It would be such a pity if PM Gonzi would have to call it a day. 
I like him for his work rate, for his ability to communicate, for his focus, for his commitment to what he believes in, for being able to ride the economic chaos that surrounds us.
Apart from that he is a nice man and generally good with the media. As journalist Matthew Vella had pointed out, I’m also impressed with his resilience and stamina.
But it seems that he is on ‘life support’ at this point and it’s like having people in a queue waiting to pull off the plug, with a few loyals keeping them at bay….slowly getting outnumbered.
I think putting the front (bench) at the back has cost him too much, sending sms-es instead of looking people in the eye was an even worse one, the honoraria, covering up for some of his Ministers (eg Tonio Fenech’s trip to see Arsenal FC, Austin Gatt’s flop in the transport system reform etc), not getting rid of Franco earlier on, not reading the signs of the time that the circle was closing on him….and the list goes on.
Once again, I’m really not after knocking people’s head off their necks, but let’s face it, this is a limping Government. The Party needs to set a new tone, to bring in ‘fresh’ leadsership (people like Frank Psaila, Simon Busuttil, Karol Aquilina would be some of ‘my choices’) to be able to get on with it.
I think the PM has sacrificed his pride too much – now he needs to respect himself, he needs to make sure that he comes out of this with his chin held high – he did what he had to do, but now…..?
Andrew,
In the first paragraph you mention that you like Dr. Lawrence Gonzi, among others, for his ability to communicate. Yet again, later you say that one of his worse mistake was that he lacked communication skills, in that he did not have the courage to look people in the eye and instead sent them an SMS to inform them of important decisions on the first day of the legislature.
An interesting point is ‘his commitment to what he believes in’. I have no problem with Dr. Gonzi believing anything he wants and being committed to it, however, he managed to be the only Prime Minister to vote against the will of the majority in parliament because of his believes. For me, this means that we have a Prime Minister with questionable democratic credentials. The same democratic credentials the PN always boasted about.
Last July, I expected the PN Executive to condemn Dr. Lawrence Gonzi and others for voting according to their conscience and not according to the wish of the electorate as expressed in the May referendum. His position was untenable. However, the same executive decided to condemn 3 other MPs who did the same, voted according to their conscience. The difference is that these MPs voted in parliament according to the mandate they were given when elected.
It is a pity, having been part of it, seeing PN in this state of self-destruction. This situation has been brought on by non-other than Dr. Lawrence Gonzi himself and his small clique of advisors. Dr. Gonzi’s legacy within the party, unlike all of his predecessors, will be that of bringing the party to its knees.
Andrew,
In the first paragraph you mention that you like Dr. Lawrence Gonzi, among others, for his ability to communicate. Yet again, later you say that one of his worse mistakes was that he lacked communication skills, in that he did not have the courage to look people in the eye and instead sent them an SMS to inform them of important decisions on the first day of the legislature.
An interesting point is ‘his commitment to what he believes in’. I have no problem with Dr. Gonzi believing anything he wants and being committed to it, however, he managed to be the only Prime Minister to vote against the will of the majority in parliament because of his beliefs. For me, this means that we have a Prime Minister with questionable democratic credentials. The same democratic credentials the PN always boasted about.
Last July, I expected the PN Executive to condemn Dr. Lawrence Gonzi and others for voting according to their conscience and not according to the wish of the electorate as expressed in the May referendum. His position was untenable. However, the same executive decided to condemn 3 other MPs who did the same, voted according to their conscience. The difference is that these MPs voted in parliament according to the mandate they were given when elected.
It is a pity, having been part of it, seeing PN in this state of self-destruction. This situation has been brought on by non-other than Dr. Lawrence Gonzi himself and his small clique of advisors. Dr. Gonzi’s legacy within the party, unlike all of his predecessors, will be that of bringing the party to its knees.