Ir-rebħa elettorali ta’ Joseph Muscat u l-Partit Laburista kienet mistennija u mistħoqqa. Li ma kienx mistenni (minni talanqas) kien li se tkun rebħa daqstant brillanti.
Il-problema għall-Oppożizzjoni did-darba kienet li element maqbud fin-negativiżmu klassista tiegħu (tagħha f’dal-każ) ħakem l-istrateġija tal-PN. Kollox ried jintrebaħ bin-negattiv, li hi riċetta ta’ diżastru fi żmien ta’ tkabbir ekonomiku qawwi… Ħalliha li dan it-tkabbir hu bla preċedent fl-istorja moderna tal-pajjiż.
Il-Partit Laburista mill-ġdid fil-gvern issa jrid joqgħod attent li ma jħallix ir-rebħa titla’ għar-ras. Il-problemi li ammetta jeżistu fi ħdan it-tmexxija publika tal-istat ma jridux jitwaddbu taħt it-tapit. Iridu jiġu indirizzati b’fehma soda li ħadd mhu f’kariga publika biex jagħmel li jrid jew jgħatti li jrid.
Mill-bqija il-konċentrament irid ikun ukoll biex ir-riformi li baqa’ xi jsiru, jitwettqu bil-galbu u bl-akbar trasparenza; li l-ekonomija tiġi indokrata ħalli tkompli tikber bla ma tisħon iżżejjed; u li l-progress soċjali tal-aħħar erba’ snin jiġi sostnut.
Ninsab konvint li hekk se jiġri.
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APPUNTAMENT SKUNTRAT
Lejliet l-elezzjoni u fil-ġurnata tagħha, inżamm fil-lukanda Excelsior, il-kumitat li jgħaqqad parlamentari Ewropej ma’ Congressmen Amerikani. Teżisti d-drawwa stabbilita li l-kumitat jitlaqqa’ fil-pajjiż li jkollu l-presidenza tal-Unjoni Ewropea. L-appuntament f’Malta ġie ppjanat minn xhur ilu u ma setax jitħassar. Dnub għax min żarna għal dil-laqgħa ftit seta’ jifhem ir-realtà Maltija, maqbuda kif konna fit-tellieqa elettorali.
Bqajt impressjonat kif il-politiċi Amerikani preżenti għamlu kull sforz biex jilqgħu għall-kritika li l-President Amerikan Trump biħsiebu jżarma n-NATO jew ibiegħed lill-Istati Uniti mill-Ewropa. Issegwux ir-retorika tal-President, qalu – retorika li skont huma, tista’ tkun eżaġerata. Segwu minflok id-deċiżjonijiet li Trump qed jieħu biex iħares is-sigurtà, kemm kontra t-terroriżmu, kemm kontra l-iżbilanċi militari globali.
F’intervent qasir, jien wissejt li biex id-diżastru tal-Libja jiġi mrażżan hemm bżonn ta’ ftehim bejn l-Istati Uniti, ir-Russja u l-Unjoni Ewropea dwar xinhuma l-interessi nazzjonali leġittimi tagħhom fiż-żona, u qbil dwar duttrina militari li tħares dawn l-interessi.
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MA KELLHIEX TKUN
Forsi t-telfa tal-Juventus mar-Real Madrid la kienet mistennija, talanqas bl-istess skor, u lanqas mistħoqqa. Kif naraha jien, li m’inix gwapp fil-futboll għalkemm ili nsegwih bis-sulluzzu deċennji sħaħ, il-Juventus marru l-baħar fit-tieni nofs tal-logħba. Għaliex ġara hekk, m’għandix idea.
Fuq il-karta, it-tim li niżlu bih għal-logħba kien l-aqwa wieħed li kellhom fl-aħħar snin. X’ġara fil-grawnd, juri mod ieħor. U lanqas kien hemm il-faraġ li spiċċaw bih tal-Bayern Munich quddiem l-istess avversarji, li setgħu jilmentaw kif tnejn mill-gols li sofrew ġew minn pożizzjoni ta’ offside.

English Version – Labour victory

The electoral victory registered by Joseph Muscat and the Labour Party was expected and deserved. What was not expected (at least by myself) was that it would be so brilliant.

This time round the problem with the Opposition was that its strategy got totally captured by an element steeped in his (her in this case) classist negativism. Every message then depended on negativism to get through, which is a recipe for disaster at a time of strong economic growth… On top of which, this growth has had no precedent in the country’s modern history.

Back in government, the Labour Party needs to remain attentive not to let victory go to its collective head. The problems that were recognised as having dulled public management of state functions should not be swept under the carpet. They need to be addressed with a tight hand to ensure that no one who is placed in a public role can do whatever, and cover up whatever.

For the rest, the focus now has to be on the concentrated delivery of the reforms that remain to be accomplished, inclusive of a greater transparency; the promotion of further economic growth while guarding against overheating; and the extension of the social progress achieved during the last four years.

I am convinced this will happen.

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Awkward appointment

On election day and its eve, the committee which brings together MEPs and US Congressmen met at the Hotel Excelsior. There is an established practice by which the committee is also convened in the country which is running the EU presidency. The Malta appointment had been planned months ago and could not be cancelled. The pity was that our visitors for the meeting could hardly understand anything about the Maltese reality, distracted as we all were by the election race.

I was impressed though by the effort which US politicians present mounted to counter criticisms that President Trump intends to dismantle NATO or push the US away from Europe. Do not just consider the President’s rhetoric, they insisted; it’s a way of explaining things, so they said, which does tend towards the extremes. Focus instead on the decisions which Trump is taking to address terrorism as well as global military imbalances.

In a quick input, I emphasized that if the debacle in Libya is to be contained, there needs to be convergence between the US, Russia and the EU about what their respective legitimate interests in the area are, as well as convergence about the military doctrine that should be deployed in the defence of those interests.

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Ruled out

Possibly, the defeat suffered by Juventus in its European Champions League final with Real Madrid was neither expected, at least with the outcome in goals that was recorded, nor deserved. As I see it, and I make no claim to being an expert in foootball having over the decades, only followed the sport on and off, Juventus simply folded up during the second half of the game. Why this happened, I have no idea.

On paper, the team they presented for the match was the best one of recent years. What happened at the Cardiff stadium, suggests otherwise. And there was not even the consolation that Bayern Munich could cling to following their defeat by the same Spanish team – the justified complaint that two of the goals they lost by came from offside positions.

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