Marinara politics

Saviour Balzan 1 August 2010, 12:00am

2 min read

Just returned from Marsaxlokk, The best restaurants were closed, so we settled for a tourist place. Expecting the worst I guess.

Pasta marinara it was, and in fact it was pasta under a layer of mussels that had not been cleaned. Yes the marine algae was hanging on and for some unknown reason I had a head of a king prawn on the plate. The spaghetti was cut into small bits (6 cm long) and there was nothing else(You know pasta sliced into smallish bits just like when you cut up pasta for a four year old). I was asked if I needed a spoon by a Slavic waitress, I said no thank you. I really needed pincers.

As we devoured the food presented to us - because we were famished, a posse of youngsters dressed in blue T-shirts jumped and danced past us and in front of happy looking policemen. It was the feast at Marsaxlokk but there was nothing religious about their demeanor. Bottles of lager in the hands of the boys and young girls dressed to kill. Good for them but I could not understand where the fun was.

Tourists looked on, curious but not amused.

We are at the height of summer and the last thing on anyone’s minds is politics. Though we tend to expect politics anyway,which is why I cannot understand why the Labour party decides to take a holiday and allow Gonzi to say his bit on Sunday.

I get the feeling that Labour or rather Muscat is planning to have a dash in the last six months. What a miscalculation! Muscat still needs to convince.

He needs to convince people and at age 35, he should be working his butt off and doing triple the things Gonzi does. The impression I have is that there is a general malaise in the opposition, characterised by the belief that politics is a part-time job. It is not.

And more importantly politics is not all about emblems.

But as a friend who once militated in the PL told me rather succinctly the other day: the Labour party will win when the five big business families feel they can still make money under Labour. That is what Muscat is working for he told me.

Great I thought. Really, Pasta Marinara from a sad chef in Marsaxlokk sounds infinitely better.

Founder and co-owner of MaltaToday, Saviour Balzan has reported on Maltese politics and...

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Patrick Calleja •

If you get angels to govern Malta, at the end of their 20 years of "administrations" one ends up with devils, devils in disguise but devils just the same! So let us change these angels, get a new pack, tolerate them for ten years and then send them packing. However, one thing is remains a must: to get rid of GonziPN, who, like a cock, arrogantly, thinks that the sun has risen to hear him crow!

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Instead of talking about deodorant, just say it as it is. Instead of speculating say it as it is. Compare like with like. The truth is that the Labour party is in so manyways no different to the Nationalist party. This does not mean that the PN should stay on forever. But please let us stop imagining for one minute that all the virgins are on the other side of the border. It is only a question of time corrupting our politicians.That is why politicians should have an expiry date attached with time. A quarter of a century is far too long for anyone. Every so often we need to change the guard, That is all. The time I guess is now.

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Although PL and ONETV are connected it does not mean thatSilvio is giving JM advice, that is your perception. Would be interest if you could illuminate us about Scicluna and Grech, as regards. As regards politicians being rats who abondon ship at first sign of sinking I would agree with that but no 100%, we have upright politicians who unfortunately are sidelined and sometimes with the help of the media, your goodselves not excempted. And as regards media people, they are not saints themselves and like everyone else use deodrant under therir armpits.

Alfred Galea •

They go where the money is. They sell their souls for a euro, have no principles and no scruples. Like rats, they jump off when they notice the ship is sinking. Pigs at the trough.

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And one final thing ... about Louis Grech. Please let us not go there. Perhaps you should flick through some archives of MaltaToday. Or just google Louis Grech.

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Silvio Scerri is linked intrinsically with Where's Everybody and Lou Bondi. He has had several meetings with Joseph Muscat and willingly gives advice on matters pertaining to One TV and productions. He was until a few months ago someone who considered the PL - a second rate political grouping.

Before that he was even worse. Perhaps the fact that he wasa canvasser for Ugo Mifsud Bonnici before1987 is important to remember. He did more than that, he openlydefended the excesses of Where's Everybody, including Mr Bondi and Joe Zahra. Now, my question is very simple. Should we take Mr Muscat's criticism of WE seriously. I do not think so.

I would not be too surprised if when elected, we would see Lou Bondi & Co working hand in hand with Mr Muscat. Good for them. And the same applies to all those who change tack everytime they see a ship sinking.

Bertu Mizzi, is a case in point. In the seventies he was - an Edgar Mizzi quote - A mintoffian collaborator - and was vilified by Fenech Adami in mass meetings - then he suddenly moved and was embraced by the PN and Fenech Adami himself.

Only time will tell if his son will rekindle the old allegiance. And since we are on Zaren, yes, why don't we ask PL MEP Edward Scicluna who partners with Zaren in business to give us his opinion about Zaren.

Yes, I am more than willing to go on and provide info on the hypocrisy of our politicians.

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I just read the article about Silvio Scerri regarding his connection to PL. In your comment further down you gave the impression as if Silvio was one of JM's consultants when all he is ,is a consultant to ONETV. It is simply a business deal and ONETV is not dealing with some Zaren. In fact the article states that there are already improvements in the quality of ONETV. It is shameful that you as an editor should mislead by giving the wrong impression. Until now I did not know who Silvio Scerri was and by your earlier comment, mentioning him together with Marisa Micallef I got the impression that he is a political opinionist when he is simply a technical person. You should know better.

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Two wrongs don't make a right but at least PL has the right balance. What have you to say about the likes of Profs Scicluna, Grech, Mizzi .... still not impressed. Maybe Joeseph should ask Saviour Balzan to climb onboard.!!!

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Two wrongs do not make a right.

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@Saviour Balzan How much more impressive are DCG,RCC, Bondi,Peppi the list is too long, oh yes not least JPO and PBO, gracing gonziPN's group.

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Half Way Inn! Where is that? Gillieru, yes but traditional, conservative but nostalgic. Guzeppi, yes good but as not a fish place and could be a little bit warmer.

On Muscat, well, I am not too impressed with the people around him.

Marisa Micallef Leyson and Silvio Scerri are two examples of unimpressive people.

Patrick Calleja •

Dr Gonzi has a simplistic tendency to see Malta through ideological and partisan spectacles.He hung on to bad advisorsors and not exactly "clean" ministers far longer than he should have; he has divided his mission in life too often into good and evil ( good is whats good for PN big boys, whilst evil is whoever mutters something to the contrary).Yet he is shameless to sell himself to the electorate as bipartisan! In economic and financial matters he is prone to sagrifice the long term good of the country for short -term gain of HIS administration. Dr Joseph Muscat seems to be different. He has put a team with a "hands on attitude", whilst he has been already tough, dispatching blunderers and being prepared to admit past and present mistakes.He is renewing the Party to reflect the ever changing Maltese society. He is a respectful and thoughtful man, and that is a good start. Next time Mr Balzan feels like enjoying an evening with fish and frutti di mare, he should try the North: say Gillieru, Guzeppi's or Half Way In.!

Alfred Galea •

Joseph Muscat and his crew think that they're gonna win by default. They're always underestimating the PN and its lackeys in the media who will take a disastrous administration and turn in into "the best thing that ever happened to Malta". And with the kind of gullible voters that exist in Malta they might succeed in persuading them to vote for the arrogant, incompetent, corrupt and unaccountable. Which is really sad.