Does the end justify the means?

Annoyed by my recent brief letters to The Times and The Sunday Times, I.M. Beck - who would make a much better impression as a teacher in some English language school than as commentator on the local political scene - took me to task for referring to Malta becoming a "vassal state" of the European Union on May 1, 2004.

Beck wrote that he would prefer becoming a "vassal" of the EU than of North Korea - an obvious reference to the diplomatic and friendly relations the Labour government of the 1970s had with North Korea, as indeed it had with China (then denigrated by the Nationalist opposition but now lauded by them!) and with Libya (then also despised by the PN opposition but now frequently welcomed by them!).

I cannot remember Kim il Sung (I believe that was the name of the North Korean leader, was it not?) ever coming over to dictate to us what we must do to our pension system or our fiscal regulations. Or our shipyards and a thousand other matters. Or bullying our own politicians as EU Commissioner Gunther Verheugen did to George Vella!

Is it not already too obvious that Malta has become a "humble dependent" state (a "vassal state") of the European Union? But how had Labour become a "vassal state" of North Korea, pray tell us, Beck?

Now we have it straight from the horse's mouth, as they say, (no offence meant to our equine friends!) that even if what I wrote was true (that the prime minister had presented "a misleading picture of the country's finances to voters in order to win power at all costs"), according to I. M. Beck "the end ("Malta taking its rightful place in the EU", as Beck wrote) more than justified the means"!

So if Labour takes to the streets (as the opposition in Georgia has done to bring President Eduard Shevardnadze's government down after accusing him of electoral fraud) to bring down Dr Fenech Adami's government (also accused of political deceit about the country's real financial situation. And other false promises, such as those contained in the prime minister's letter of March 2003, sent to me and thousands of other voters, in which he promised that: "We will have a cleaner environment as well as better roads and pavements. These will be funded not through our own taxes but with the EU's own money") then Labour would be justified in resorting to this undemocratic method to bring the government down, since "the end justifies the means"? Is this what I. M. Beck is suggesting?

Finally, I am sorry to disappoint your columnist on his suggestion that I "clam up". His suggestion was just the incentive I needed to urge me to carry on reminding I. M. Beck of what EU membership was supposed to bring about, namely, a plethora of "EU benefits" rather than the misery it is already inflicting on common citizens. I am not including lawyers in the misery, of course. EU membership to them will probably be a God-send.

This is why lawyer I. M. Beck would rather not have anyone continuing to remind and reveal what the choristers of "Iva, Malta fl-Ewropa" would now prefer to remain undiscussed!