What happens in normal Parliaments : the House of Commons

01 Nov What happens in normal Parliaments : the House of Commons

Posted at 09:28h in Blog by

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSBRE89U1GI20121031

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL5E8LV8SM20121031

 53 Conservative members of Parliament vote against their Government in the House of Commons. They voted with the Labour Opposition.

 Will they be banned from contesting the next election?

Where is Andrew Azzopardi, Kenneth Zammit Tabona and Ranier Fsadni with their medieval political views and oppression and the same song of party loyalty? Party loyalty must be understood in the context of a constitutional set up and a political culture of resignations.

By the way I realised I have a Zammit Tabona painting in my collection : but it’s a landscape, and to be honest it’s one of my favourites.

Recent stands that I and other backbenchers have taken in this legislature might have seemed unorthodox by the standards of an outdated Maltese political culture, but history will tell how they served to bring our parliament closer to normality, bringing it more in line with what happenss in normal parliamaents around the world.

I am proud of having given my humble contribution in a campaign which three years ago I had called  : THE DIGNITY OF PARLIAMENT. Unfortunately I have had to suffer and endure personal attacks and insults because sometimes people are resistant to change. The time will come when they will realise, this change is the way ahead and the change will become part of our system. This is worth all the sacrifices .

Parliament is not government’s servant. Parliament is the government’s watchdog.

Hopefully in ten or fifteen years’ time this culture, which I and others have done so much to push in recent times,  will be established in our country.

 

 

 

 

20 Comments
  • Joe Cassar
    Posted at 17:20h, 10 November

    franco, ta `gonzi pn se jissikawk bil goff izjed ma joqrob il -budget, u jekk terga iccedi w ma twaqqax il-gvern, se tkun mistmerr kemm mill pn kif wkoll mill bqija tal- poplu

  • Patriott Malti
    Posted at 00:02h, 05 November

    I absolutely agree with you Franco. The Parliament procedures (Standing Orders) need to be updated up to today’s realities. The Parliamentary Question are a typical example absolutely a whole joke. Most of the PQ get answered months later and forgot about which should be as such. PQ should be answered there and then like the PM in the UK does.

  • Uti, non Abuti
    Posted at 19:01h, 01 November

    Dr.Debono

    Ma dawk il pampaluni li semmejt int inzid tnejn ohra jien PEPPI XARABANK SKADUTA u BONDINU

    Oh Mulej………………..

  • Chinese Jar
    Posted at 18:20h, 01 November

    You miss the point, Dr Debono, that those Conservative MPs voted that way safe in the knowledge that they would NOT bring down the government.

    You, on the other hand, plan to vote to bring down your government, which is very different.

    • Franco Debono
      Posted at 19:03h, 01 November

      till now the government is still ther. no?
      i have given loads of chances

      • Joe Vella
        Posted at 19:38h, 01 November

        xini din? int min int bix tati cans lil xi had sa fejnaf jena avukati ma jatux cansijit dak jamluh limhalfin jew ed tejd al minitstru gAtt??

  • Eddy Privitera
    Posted at 17:08h, 01 November

    Il-mistoqsija addattata wara dak li ktibt dwar il-membri Konservattivi li vvutaw mal-oppozizzjoni laburista fil-parlament Britanniku, hi din: imma INT ghandek il-kuragg taghmel bhalhom, jew bhal Gonzi, se tkun pacpact biss ?

    • percita
      Posted at 18:50h, 01 November

      Wishful thinking sur Eddy Privitera! Kemm ghandek ismek sabih. Kien ikun isbah kieku jinkiteb EDDIE.

      • mario farrugia
        Posted at 22:21h, 01 November

        dak kien lahaq papa jew?

        • Alouette III
          Posted at 08:15h, 02 November

          ma jistax jilhaq papa.ghandu certifikat ta giddieb tal-prima klassi mill-qorti.

  • Floydist
    Posted at 11:29h, 01 November

    Us and Them
    And after all we’re only ordinary men
    Me, and you
    God only knows it’s not what we would choose to do
    Forward he cried from the rear
    And the front rank died
    And the General sat, as the lines on the map
    Moved from side to side
    Black and Blue
    And who knows which is which and who is who
    Up and Down
    And in the end it’s only round and round and round
    Haven’t you heard it’s a battle of words
    The poster bearer cried
    Listen son, said the man with the gun
    There’s room for you inside
    Down and Out
    It can’t be helped but there’s a lot of it about
    With, without
    And who’ll deny that’s what the fightings all about
    Get out of the way, it’s a busy day
    And I’ve got things on my mind
    For want of the price of tea and a slice
    The old man died

    • tony
      Posted at 13:09h, 01 November

      great song

  • Platun
    Posted at 11:14h, 01 November

    That is political maturity and open-mindness and reflects a healthy democracy.

    My greatest worry if Lawrence Gonzi wins another term , is who is going to oppose him in Parliament if he repeats any of the misguided decisions taken during these last four years.

    Who ? Beppe Fenech Adami ? Carm Mifsud Bonnici ? Mario De Marco ? Tonio Fenech ? Zammit Dimech ? Jason Azzopardi ? Simon Busuttil ? David Casa ? Gejtu Vella ? George Pullicino ? Chris Said ? Claudio Grech ?

    I am worried. TERRIBLY WORRIED !

  • Francist
    Posted at 10:07h, 01 November

    Il Prim jikkumpara ma pajjizi ohra,meta jaqbillu biss.

    • BETTER FUTURE
      Posted at 13:28h, 01 November

      It’s uncanny, how he always chooses losers.

  • floater
    Posted at 09:58h, 01 November

    ghal-gid tal-Pn u tal-pajjiz u tas-sewwa nahseb wasal iz-zmine li jhabbar

  • Is she going to revert her surname to Vella?
    Posted at 09:51h, 01 November

    Dik li ma nafux jekk ser tigi kunjoma Vella qed tinkwieta ghax minghajr il-klikka trid tfendi ghal rasa u ma tbillx subaghja f’direct orders…..ajma x’inkwiet

    • BETTER FUTURE
      Posted at 13:29h, 01 November

      Soon even these direct orders will be kaput.

  • Nuffata
    Posted at 09:36h, 01 November

    There is no parallel with the Maltese Parliament and the House of.Commons. A Prim Minister coming from the latter parliament would have resigned a year ago. But ours likes playing chess or snakes & ladders. What matters most for him is that he remains there – at the topmost post. He thinks that he is the Prim Minister of the PN and not of the whole of Malta. He is mixing party matters with national interests.

    • BETTER FUTURE
      Posted at 13:30h, 01 November

      Not just party matters, but also very important (to him) personal matters.