In last week’s Sunday Times, an op-ed by Robert Abela described this period as a time that’s defining us, prodding us ‘to come together in our aims and actions’. Two days later, he followed that up by urging national unity on a partisan TV station with a partisan flag beside him. That communication misfire was […] More
When you want to evaluate someone, don’t listen to what they say. Watch what they do. “Robert is his own man,” we were told. “He has a very independent mind. A very clear, sharp mind. He’s focused.” And that’s just what you need in a time of national crisis. The Prime Minister held nothing back […] More
A philosopher once said that if you are lonely when you are alone then you are in bad company. There is much to be said about the new fear that seems to be creeping in place of the fear of the pandemic itself. Our collective reaction to the possibility of a complete lockdown is a […] More
During a press conference devoted to how seriously the government was taking the national interest, in the face of the coronavirus, the Prime Minister was asked about the role of Steward Healthcare. It was an inevitable question. It’s on everyone’s lips. What wasn’t inevitable was the answer. Steward has taken ownership of three of our […] More
Every ‘larger than life’ figure has its trademark. With Konrad Mizzi, it’s redacted contracts and complex webs of offshore companies. With Joseph Muscat — a smaller than average man with a larger than life ego — it’s arrogance paired with insatiable greed, and with the sort of shamelessness that won’t let the chance of a dirty […] More
Social distancing, shop closures, and work from home have become the new normal as the COVID-19 pandemic gives those who keep birds in tiny cages a taste of their own medicine. The Shift is looking out for you in this time of seclusion — especially those readers with busy children who need distraction, entertainment, and […] More
It takes a very short moment of reflection to realise that the virus is only the latest test of our society’s structures. In some circles they call it a “stress test” – deliberately intense testing used to determine the stability of a given system or entity. Stress tests push systems beyond their normal operational capacity […] More
When they tell you it’s not about the money, it’s obviously all about the money. Steward Healthcare, which bought three of our hospitals for a song, while milking the public purse to the tune of €188,000 per day, fooled no one when it told The Shift that it was “insulting” to be asked about what […] More
Silvio Schembri sparked a wave of outrage this week when he slagged off the foreign workers who have done so much to produce Malta’s recent prosperity. A pestilence is sweeping the globe, and the under-qualified over-promoted opportunists weighing down Robert Abela’s bloated Cabinet have regressed to knee-jerk amoral familism. “Charity begins at home,” Schembri said, […] More
“But what does it mean, the plague? It’s life, that’s all.” – Albert Camus Being human is incredibly difficult and cannot be mastered in one lifetime, author Terry Pratchett once said. Last week the States of Europe crawled into the slow realisation that lessons should, after all, be learnt. The Italian model, built on a […] More
I did not think I would live to see Maltese people everywhere queue in an orderly fashion, respecting personal space, and accepting that signed warnings applied to them as well, not just others. Nor have I ever seen such broad consensus – where it is not just the lion that lies with the lamb, but […] More
You know this isn’t working anymore, don’t you? No one believes Malta’s excuses. At least, not outside the island. I’m referring to that pathetic schoolboy ruse where Maltese politicians get caught for something and then pretend to be sorry. Okay, it’s much less common than ‘The other side did it, too! Why are you picking […] More
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