this, in two distinct parts of her exposition, Daphne makes morally questionable statements that cannot go unchecked. In fact, she states that 'I disapprove of shelters on principle and believe that dogs which cannot be homed should be put down.' And as if this were not enough, she further adds that 'If he had no intention of caring for those kittens, he should have done the decent thing and whacked them over the head or drowned them in a bucket of water.

Given that this is the same person who felt so scandalised by the fact that Labour Prime Minister Dr. Alfred Sant made a solemn declaration rather taking a religious oath on assuming office, I feel that her apparent lack of moral convictions when it comes to animal welfare needs to be put under greater scrutiny for since when has it whacking a poor kitten on the head or drowning it in a bucket of water become decent? Since when has it become acceptable to put a healthy dog down simply because it is homeless?

These comments are offensive and clearly unacceptable in any self-respecting society. In my view, Daphne needs to take ownership of her comments and quickly retract them. Anything else would legitimately put serious questions as to her moral standards.

A Question for Robert

I have known Robert Micallef for the past seventeen years. During this time, I have always known him to be a highly intelligent, and deeply reflective person.

Our first encounter dates back to 1992 when we were both elected onto the executive council of the Kunsill Studenti Universitarji. It was a different era in student politics, one in which there was still room for minority representation on the Council, something which unfortunately is no longer the case today given that the rules of the game have now been changed into a first past the post system.

During our time in office, Robert, myself and a small number of others hailing from the 'left' wing of the political arena strove hard to put on the KSU's agenda issues that would have otherwise not have been tackled. In fact, if memory serves me right, one such item of discussion - that of having condom vending machines within student house - is, I am very much ashamed to note, still very much an issue of controversy today.

Soon thereafter, I was to get in close contact with Robert in another forum. At the time of our election on the KSU's executive council, Robert was already involved within the youth section of the Malta Labour Party of which he was the International Secretary. At the time though, my energies were largely reserved to student politics, and my local party club. All of that was to change quite drastically early in 1993 when I was approached to serve as Organisational Secretary of the Labour Youth Forum, and within a few short weeks found myself elevated to the post of General Secretary, and consequently became a member of the Labour Party's National Executive Committee. I have no qualm in admitting that throughout, I always found Robert to be a reliable source of suggestions and advise.

As time went by, we both sought our different paths. We both ended up contesting General Elections on behalf of the Malta Labour Party, and professionally we both went on to pursue our goals with a modicum of success.

When in 2004 Robert's name was put forward for the consideration by the Party delegates to be chosen as an MEP hopeful for the Party, I was not surprised. Robert's expertise in the international arena is second to none, and his interest in European issues was deep rooted. This aspect of Robert's personal curriculum was quite naturally recognised by the Party delegates, but unfortunately, given the nature of Maltese politics, was not easily recognised by the population at large. Had Robert been elected as an MEP, there is no doubt in my mind that he would have been a very good ambassador for Malta within the European Parliament.

In this context, thus, I cannot but be taken aback by the news that apparently Robert Micallef has allowed himself to become associated with the new political party Libertas, by accepting to act as a Secretary of a think-thank advising it on European issues, and being photographed in the company of Party Leader, and MEP hopeful, Mary Gauci and Libertas founder Declan Ganley, a renowned anti-Lisbon treaty campaigner.

We live in a democracy, and far be it for me to criticise anyone for deciding to pin his colours to any particular political grouping. As with everybody else, Robert has every right to support whichever political party and/or candidate he so wishes. However, in the present instance, I feel that given his past political allegiance to the Malta Labour Party, a member of the European family of Socialist parties, it may be pertinent to ask him to come out in the clear and declare his intentions come next June.

Of course, Robert has every right to decide not to declare his voting intentions. Should he decide not to comment, I will understand and fully respect his decision. However, given his public profile and the very obvious differences, at least in my mind, between the views embraced by the Party of European Socialists of which the Labour Party in Malta is a member, and those espoused by Libertas, as a Labour Party delegate, I must admit to be very interested in learning whether Robert Micallef will be voting for this new political organisation or whether he will still be supporting the Labour Party and its list of candidates next June?

If it is the case of the former, I would like to question Robert as to the reasons motivating this shift in his political allegiance, if the latter, then I would really have to ask him to explain how he can feel comfortable advising a political grouping which he himself will not be supporting.