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Busuttil’s gaffe – ‘If I wanted to lie I would have stayed in European Parliament’
Simon Busuttil’s gaffe during political debate: ‘If I intended to get into politics to lie, I would have stayed in European Parliament.”
23 January 2013, 12:00am
Nestor Laiviera
Nestor Laiviera
1 min read
Deputy Leader Simon Busuttil amused audiences by committing something of a political faux pas during the third political debate on national television, aired on Wednesday.
Busuttil's verbal blooper came as he was launching into a counter-attack against assertions by deputy Leader Toni Abela that Busuttil was not being honest in downplaying the list of projects and pledges the PN government defaulted on.
However Busuttil's defence may have erred on the overzealous side.
"I wish to assure Toni Abela that if I intended to go into politics only to come here and lie, I would have stayed in the European Parliament," Busuttil told audiences.
Busuttil's gaffe left both journalists and audiences wondering as to whether the threshold of acceptability for falsehoods is considerably higher than elsewhere, or whether MEPs habitually take liberties with the truth.
Be it as it may, Busuttil's gaffe was a light-hearted moment during an otherwise overall sombre debate, characterised by attacks and counter attack on issues such as Labour's energy proposals, government's growing debt, and political corruption.
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Hekk Hu Sewwa Qed Tghid FENEA.Sur PrimMinistru U Sur SIMON BUZUTILL Illum M intom HA Tqarrqu B hadd.Illum il-maggoranza tal-poplu tghallem bl-ingann Li issa xebbajtu lil kulhadd bih.Gharukaza ta amministrazzjoni.Ovja tal-partit nazzjonalista.Il Poplu imxebba.Anka dawk il hardcores nazzjonalisti ihossuwa u deep inside jejduwa li issa il partit tal klikka qijed verament jidhol gas down gol hajt.
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Sorry Mr Busuttil but the more you speak the more one realises that you are just another "plastic" politician, nice on the outside but empty inside
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Well Simon is no saint. He had twisted so many truths about the full EU membership when he headed the MIC. I was one of those many who took the bait.
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Dear Algan...wait now, weren't Muscat and Grech also fine dining in Brussels? but perhaps you are right, I suppose they too must be realizing that the "rough and tumble of Maltese politics is quite different from the arcane world of high Brussels politics"
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Nahseb li l-artiklu tal-MT qed ikun ingust ma' dak li qal fil-verita' Dr Simon Busuttil. Min studja l-logika matematika jaf li Dr Busuttil ma qalx li meta kien fl-UE kien mdorri jigdeb ... dik xi haga li wasal ghaliha min kiteb l-artiklu u min ghandu nteress li jasal ghal dik il-konkluzjoni fis-sahna tal-elezzjoni. Is-sens ta' kliem Dr Busuttil kien: Ma ghandi l-ebda nteress nhalli post prestigjuz f'Ewropa biex nigi noqghod nigdeb Malta. Li tfisser: Gejt hawn Malta biex nahdem bis-serjeta!!
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Mela hsibt li qieghed ghand tal-Grocer jew, biex jahrablek ilsienek hekk Xmun?
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qal dak li qal
kulhadd semmu
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Fenea , min kien qed jara id-dibattitu seta' jisma lill-Dr Simon Busuttil jgħid il-kliem , għalhekk kollu għall xejn dak li qed tipprova tagħmel int biex tiġġustifika u tiskuza kliemu . Int kont wieħed min ta' l-ewwel li ħriġt takkuza lill-Partit Laburista jekk ikun fil-gvern ma jzidtx il-paga minima meta għawwiġtu dak kollu li kien qal Dr Muscat . Pero baqa' f'wiċċkhom għax il-verita' hi li il-Gvern Nazzjonalista qatt ma zied il-paga minima tul dawn il-ħamsa u għoxrin sena , hlief biz-zieda tal-ogħli tal-ħajja .
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More of a Freudian slip than a gaffe. SB must be realizing the rough and tumble of Maltese politics is quite different from the arcane world of high Brussels politics. You require quite a tough skin to survive here and the hobz biz zejt tidbits in local kazini are not the same as fine dining in Brussels.
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"I wish to assure Toni Abela that if I intended to go into politics only to come here and lie, I would have stayed in the European Parliament," Busuttil told audiences.........x'qal hazin simon? il gurnal qed jipprova idawwar il kliem ta simon biex jinftihem mod iehor. il heading tal artiklu m'ghandu xjaqsam xejn ma dak li qal simon u kif irrapurtat aktar l-isfel. meta toni ghadda rimarka lil simon li mhux qed ikun onest. simon irrisponda billi qallu li jekk hu kellu il hsieb li johrog ghal politika biex joqod jigdeb kien jibqa membru parlamentari ewropew......DAN HUWA KOLLU QERQ TAL GURNALIZMU IMMA ILLUM SUR EDITUR MU SE TIDHAK JEW TQARRAQ LILL HADDT.
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Is that what you have been doing in the European Parlament , Simon ? Thanks for the information , so now we know what the Potty Leader was doing in Brussels . And now he decided to continue his mission back home because as they say in maltese , fuq tnejn toqgħod il-borma , and with Dr Austin Gatt out of politics , Dr Gonzi needed a replacement .
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We are talking about a politician and as I always say " believe none of what you hear and only believe half of what you see". I am not to fond of politicians from either side but what Simon Busuttil did was have a slip of the tongue. It happens to the best of us. On the other hand there are many who are watching and listening to every move you make and especially listening to everything you say. All is fair in love and war especially in politics. Keep listening.
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Ma nistax nifhem kif il-PN pogga lis-Sur Busuttil bhala il-vici kap ghadni irrid nisma messagg wiehed minn ghandu li jixbah messaggi li kienu jghatu esponenti ohra fi hdan il-PN, bniedem xipli ghal l-ahhar li jktik l-impressjoni li ghadu mili l-boghod milli jasal fil-parlament Malti, wisq nibza li jekk johrog fuq xi distrett iebes jehel u jehel sew. Nahseb wkoll li mhux ser jitlaq il-Parlament Europew post li l-gideb jista' hu permessibbli!!! Kliem bla sugu.
Luke Camilleri •
ghalhiex gie mela?
gabu Gonzi ghax jaf jigdeb?
Dan it-talent li jfittex Gonzi fil-kandidati teighu, "LI JIGDBU u JIBULLXITJAW"?????
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Tant ghandu lsienu twil li tfixkel fih
jew qal il-verita.
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Dan bis serjeta!! Kif wiccu joqghod ghal kollox.
B'dan ir ragunament minjaf khemm qideb meta kien
membru f'EU.
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With all due respect, this is journalistic deceit of the highest order, plus its shows an incredible ignorance of the English language. Dr. Busuttil's words have been completely, conveniently and maliciously misinterpreted. His message was clear to me as an objective listener.....I am not giving up my career in the EP (which, let's face it, has been a stellar career) to take up a career in Malta's Parliament just for the fun of lying etc. By no stretch of the imagination did Dr. Busuttil intend to say that he lies in the EP, or that it is easier to lie in the EP. He was just conveying the message that he is offering his services at a national level with a view to making a difference, and that if he did not have that intent he would have conveniently stayed in the EP. Everyone with a sane mind would interpret it that way. It is utterly disgusting, malicious and pure vulgar sensationalism to interpret his words in any other manner, and your attempt to do so shows your true colours.
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With all due respect, this is journalistic deceit of the highest order, plus its shows an incredible ignorance of the English language. Dr. Busuttil's words have been completely, conveniently and maliciously misinterpreted. His message was clear to me as an objective listener.....I am not giving up my career in the EP (which, let's face it, has been a stellar career) to take up a career in Malta's Parliament just for the fun of lying etc. By no stretch of the imagination did Dr. Busuttil intend to say that he lies in the EP, or that it is easier to lie in the EP. He was just conveying the message that he is offering his services at a national level with a view to making a difference, and that if he did not have that intent he would have conveniently stayed in the EP. Everyone with a sane mind would interpret it that way. It is utterly disgusting, malicious and pure vulgar sensationalism to interpret his words in any other manner, and your attempt to do so shows your true colours.
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Sewwa kont qed nahseb li l-Klabb tal EU huma nies mhux ta min jafdhom ghaliex skond Simon Busuttil hemm GIDDIBin hemm.
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smart man?.........whew, so many huge mistakes...........we need real PN members in the PN party not amatuers.
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This is at least the third gaffe of Simon Busutill. the first one in the very first week of him being elected deputy leader saying that Malta would require a bailout of Pl is in office. That was very bad for business. The second is the GROCER canavasing. He is still 40 yrs in the past and now this one telling us that if one wants to lie he better remain an MEP
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As I understood it was that if he wanted to be untruthful about things here he would not get directly involved in local politics but but put such statements as an outsider as a member of EP. I think that the statement would have come out that way from most of us. We have all been in situations where we said something which was totally contrary what we wanted to mean.
But the statement was entertaining.
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Simple Simon must be learning from the master himself. A certain Tonju, who should have graduated as a criminal lawyer, and not what he is, whatever that is. Tonju is a master in creating doubt within gullible audiences, and sounding ecclesiastically sincere. He must have had some great training from the local priests, who trained so hard at talking down to ignorant field dwellers and sheep herders. However, Simon is not near enough at being a clever student. He comes across as a truly diligent second class lawyer. All words and no substance.
Igor P. Shuvalov •
Some people lie, others do not say the truth. There are those who tell half truths. And then, there those who are only caught lying when they do not implement what they promise in their electoral manifesto!!!
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I guess I have to agree with Simon"morru ghand tal-grocer"Busuttil on this one ! He must have learned that, after all, the EU itself IS A BIG LIE !
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Is he refering to the many times he abstained or voted against Gay Rights? Just wondering!
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Don't worry Dr. Busuttil ......you have managed to bring your European "principles" to Malta! You're managing to lie quite well!
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It is not so much 'the journalists and audience who were left wondering' as much as us the readers... wondering whether journalists need to go back to school. Busuttil did not commit any gaffe, and the meaning is absolutely clear to anyone with a tuppence worth of brain cells (unless one wants to put a satirical spin on it). But hey-ho such is the silliness of this campaign it must even be affecting the journalists. Please go get the real stories.
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Laiviera, being a diehard laburist you're an expert in twisting facts...and words.
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If you don't have anymore space in your mind for lies,they start to come out from your mouth so stop lying a least during the campaing.
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Reminds me of Tonio Fenech's gaffe some days back when, in a debate vs Chris Cardona, he stated that his governement had given the Maltese people the worst (l-aghar) electricity bills. Of course he corrected himself but, as they say, the truth will out!
Luke Camilleri •
Freudian slip - NO DOUBT ABOUT IT ! :)
n.
A verbal mistake that is thought to reveal a repressed belief, thought, or emotion.
http://www.whatispsychology.biz/about-freudian-slip-definition
Luke Camilleri •
Freudian slip - NO DOUBT ABOUT IT ! :)
n.
A verbal mistake that is thought to reveal a repressed belief, thought, or emotion.
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Mela kien giddieb bil-provi; u ghadu ....ghax ma irrezenjax! Hu stess ammetta li fil-Parlamnet Ewropew imur biex jigdeb!
