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Right-wing governments brought Europe to a standstill – Joseph Muscat
Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat said that whilst Malta is helping Greece with its bailout and other EU countries to recover from the recession, the European countries are not in turn helping Malta with its immigration problem.
26 June 2011, 12:00am
Miriam Dalli
Miriam Dalli
2 min read
“The European Union, led by the forces of the right, are bringing the people to a standstill,” Muscat said during a phone-in on One Radio. “This is not the Europe we want.”
The Labour leader is currently abroad to meet with the opposition socialist leaders in the EU. On Friday, Muscat also met personally with the British Opposition leader Ed Miliband at Westminister in London.
“Amongst other things, we discussed how the 27 right-wing governments are not helping small countries like Malta to address the immigration problem,” Muscat said.
“It would have been easy for me to criticise Malta for helping Greece in its second bailout, whilst they are ignoring our call for help. But as members of the Eurozone we have to help the country,” he said, adding that if Greece fails, Malta would also suffer.
Muscat added that he is worried by the standard of living. “This week our country received yet another blow,” he said, referring to the Basazza Street mixup, which according to Muscat will cost the taxpayers thousands of euros.
“Malta needs consistency and direction. How can we expect government to lead our economy, when it is not even able to organise one street?” Muscat said, adding that a government where the “left hand does not know what the right hand is doing” only leads to disorganisation. “Ultimately, it is the taxpayer who has to make good for their mistakes.”
Muscat said that Maltese families are being faced with an increase in the cost of living, “the second highest in three years.” He said that the latest increase in MEPA’s tariffs and Transport Malta’s tariffs came about without any logical justification.
He added that despite the rise in the cost of living and water and electricity bills, “families still do not know in what way and by which system oil products are bought.”
On Air Malta, Muscat said that government must shoulder responsibility to what happened to the national airline. “Government knew about Air Malta’s situation long before the general elections. A situation like that does not happen overnight. The PN has been governing our country for 23 years – the responsibility is firmly in government’s hands.”
He added that Air Malta was brought down to its knees as result of years of incompetence.
Muscat also referred to the report drawn up by consultants on the airline’s situation. “The €2 million report came with a disclaimer saying that it would be useless if government continues to subsidise low-cost airlines.”
He added that government must now declare its strategy on low cost airlines and say what its vision is.
Miriam Dalli joined MaltaToday.com.mt in 2010 becoming assistant editor f...
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Sur Muscat - part of the fault for the massive abuse of power and the state of corruption that we are in is labour's as much as PN. Did you provide a viable alternative and proper opposition to this government. Labour emaciated opposition compared to PN militaristic approach has left a bunch of crooks securely raping this nation of their finances and their dignity.
That PN should end up the same way as regimes in North Africa is given - they are no better. What has changed however in Malta is that people are no longer the dumb wits who look at government to do everything for themselves - and EMPOWERMENT DOES NOT MEAN LOCAL COUNCILS!!!! What this country needs is smaller government, a government that you can forget is there at all - except to guarantee quality, standards and provides safe guards. Let the private sector deal with the problems of this country - AND BY PRIVATE SECTOR I DON'T MEAN THE CORRUPT POLITICAL EXPOSED PN-FRONT COMPANIES RUN BY THE FAMILY, FRIENDS AND BUSINESS PARTNERS OF POLITICIANS.
This is not the message I hear from PL. PL message is totally similar to PN - we know best and we want to be in power.
PL seems to be very careful to get the system created by PN totally intact. This in part is why they criticism has been so refrained. It a system they will inherent that will allow the political class to enjoy a champagne lifestyle on a country that can hardly afford beer.
PL MPs has also benefited greatly from turning this country to a money laundering, off shore pirate base that it is. After all - both sides are comprised primarily of lawyers and other professions that stand to benefit by turning this country into a base for offshore finance - all the while treating Maltese as second class citizens without the same rights as foreigners in their own country.
So here we are - push to the brink of our tolerance and knowing that the next phase is labour - its not hope that we feel - but desperation!
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@John Azzopardi...
...U taf lil min tirringrazzja ghal dawk is servizzi kollha b'xejn habib?...Iva lil Dom Mintoff u l Gvernjiet LABURISTI tas sebghinijiet li ghamlu dawn l-affirijiet b'xejn ghal kulhadd!
Lil kieku ghal PN hawnhekk qisna ir Russia ta Breshnev..ftit hafna sinjuruni u l-ohrajn kollha fqar!!!!...L-'hemm resqin bi Gvernijiet Nazzjonalisti ghal 23 sena!...ISTHU JEKK TAFU
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@Antoine Vella
Remember when EFA send those illegal immigrants and they were all tortured .
By the way ,Do you have a selective memory in remembering things?
Perhaps we can teach them how to grow vegetables ?????
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@ Antoine Vella
Is the EU made up only of Greece and Spain? Compare our situation with the rest of the EU. Compare our present situation with that of Germany or with that of the Scandinavian countries in the EU. The fact remains that we have people living on the poverty line and no comparison with Greece and Spain is going to put food on their tables or pay their bills.
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Toninu you have to compare like with like, as the saying goes. Compare the jobless in Malta with the jobless in Spain, for example. Compare the quality of life of the elderly in Malta with that of the elderly in Greece as regards health services and pensions.
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I don't think Malta is the best in everything but our situation is much better than that of comparable countries (comparable as regards GDP, geographical location, stage of economic development, etc).
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@ John Azzopardi.
How can you make such a sweeping statement when you say that No one has it better than the maltese? All you have to do is to ask those jobless or those living on a minimum wage or those whose main income is a part time job how are they coping? You can also ask the majority of the micro business community if they are having it as good as you are picturing it? Ask our elderly how they are coping with their pension allowance and the problems they face with out of stock medicines they are entitled to? Reality is a lot different from how you described it.
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Did Joseph Muscat discuss his admiration for Italy's right-wing 'firm stand' in refusing to pick up immigrants?
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Let's face it, everyone is responsible Politicians are always promising and promising everything, but you cannot have everything. We in Malta are very selfish indeed and want everything free. WE have free school, free hospitalization for all, free university, and on top of that, a stipend which you don't find anywhere in the world as well as children allowance. Now this on top of all the free social services as well as alll kind of free social services for migrants and illegal migrants and housing. What a nice deal. And we complain. Stop thecomplianing. No one has it better than the Maltese. As for all the freebies, we have many maltese who don't even pay one ewro in income tax.
Micheal Bonanno •
@fehma. Whoever thinks that PL in government, all woes will disappear as if by a magic wand, are in for a surprise! I, for one, being a labourite, know this, and know that we'll be in for a rough time. It has happened in 1971, and it's going to happen again in 2013. But this time, there won't be Libya, or other countries to help us sail over the coming troubled waters. All we have left to look to is the EU, and rest assured, that if the financial trouble in Malta doesn't rock the EU boat, that we're in for a nastier weather than it's being predicted. All thanks to the past PN governments with their laissez-faire and money no problem attitude.
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It is so sad that Maltese politicians cannot speak the truth and must discuss this Eurozone dilemma for political gain.
What is utterly disgusting in Malta is that there is no alternative from the present spend & tax administration and the fumbling opposition that resembles the gang that couldn't shoot straight.
The European Union especially the Eurozone is in this financial mess because these troubled nations were never properly audited before qualifying to join the euro zone.
Most of these countries including Malta cooked the books and hid enough debt by dumping it on state entities, as in Malta's case Enemalta.
Hoping that higher taxes and tariffs collected will pay the interest and bring down the debt which we all know is not going to happen while the economy is in the tank.
Far be it from me to disappoint the loyal PL bloggers that seem to think that Joseph Muscat and his Gummy Bears at Milend who are well trained to cut and paste copy cat politics has some magic wand.
Rest assured that things are going to get worse before they get better as all the national debt and the state entities debts still has to be serviced, irregardless who wins the next election and if you believe last weeks NSO figures, in two years time the debt would have increased by at least another 600 million euros. That alone is frightening when the PM and his lollipop cabinet continue to squel how great the Maltese economy is doing.
The only reason why France & Germany have taken the lead in helping Greece is because they are exposed the most if Greece defaults.
By all accounts from professional bond professionals, there lies no other alternative.
So please JM, you have two years to seek some professional advise and forget this political jargon because by 2013 your administration in Government will be facing the same difficulties that Greece, Ireland, Spain, Portugal and Italy are facing now.
While servicing 7000 million euros of debt might not seem much to these big countries, Malta's working class that numbers approx. 150,000 will simply collapse the Maltese economy if they continue to shoulder the burden of spend & tax and trying to keep up with our neighbouring EU states.
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Well said Joseph Muscat! Unfortunately this PN government is keen on bringing Malta to a standstill ! The situation is Malta is degenerating quickly and it is evident that the Gonz has no alternative plans! The government seems to be keen on destroying airmalta. But as airmalta faces problems their are categories of people who are getting payrises and give zero contribution to the local economy! I am worried by the fact that there is no serious long term planning in Malta and I am pointing out that in the future similar difficulties that airmalta is facing will come to many other sectors like education, energy, transport etc. it is now a matter of time!
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Who was in charge in Greece before a socialist government came to power, only to find that the economical and financial situation was beyond repair? A conservative party. The result? Yes we are going to fork out millions of euros which we dont have to help bail out Greece once more time.
Micheal Bonanno •
@beppez. You're quite right about that. But what you aren't saying is that the present governments inherited the situation from previous conservative governments. In Greece it was Karamanlis who brought to country to a beggar status! Don't try to twist facts!
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Mr. Muscat I find that you still very immature for accusing right wind parties who brought Europe to a standstill. It's the corrupt socialist who give money out to anyone who have stopped europe from growing. Isn't Spain and Greece ran by a bunch of socialist governments and parlamentarians. Please do your research before you speak. Europe is turning right wing because it is fed up with wasted tax money and social services for people who don't put one euro into the country. IN addition, Europeans are fed up with social services provided to illegal migrants are now living better than they are thanks to the great benefits in their countries and who don't contribute any tax money. You will do well to refrain from saying such things.
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Is this guy insane??...who is he trying to impress??
Aren't the leaders of Spain and Greece left-wing like him??
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Here is a sobering thought .. after 25 years of nationalist 'occupation', Malta was the perfect settings for a post zombie-attack apocalyptic world. People close to Brad Pitts said that very little work was needed to adapt the locations they found in Malta. Thank you Gonzo-Zombie!
