Joe Grima, former Labour minister, resigns One TV presenter's spot

Labour publishes resignation letter after Joseph Muscat disassociates himself from former minister's comments.

30 August 2012, 12:00am
by Matthew Vella

2 min read

Former Labour minister Joe Grima, a TV presenter on One TV, has tendered his resignation a questionable Facebook post.

Labour leader Joseph Muscat has accepted the resignation of former Labour minister Joe Grima as the presenter of One TV chat-show Inkontri, after disassociating himself from comments Grima made on Facebook in reaction to a critical obituary of Dom Mintoff penned by a Catholic priest.

In Grima's letter, which the PL publicised, the former parliamentary secretary for industry under premier Dom Mintoff said that his reaction to Fr Alexander Lucie-Smith's obituary - 'Dom Mintoff, a dominant figure in Malta for 30 years, did great harm to his country' - was "certainly inappropriate".

"I feel that neither you nor the Labour Party should in any way pay a price for what was, in every way, a slip-up which is being turned into one attack after another on you and on the party."

Labour leader Joseph Muscat disassociated himself from comments posted Grima in which he told Fr Lucie-Smith to 'fuck off' and that he should have 'paedophile' priests to "show [him] the ropes".

In a reaction today, Muscat said that he could never accept such language. "Grima is absolutely not a face of the Labour Party nor a strategist. If it had been said on One TV, action could be taken by the Labour Party," Muscat said in a press conference this morning launching Labour's first national congress.

"Regarding other criticism being leveled at me, you know me well enough to know I value diversity and am anything but a homophobe.

I am therefore leaving Inkontri. In my opinion it is the honorable thing to do under the circumstances," Grima said in his resignation letter.

"I remain totally dedicated to your cause as Labour leader, to your ideals and to you personally. I wish every success. I know that you and our country deserves it."

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Grima shrugged off the Labour party's and Joseph Muscat's spokesperson's comments to the PN media that the party did not approve of his commentary. "Kurt Farrugia told [Net TV] that the party does not approve this type of language. He has every right. What he forget to tell them was that I am only answerable to Joseph Muscat and certainly to no employee of the Labour Party."

Matthew Vella, a freelance journalist at MaltaToday, was formerly executive editor at Malt...

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Rita Pizzuto •

L-ewwelnett nifrahllek lil Dr Muscat ghal kif qabzilhom mis-sunnara dwar il- kummenti tas-Sur Joe Grima. Nahseb li kulhadd induna kif ta' GonziPN rowdy minghalihom jiehdu mileage minn fuq il-kummenti. It-tieni napprezza l-kliem -Sur Grima fit-twegiba lil Dr muscat. Min-Naha l-ohra l-kummenti contra Fr Lucien nifhimhom ghax hafna xtaqu li jghidulu altar minn hekk. Ghamilhom fil-kapacita tisthi personali u bhal cittadin. ghalhekk ma maras ghaliex kellu jirrizenja mill- programm. Biss kien tmiem onorabbli. Issa Rrid nara lill-PN Jikkundanna lil tal Bidnija ta' dak li qalet u Dejjem tghid. Mhux hekk niqqghu? X'ipokrezija! Thallux lil tal-PN jaghmlulna l-agenda.

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I expected better from Mr Grima. I thought that when one gets older one gets more mature and is more careful what to say. His outburst did not do any good to the Pl, as can be seen from most comments and from what has happened after. Now he cannot say that "most comments" were favourable towards him! Very sad as I personally believe this was a very bad example to the younger generations. This country will take long to move on if we ALL, especially those responsible, do not make a big effort to succeed in it.

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Fr.Lucifer Smith is what Jesus described as a wolf in sheep clothing,shame on him and on those who fed him those vile information.

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It is absolutely disgraceful that these kinds of political dinosaurs had been given centre stage by the new PL. Let us hope that this is not a sample of the attitude that prevails within the old mentality that JM insisted of bringing back to the fore. This political pendulum should have remained mothballed and far away from Milend. The truth of the matter is, the PL never learns that while a snake can shed its skin, the danger of its venom still remains.

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Big difference between homophobia, child molesters and telling some jerk off. Part of me is glad that within Labour - people do not stay on 'no matter what'. On the other hand - what is muscat trying to do - suck up to the church? Unfortunately - the jerk that started this whole thing is still at his old job. Glad we believe in justice in the after live - coz it sure is missing in this one!

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to subscibe to an entity means one have to follow certain etiquette and adherence. therefore mr grima did the honourable thing in order that the forces of darkness do not keep hammering at the labour party and its leader dr muscat. i am a lone fighter, a simple man of the left so i can say what i like and be responsible only to myself. once again i say prosit to mr grima both for what he said to luciesmith and for what he did afterwords. with his shameful article luciesmith has again opened up fifty years old wounds which he though had healed. now is luciesmith resigning from the church for this sinful deed.who knows maybe the pangs of concience will soften the heart of luciesmith...who knows.....

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Dan pajjiz veru tad-daħk!! U l-independent tibqa ġġib il-kitba tas-saħħara qisu ma' qed jiġri xejn!! U din tgħajjar nies li lilha ma' jkunu għamlula xejn!! U jekk xi ħadd jiddefendi lil xi ħadd li jkun jammira min attakki bla bażi minn min irida ta' rapreżentant ta' Kristu allura hekk mhux sew!! U ħalluna!!

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Joe kont ragel u irrezenjajt ghax f'mument ta dieqa qbizt il-linja. Kellu bzonn kullhadd jiehu l-ezempju tieghek u meta jizbaljaw jerfghu r-responsabilita ta ghemilhom.

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Dr Joseph Muscat showed his leadership qualities by acting firmly and promptly to disassociate his party from statements by Joe Grima which were inappropriate , even if written to counteract a provocative article, but still totally inappropriate both in form and protocol. In politics one must maintain a certain modicum of good behaviour and decorum to win over the hearts of moderate voters. We do not want local politicking in the pre-election runup to descend to trading of insults and obscenities. We have to ensure that political debate remains, even whilst tension rises, at a dignified level and consequently that parties disassociate themselves from any sort of gutter politics. In a similar vein I expect Dr Lawrence Gonzi to disassociate his party from the writings of Daphne Caruana Galizia to reassure us that her writings have nothing to do with the PN. Both our President, the Prime Minister, Dr Muscat and Dr Fenech Adami demonstrated in the recent state funeral what dignified civil and diplomatic behaviour is all about Clean politics like diplomacy must be conducted in a certain dignified manner and a red line of civility and respect to your adversaries must never be crossed. We do nat want to fall into a downward spiral of trading offensive exchanges which debases politcs and leads to a tit for tat reaction. Let us play the next election in a clean adverserial even if strong way which behoves a mature democratic nation and let us isolate those who are better left to demean themselves in cat fights and obscenities.

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proset dr muscat wara dawk il pozzijiet u bews fuq it tebut ta mintoff issa ilqajt ir rizenja ta sor grima wara li pufta qassis ikkritika lil mintoff wara mewtu.jien tlift il fiducja fijk.

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Ghala ma jippruvax jerga jiehu xi programm fuq in Net TV?!!

Zack Depasquale •

Issa la sar kulhadd dejjaq, ghandha tintalab ir-rizenja immedjata ta'Rene Rosignuad min Kunsillier ta'GonziPN wara li ghajjar lill-nofs Malta stupidi.Fin-nuqqas ta'dan nuru li l-media f'Malta timxi two weights two measures.

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Prosit, Ibqaw mexxu hekk...Issa nispera li id derigenti tal partit jiktbu lil l-Isqfijiet taghna u jitolbuhom apologija talli bil kummenti li ghamel Fr. Lucie Smith fuq il politika li kien jimxi biha il partit laburista taht it tmexxija ta leader Dom Mintoff, wegga is sentimenti taghna il laburisti li dejjem imxejna wara il leaders taghna fit tajjeb u il hazin..jew issa ghandha partit gdid, u dak li baghtew ghalih missierijietna spicca.Tkun ingustizzja mal laburisti jekk il partit jieqaf ghawn..........Dak is siggu sabih wisq.

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U iva ma gara xejn .... dejjem hemm il-mediaset jew ir-rai jew il-bbc jew canal plus ... imma stenna ftit, wara kollox nahseb ikun ferm ahjar l-animal planet ... ghax kamaleonte bhas-sur grima zgur li jiffittja sew ma' dan ic-channel ... sakemm ma jithajjarx jerga' jmur man-NET .... forsi jaghmel xi programm ma' franco debono ..... dwar kif jirnexxilek tpacpac hafna u qatt ma takkwista xejn .... hlief xi helicopter tas-sikorsky li s-sur grima kien irnexxilu jgib malta ghoxrin sena ilu ...

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Bhal MIntoff la kien hawn, la hawn u lanqas qatt ma ikun hawn. Addio Malta l-Ewwel u qabel kollox. Nispera li mhux ergajna sejrin taht it-takkuna tal-Barrani?