Ir-rebħa tagħna lkoll

Għada fis-7pm niltaqgħu Pjazza San Ġorġ, il-Belt Valletta, fejn se niċċelebraw 10 snin ta’ sħubija fl-Unjoni Ewropea. Kif jixhed dan ir-ritratt meħud fil-Marsa qabel ir-referendum, it-triq ma kienet faċli xejn. Mhux kulħadd kien jemmen li post Malta huwa fl-Unjoni Ewropea. Mhux kulħadd ħadem biex din il-ħolma ssir realtà. Iżda flimkien irnexxielna nikkonvinċu. Flimkien irnexxielna nirbħu. Irbaħna għalina, għal uliedna u għal dawk li ġejjin warajna.

Biża

Artiklu ppubblikat fil-gazzetta IN-NAZZJON tat-Tnejn 28 ta' April 2014

Reġgħet qed tinħass il-biża. Iċ-ċaqlieq inġustifikat u vendikattiv f’kull livell f’diversi Dipartimenti, awtoritajiet u kumpaniji tal-Gvern, il-mod li bih qed jingħataw ċerti direct orders, l-attakki medjatiċi u l-intolleranza għal ideat jew twemmin differenti qed iġġiegħel aktar nies toqgħod lura milli teżerċita d-dritt fundamentali tal-libertà tal-espressjoni.

Spiss niltaqa’ ma’ nies li jgħiduli li qed jibżgħu anke sempliċiment jagħmlu Like fuq xi ħaġa politika li tkun inkitbet fuq Facebook. Qisna qed nerġgħu lura għal żminijiet fejn jekk tixtri u taqra dan il-ġurnal, li saħansitra kellu jibdel ismu għal ‘In-Tagħna’, tbati l-konsegwenzi.

Minn dak li għaddejt minnu jien fl-aħħar sena, nifhem li din il-biża hija għal kollox ġustifikata.

Diskors fil-Kunsill Ġenerali tal-Partit Nazzjonalista

Malta Aħjar
Diskors ta' Norman Vella fil-Kunsill Ġenerali tal-Partit Nazzjonalista
Is-Sibt 26 ta' April 2014

Il-kontijiet raħsu għax l-impjant tal-BWSC huwa effiċjenti – Vella

Intervista ppubblikata fuq inewsmalta fil-25 ta' April 2014

Skont il-kandidat tal-Partit Nazzjonalista għall-Parlament Ewropew, Norman Vella, il-Gvern Laburista rnexxielu jraħħas il-kontijiet tad-dawl wara sena, grazzi għall-effiċjenza tal-power station tal-BWSC.

Vella qal li t-traħħis żgur mhux grazzi għall-powerstation ġdida li mistenni jibni l-gvern hekk kif din għadha ma bdietx tinbena għaldaqstant huwa qal li raġunijiet tar-roħs jista' jkunu tlieta jew it-taxxi tal-poplu, l-effiċjenza tal-BWSC jew il-flus li daħħal il-gvern minn dik li Vella sejħilha “privatizzazzjoni” tal-Enemalta.

Dwar l-impjant tal-BWSC, Vella qal li dan mhux biss huwa effiċjenti, iżda l-emissjonijiet tiegħu huma ta' standards Ewropej li huma rigorużi ħafna, “għalkemm huwa minnu li l-gass iħammeġ inqas,” żied Vella.

Kandidat tal-Partit Nazzjonalista għall-elezzjoni tal-Parlament Ewropew

Below the belt politics

Published in The Times of Malta, 16 April 2014


Even a combat sport like boxing has clear rules of acceptable behaviour: no hitting below the belt. Anything below the belt is considered to be abusive, vicious, offensive, overly hurtful and openly unfair. No doubt, if boxing embraces such minimum thresholds of tolerable manners, what should we expect from political leaders?

The electorate expects politicians to play by the rules, to lead by example, to respect and protect freedom of expression, to encourage a dissenting opinion, to fight fair and square.

This is why I was shocked and stunned when Joseph Muscat, then leader of the Opposition, warned me and Peppi Azzopardi in the presence of other people, that he would hit us hard below the belt twice over for any action which he perceived as going against the interests of the Labour Party.

An act of political bullying by Fr Joe Borg

Blog by Fr Joe Borg

TIMES OF MALTA.COM, Tuesday 15 April 2014

Yesterday the Government capriciously denied the country a unanimous vote in favour of civil unions for the gay community. A unanimous vote was within reach but the government was determined not to let it be. This was an act of political bullying at its worst.

The gay lobby celebrating the introduction of gay marriage and gay adoption.

Tfal ta' koppji tal-istess sess

F’pajjiżna diġà għandna ħafna tfal li qed jitrabbew minn persuni omosesswali.

Jekk tassew irridu l-ġid lil dawn it-tfal m’għandna qatt ngħidulhom li l-familja tagħhom għandha xi ħaġa inqas minn ta’ tfal oħra. Minflok għandna ngħidulhom ikunu kburin b’min kuljum jagħmel ħafna sagrifiċċji għalihom, b’min qed itihom trobbija u ħafna mħabba.

Naqblu jew ma naqblux mal-liġi li għaddiet ilbieraħ mill-Parlament, huwa stat ta’ fatt li se jkollna iktar tfal li se jkunu qed jitrabbew f’familji magħmula minn koppji tal-istess sess.

Jekk tassew irridu l-ġid lil dawn it-tfal u ġenwinament naħsbu li s-soċjetà tagħna għadha mhix lesta għal dan il-pass, ejja nibdew naħdmu biex lil din is-soċjetà nbiddluha. Ejja naħdmu biex ma nkunux aħna li noħolqu l-problemi lil dawn it-tfal. It-tfal l-ewwel u qabel kollox.

Issa Nista'

Artiklu ppubblikat fil-gazzetta IN-NAZZJON tat-Tnejn 14 ta' April 2014

Ikolli nammetti li bħala salesman lill-Prim Ministru Joseph Muscat ma jirbaħlu ħadd.

Kull min jgħix f’dawn il-gżejjer żgur inzerta darba jew oħra xi reklam, avviż jew billboard mill-aħħar produzzjoni tal-Gvern tiegħu “Issa Nista’”. Din il-kampanja mhi xejn għajr propaganda partiġġjana u qarrieqa mħallsa minn flus il-poplu.

Minkejja dan, illum iddeċidejt li nagħti daqqa t’id lil Muscat u lil sħabu f’din il-kampanja. Allura se nissuġġerixxi xi reklami ġodda li jistgħu isiru fil-ġranet li ġejjin.

Il-Prim

F’xi wħud mill-filmati nissuġġerixxi li jieħu sehem il-Prim Ministru nnifsu. Nistgħu nagħmlu wieħed li fih ikun jgħid “Issa nista’ nikri l-karozza tiegħi lili nnifsi.”

Għandi ħafna iktar ideat għall-Prim imma se nieqaf hawn għax persważ li għandu ħafna aħjar minni għall-pariri.

"Under the belt" by Fr Joe Borg

Blog by Fr Joe Borg

TIMES OF MALTA.COM, Saturday April 12, 2014

Earlier this week the Employment Commission held another sitting in the case Norman Vella, a former TV presenter/producer and a current MEP hopeful, instituted against the Prime Minister. Mr Vella is saying that his removal from PBS and the popular programme he hosted, TVHemm, was an act of political discrimination.

In his defence Mr Vella claimed, among other things, that before the election, Dr Muscat had told him and Peppi Azzopardi that he would pay them back if they were unfair to the Labour Party.

The offending phrase was: “For every blow that we feel you are striking the Labour Party, I will strike you twice, with all my strength, under the belt.”

Konfermata t-theddida ta' Joseph Muscat lil Peppi Azzopardi u Norman Vella

Minn Net Television

Kurt Farrugia confirms Muscat gave stern warning to Xarabank presenters

From THE MALTA INDEPENDENT

Joseph Muscat had warned Xarabank producers Peppi Azzopardi and Norman Vella that he would strike back two blows for every blow they dealt to the Labour party by, an employment commission heard today.

It’s the economy, stupid

Published in The Malta Independent on Sunday 6 April 2014

‘It’s the economy, stupid’. This famous political slogan was derived from the slogan ‘The economy, stupid’ coined by Bill Clinton’s campaign team in 1992. The simple rational behind this rather abrasive statement is that everything depends on the economy. Get the economy right and everything else falls into place. Few governments have lost an election when the economy was performing well.

Kampanja

Artiklu ppubblikat fil-gazzetta IN-NAZZJON tat-Tnejn 7 ta' April 2014

Bħal-lum ħmistax tibda l-kampanja għall-elezzjoni tal-Parlament Ewropew. Kif mistenni, lilna l-kandidati qed isirulna ħafna intervisti. Waħda mill-iktar mistoqsijiet li qed jistaqsuna hija jekk naħsbux li f’din l-elezzjoni n-nies hux se tivvota dwar issues lokali jew issues Ewropej. Jien dejjem inwieġeb li l-vot huwa tal-individwu u dan għandu dritt jużah kif irid u għal liema raġuni jrid.

B’danakollu nistqarr li d-distinzjoni li spiss issir bejn dak li hu ‘lokali’ u ‘Ewropew’ mhix kbira daqs kemm inpinġuha. Pereżempju l-ħolqien tax-xogħol huwa issue lokali daqs kemm hu issue Ewropea. L-istess l-aċċess għas-servizzi tas-saħħa, il-governanza tajba, l-ambjent, l-enerġija, il-kompetittività, l-immigrazzjoni, il-biedja, s-sajd, il-kaċċa, in-negozji ż-żgħar, il-kundizzjonijiet tax-xogħol, l-istandards u mitt ħaġ’oħra.

Ħafna mill-affarijiet li mmissu magħhom fil-ħajja ta’ kuljum f’Malta u Għawdex huma riżultat dirett ta’ dak li jiġi deċiż fl-istituzzjonijiet Ewropej. Għalhekk huwa importanti li f’dawn l-istituzzjonijiet ikollna vuċijiet b’saħħithom li jifhmu l-bżonnijiet u l-aspirazzjonijiet tan-nies. Huwa mportanti wkoll li min ikun fil-Parlament Ewropew jitkellem f’isem in-nies u fl-interess tan-nies li jirrappreżenta u mhux ikun paljazza ta’ Gvern u ta’ Prim Ministru li jridu jirromblaw minn fuq kulħadd.

Tarzna f'Birzebbuga

24 ta’ Marzu: Il-Prim Ministru jikteb lill-Bord tal-MEPA appuntat minnu stess biex iwissieh li jekk ikun hemm min JAPPELLA kontra l-permess għat-tanker tal-gass fil-bajja ta’ Marsaxlokk hu se jiġi jaqa’ u jqum u jibqa’ għaddej bil-proġett.

5 ta’ April: Il-Gvern tal-Prim Ministru jħabbar li se JAPPELLA minn deċiżjoni li ħa l-Bord tal-MEPA appuntat minnu stess li approva permess biex fil-Freeport isir xogħol li soltu jsir f’tarzna. 

Tgħid tal-Freeport se jagħmlu bħal ma qal li se jagħmel il-Prim Ministru fil-każ tat-tanker tal-gass u se jiġu jaqgħu u jqumu mill-appell u jibdew bix-xogħolijiet?

Tgħid l-eżempju se jkaxkar?

Nationalists often mistake me for a Labourite

The Malta Independent interview, 31 March 2014

Former journalist and European Parliament hopeful Norman Vella is adamant that he always did his duty as a presenter on PBS, and was never formally accused of bias towards the then Nationalist government. Mr Vella refutes claims that he popping up on the PN’s list of MEP candidates further confirms this perceived bias.

“I was never accused of being biased. There was a campaign by those close to the Labour Party, but it is not campaigns that count but facts, and the fact is that they never formally complained about my work. I always used journalism to be a voice of the people, I always tried to push the agenda of the people.