Categories
Mediawatch

Tunnel Vision (the addendum)

And his Master’s Voice is fast at work, eager to dispel the idea that this is just an exercise in mental entertainment. The Times carried an article yesterday entitled “Gozitans welcome tunnel idea”. Well J’accuse welcomes the idea too but does not believe in the timing. We are convinced that a time will come when a tunnel/bridge/teleport site will happen between Malta and Gozo (and that Gozo will suffer the consequences) but we are also convinced that no one in his right mind thinks that the time is now.

For starters, and only for starters there’s the financing. Even if we considered farming out the contract to a private enterprise (and risked being at their mercy for tolls for a decade or two) would you really trust this government not to make a hash of the tender in the same way as it has done with the unmentionable BWSC?

In any case, you really have to ask what made the Times dish out the superlatives such as:

“Massive support for the proposal was shown this morning but it was pointed out that Gozitans should have a very big say in the decision. They proposed a referendum in Gozo to see where Gozitans stood on the issue.”

Really? So what exactly is the “massive support” if a referendum is needed? then the GRTU came out strongly in favour of the tunnel. If you consider Vince Farrugia a strong unbiased voice that is. On the other hand, if you remember that Vince was part of the umbrella coalition for MEP votes then you might think again. The Times’ eagerness to shower plaudits was unbridled:

Some of the organisations in Gozo had already appointed sub-committees to work on the proposal, while a survey held by the GTA found had 90 per cent support of members of the Gozo Tourism Authority.

I bet the Xewkija Tigers social committee got an early head start on that one. And you’ve got to love the survey by the GTA (Gozo Tourism Authority) that obtained 90% support of the … wait for it… Gozo Tourism Authority.

As for copying Nordic countries, the last time we experimented with their ideas in the Fliegu we ended up with flat bottomed boats that were ideal for fjords but that rocked like crazy whenever the Libeccio was here to stay.

Could do better.

Post postum

And Inhobbkom couldn’t resist throwing in his two cents’ worth. He came up with not one but two gems:

Labour, he said, had considered a tunnel project for Gozo in the 1970s and it would be in favour after all the studies were carried out for the best type of permanent link to be developed. But decisions could not be imposed and they had to be taken by Gozitans.


1. Labour in the 70’s already considered a tunnel project. Another one from Labour’s revival of the 70s better known as “That 70s No-No”. The omniscient Mintoff had actually caused a fuss about a bridge but if I recall well some engineers from Japan or Russia had shot down the idea as unfeasible. That’s that.

2. Decision is for the Gozitans to take. Arse-licking the Gozitans is a PLPN favourite that escalates just before election time. Here Inhobbkom engages in the all time favourite of mini-nationalism: “Decisions could not be imposed and they had to be taken by the Gozitans”. We could dismiss it as a load of codswalloping bullshit but then again upon reflection we do note his consistency: essentially Labour will not take any decision itself. It is always up to somebody else to take the decision (and the blame).

We’ve fallen in… and we can’t get out.

Categories
Mediawatch

J'accuse on One News

J’accuse featured on Sunday night’s ONE news item about the cyber warfare going on in Egypt. Here is the item in question:

Categories
Mediawatch

Snapshot: Church & State

I just had to post this again. It’s a photo taken from the (currently comatose) blog “il-manoċċa” of a newspaper poster from “il-Gens” which has since switched to being an e-paper. In these times of lay vs church battles and humanists and saints this photo tends to summarise it all neatly.

Next Christ the King

For the non-Maltese readers the poster reads as follows:

THIS MORNING UNIONS IN ANOTHER MEETING WITH THE PRIME MINISTER

next heading: TOMORROW CHRIST THE KING

priceless.

Categories
Mediawatch

Balcony, Oh Balcony

Wikipedia’s post on balconies interestingly mentions specifically the “Maltese Balcony” as an example. Even more interesting was the origins of the word “balcony” itself from the Persian “بالكانه bālkāneh” which got me wondering whether Xerxes and Ataxerxes were into the habit of using balconies on solemn occasions.

Historically the balcony has had an important role through the ages. One of the most famous balconies of all time was the scene in Verona where the son and daughter of rival houses played out the age-old ceremony of courting. Balconies though are more associated with power and glory. Famous balconies such as that at Buckingham Palace from which the Royal Family have saluted the brave public in good and bad times or the Vatican balcony of “habemus papam” fame promptly come to mind.

Michael Jackson, God bless his soul, dared eclipse the Brandenburg Gate‘s symbolic importance by dangling his very own son out of the balcony of a Berlin Hotel that has henceforth become a tourist attraction.

This week I read in Italy’s La Stampa that Mussolini‘s famous balcony from which he proclaimed war on the Allies in WWII has been re-opened for the first time since 1943. The balcony, the article read, is no longer taboo. Closer to home one of the myriad cosmetic changes ordered by Joseph Muscat during his reign was the ordering of a celebratory balcony for the electoral win that was yet to come.

Romeo and Juliet, Popes, Mussolini, the Royal Family, Michael Jackson… the thing with balconies is that it is not the balconies themselves that make the person but rather vice-versa. Which probably means that judging by his current performance, Joseph Muscat’s balcony is doomed to being just another architectural eyesore in Mile End.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Categories
Mediawatch Politics

The Ignorant Masses

James Debono penned a brilliant blog post that you can read here : There’s something about Labour. J’accuse agrees 100% with his assessment (see earlier post today “Sphinxes”) but we are not here for some general agree-fest.

By browsing through the comments appended at the end of the article you get to understand what will hold this country back for ever. Given a clear, well-explained article about how Joseph Muscat is effectively betraying Labour by making it a risible, spine-less alternative unable to get the real political pulse of the moment, your average flag-waving supporter will ignore the message and instead scorn the messenger:

  • Submitted on Tue, 02/01/2011 – 14:20.You know what is the cherry on the cake James, that now you have really showed that you are another puppet of the PN. This will be the last time I bought MALTA_TODAY, because with articles like yours its becoming worst then the TOM, not independent anymore.
    gscerri
  • Submitted on Tue, 02/01/2011 – 14:14.You know James – I think there is something about you and your clear biased against Labour. Not only you are unfair but clearly seem to be pushing some agenda. Moreover, you have a disgusting condescending way to refer to the people living in the South and to Labour supporters, which I find it akin to Nats who always look down to 50% of the population like it is an inferior tribe or race of people. So why don’t you come out and say it: You want the Nats to remain in power! I have had it with you and your patronizing views – I’m stopping buying Maltatoday, which I was gladly doing until a Sunday ago.
    RJ
  • Submitted on Tue, 02/01/2011 – 14:11.Maybe if you took your head out you and remove the blinkers you would understand more. PL is not perfect but I have yet to hear you say one decent word about the party. It seems you want the PL to be exactly as you wish it was which you know can never happen with any party in the world.
    But then again, why should I waste my breathe with you, we all know who you support while trying to portray yourself as a left-leaning liberal. I enjoy reading MaltaToday very much but your own articles leave much to be desired.

    zeit

It’s about “support” or “puppets” to them. James Debono is much more of a labourite than anything Joseph Muscat can aspire to be when it comes to principles yet the “supporters” only see him as a traitor to the cause. Not for one moment will they question the contradictions inherent in the flimsy marketing (for it is not politics) in which Joseph Muscat engages. Muscat knows that this is his audience and he only has to hope that more are enticed into the anti-PN fold in order to be a beaming PM with no clue about principles, politics or diplomacy.

Meanwhile valid minds full of valid ideas are left to “wallow” writing blogs in some newspaper. I wonder what it is that keeps James going.

Categories
Mediawatch Politics

Sphinxes

Listening to Tony Blair’s ideas about the North African Uprisings could have the effect of making your blood boil. The Born Again Catholic is sounding more and more like George W. every other minute. He is more concerned about the possibilities that democratisation would open up to Islam and Islamic parties than about the fact that for the first time since colonisation two Arab nations are really asserting their right to appointing their own representatives. The Egyptian protests have been fascinating in many ways – they are the testing ground as to whether the fire started in Tunisia can rage through other dictatorships and break the post-colonial moulds in the Maghreb and Mashreq.

Hosni Mubarak is proving to be a tougher nut to crack than Ben Ali. While some may be joking that the Saudis might soon have a village of ex-dictators in their midst, Mubarak seems intent on getting away with a smoother “transition”, probably hoping to put up one of his anointed who could still keep in place the elite of businessmen he seconded into parliament and other important posts around him. Like Joseph Muscat with the shadow cabinet, Mubarak has been performing a bit of shuffling of his own in an attempt to appease the protesting crowds who can take no more of the arrogance and nepotism of his false democracy.

The protestors in the North African Countries are having to switch to such devices as fax machines and ham radios in order to send the news out to whoever is willing to relay it. Meanwhile, as we all know by now, tourism in the two Mediterranean (and Red Sea) paradises is once again down to its knees. Egypt had already suffered a setback thanks to the 1997 Luxor attack on tourists. It will now have to adopt a wait and see position until the political situation is clearer. Tourists are not normally so hesitant to return after coups (see what happened very recently in Thailand) but there will still be problems to revive the Sharm-al-Sheik and Hourghada business.

Which is where the glaring insensitivity (and insensibility) of Joseph Muscat’s hopeless attempt at seeming the sly player of international intrigue sticks out in all its glaring ploukism. The irony of it all is that Joseph Muscat’s wonderful idea of calling on the government to lure tourism away from the unstable Mediterranean nations is actually a call to draw the livelihood away from the mouths of millions of protesters suffering poverty, rising prices and corrupt government. Joseph Muscat might know that but he does not care does he? Neither do the potential voters for a new PL government. Who cares if their neighbour is dying for freedom and a for what he hopes is a better economy? What they worry about is their farcical marches into Valletta where Joseph can stand on some stage and sing to the ocean of unhappy people who cannot afford the petrol to fill their car or the money to pay for the electricity bills.

Following this last call by Inhobbkom Joseph we have reached an important conclusion here at J’accuse. Joseph Muscat has proven to be way out of his depth in matters international and has blown the last few chances he had of being considered a viable alternative to a tired and arrogant government by the intelligent voters among us. He should step down now and we should pray to God that Labour manages to fish out something remotely sellable as a leader.

From the Labour Press Release (thanks Fausto):

Filwaqt li wiehed irid jibqa jsegwi b’interess dak li qed jigri f’pajjizi bhat-Tunezija u l-Egittu, minhabba l-pozizzjoni taghhom fir-regjun Mediterranju, l-Partit Laburista jrid jara l-akbar kampanja ta’ pubblicita’ li qatt saret biex nigbdu lejn pajjizna dawk it-turisti li kienu qed iharsu lejn dawn il-pajjizi fl-inkwiet bhala destinazzjoni ghal vaganza taghhom. B’hekk igawdi l-pajjiz u s-settru turistiku malti li fuqu jiddependu l-ekonomija tal-pajjiz u eluf ta’ familji.

And this from Maltatoday:

NATIONAL Monday, January 31, 2011
Updated | ‘We had a good laugh’ – PL on satirical mock campaign

By Nestor Laiviera

The Labour Party’s reaction to the satirical ‘Visit Malta’ mock poster campaign was that “the issue merits not just the original touch of humour by a commentator, but serious consideration and a well thought campaign.” The Labour Party was reacting to a satirical ‘Visit Malta’ campaign circulated through facebook sparked off by remarks by PL Leader Joseph Muscat that Malta should capitalise on unrest in Egypt and Tunisia. A party spokesperson said “we had a good laugh and won’t accuse the authors of lacking ‘savoir faire’.” He added that however “the issue merits not just the original touch of humour by a commentator, but serious consideration and a well thought campaign which would attract tourists to Malta instead of other destinations which are in turmoil.”