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Gonzi speaks to EPP leaders on back-to-basics return to ‘common good’
Prime Minister hints at biting bullet over huge funds absorbed by EU’s agricultural programme to be diverted to human resources investment.
6 September 2012, 12:00am
Matthew Vella
Matthew Vella
2 min read
Lawrence Gonzi at a previous EPP meeting: he told leaders in Florence not to sacrifice truth to politics.
Lawrence Gonzi's speech to a meeting of his Christian-democrat counterparts of the European People's Party, in Florence, hit at out the prevalence of relativism in Europe and the erosion and loss of "basic, common values".
As his government enters public consultations on legislation for cohabiting gay and straight couples, and a law on assisted reproduction that will ban embryo freezing, Gonzi told centre-right prime ministers and Opposition leaders that society was paying "a dear price" for this loss of values.
Gonzi's speech called on EU leaders to make a 'back to basics' return to values of human dignity, responsibility, togetherness, solidarity and subsidiarity, and the common good.
"How precious is the human life today? By precious I do not mean only the sanctity of the human person throughout the whole cycle of life but I also mean the dignity of the human person - a dignity that remains a central feature of our policies and our political activities. Have we not - in a sense - subjected this human dignity to the dignity of the financial markets?"
A day after Moody's issued a negative outlook for Malta's A3 bond rating, Gonzi even questioned whether politicians wanted to keep critics at bay or keep credit-rating agencies happy, instead of helping the jobless and those who cannot afford their university education.
Gonzi reaffirmed that the rescue of asylum seekers - where he termed irregular immigration as a vote-loser - was part of the country's non-negotiable values. "Do I succumb to the populist approach and pretend there is nothing I should do because this is somebody else's problem ? Or do I translate this non-negotiable value into practice, and do everything I can to save those lives at sea?"
The Prime Minister then latched on to the economic dimension, making a case to "unblock unsustainable and outdated subsidies" and divert funds into investment in human resources - a subtle hint at the EU's Common Agricultural Programme that takes up almost 45% of the EU's total budget.
Returning to the issue of values, Gonzi made a case for turning the common good into a non-negotiable value and to not sacrifice truth to politics.
"What values lie at the root of policies that give the impression that public spending has no limits? That we run into mountains of debts and shift the burden onto our children?
"My fear is that all too often we have allowed ourselves to forget basic values that should have given us clear replies to all these questions. And the result is there for all to see."
Matthew Vella, a freelance journalist at MaltaToday, was formerly executive editor at Malt...
Luke Camilleri •
Does Lawrence "DCG" Gonzi honestly think that the EPP leaders he is adressing are gullible enough to believe everything he says especially the part where he states that "we have allowed ourselves to forget basic values...... and than goes round and gives himself and his gang of Ministers €600 a week raise ad perks?
AND DOES NOT GIVE THE honoraria originaly promised to Joseph Muscat , Leader of the Opposition, when the latter showed his intention to give his HONORaria to the needy?
Who are you trying to kid, Dr. Lawrence "DCG" Gonzi???
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There he goes: "relativism" is to blame! He speaks like the pope now. I sense hypocrisy.
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"Gonzi reaffirmed that the rescue of asylum seekers ... was part of the country's non-negotiable values. "Do I succumb to the populist approach and pretend there is nothing I should do because this is somebody else's problem ? Or do I translate this non-negotiable value into practice, and do everything I can to save those lives at sea?""
Once again Dr Gonzi is giving a guarantee to all potential boat people that if they take a boat and find themselves in distress, or feign distress, he will send the AFM to pick them up. I call this an invitation to all those waiting on the Libyan coast to take the risk because Dr Gonzi will bring them to Malta. Has Dr Gonzi ever heard of Malta's national interest? Has he ever heard of the will of the
majority of the common people of Malta?
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"Gonzi reaffirmed that the rescue of asylum seekers ... was part of the country's non-negotiable values. "Do I succumb to the populist approach and pretend there is nothing I should do because this is somebody else's problem ? Or do I translate this non-negotiable value into practice, and do everything I can to save those lives at sea?""
Once again Dr Gonzi is giving a guarantee to all potential boat people that if they take a boat and find themselves in distress, or feign distress, he will send the AFM to pick them up. I call this an invitation to all those waiting on the Libyan coast to take the risk because Dr Gonzi will bring them to Malta. Has Dr Gonzi ever heard of Malta's national interest? Has he ever heard of the will of the
majority of the common people of Malta?
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"he told leaders in Florence not to sacrifice truth to politics"...yeah...exactly the opposite of what he normally does. Examples? Plenty but just one will suffice: 600E (then dropped to 500E) behind our backs...did he speak out the truth??? Go and tell it to the marines Gonzi!
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Gonzi speaks to EPP leaders on back-to-basics return to ‘common good’ - wish the PM would define common good...perhaps he's referring to his 500 Euro salary raise per week? perhaps he's referring to the small number of blue-eyed parasites for whom salaries+bonuses+perks are never a problem while the rest of us eat cake? perhaps the gravy trains he and his Cabinet put in place to accommodate the above? just sayin'...
