The construction industry disaster has briefly opened a dark window. Collapsing blocks of apartments, and building site injuries or deaths, are terrifying. Safety procedures are now hastily being rewritten, papering over the cracks. The government is scrambling to shut that dark window. A beast lies inside, an ugly monster with a long tail. These tragic […] More
For most people, Sette Giugno is a holiday. It was a hot day this year. Some headed off for their first swim. The beaches were full of people. Others went to Gozo and met crowds there. Some opted for a quiet day at home, but were disturbed by the noise of building works nearby. This […] More
Adrian Delia is quite right to say that the problems of the Nationalist Party did not begin with him. His leadership began just after the Party’s major defeat in the 2017 general election. He inherited enormous problems, but they have not improved. The rifts are still there, and the voters are not. Different beliefs and […] More
Before the European Parliament elections, Joseph Muscat said: ‘after 25 May, there will be 26 May’. The inner circle of the Nationalist Party also now hope that things will carry on as before, but they are wrong. The clock is ticking and cannot be turned back. Adrian Delia has grabbed this ‘it’s back to business […] More
These are never isolated incidents, but always connected to “normalised behaviour of hatred”. This was the disquieting response from the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (NCPE), to the arraignment of the two AFM soldiers suspected of randomly shooting at three African immigrants in Birzebbuga. One of the three victims, the Ivorian Lassana Cisse, […] More
The Eurovision song contest may soon be grabbing more attention than the European elections. People are growing tired of hearing the campaign talk of political parties. The polls indicate that the PL will win more MEP seats than the PN, while small parties and independents can expect no seats at all. Amid all the rhetoric […] More
The electoral campaigns are building up. All sides are rolling up their sleeves and pitching into the political boxing ring. The polls show the Opposition as the clear underdog. In any event, the government is not about to change. This is not a general election. Like any mid term elections, it is an opportunity to […] More
The dust and inconvenience of road works, traffic and air pollution, are on people’s minds. We can be sure that this an important topic, as it was highlighted by the Prime Minister at the PL annual conference, at the start of the electoral campaign for the European Parliament. Such speeches do reveal a lot about […] More
It is impossible to support a road tunnel from Malta to Gozo from an environmental viewpoint. A tunnel for a metro between the two islands, however, presents a more balanced choice in the decision. Any tunnel presents serious environmental concerns, but I would be much more favourably inclined if it provides new public transport, and […] More
The burning down of the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris just before Easter has provoked an outpouring of public emotion worldwide. The images of the famous Gothic cathedral engulfed in flames are hugely powerful, and people all over the world have united in dismay. In her reaction, German Chancellor Angela Merkel described Notre Dame […] More
We’ve heard this line before: as long as nothing manifestly illegal occurred, it is business as usual. Konrad Mizzi had used that argument on his Panama dealings as government minister, and we have heard it many times since. We are on a slippery slope, as it is the dominant mentality in everything. In the granting […] More
Malta’s six members of the European Parliament are perfectly gender balanced, three men and three women. The percentage of women in the Maltese parliament, however, is miserably inadequate. They do a tough job in what is a completely male-dominated field. Our women MPs have achieved a lot, but many milestones still lie ahead. Having reached […] More
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