There seems to be an instinct among some "entrepreneurs" that surfaces effortlessly whenever fates and/or competition conspire against them: it is the instinct to blame others and other things.

In the case of Paceville, the fates were variously described at a recent seminar: bottle shops selling "cheap drinks"; lower incomes registered by bars and clubs in Paceville (and elsewhere, insisted Philip Fenech, president of the tourism, hospitality and leisure section of the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises - GRTU); a lack of disposable income among Maltese consumers; lower tourist volumes; the smoking ban; opening and closing hours; a parking problem and underage youths drinking in the streets giving Paceville an impression of degeneration.

That bottle shops offer cheap drinks to youngsters, so long as the drinks are not alcoholic in content and the outlets are licensed to operate as such, is, one would have thought, acceptable. The youngsters' behaviour is another matter. If it is degrading, then the police must keep an eye on it and take action when things get out of hand.

Yet, when Paceville was a different kettle of fish altogether and underage youngsters found no difficulty in ordering and being served alcohol, similar criticism about the air of degradation that was then evident did not seem to have been raised, except, understandably and reasonably enough, by the residents of Paceville.

The accusation was also made that the bottle shops were diverting people with money away from what was referred to as Malta's entertainment mecca. It was not made clear whether they were diverted to other outlets in the locality or to some other entertainment region. Whatever the case, it would mean that other outlets/localities are providing entertainment and, as a result, flourishing to an extent greater than was the case before Paceville lost customers it once held in thrall.

That still leaves us with the problem of disposable income. If money is being spent elsewhere, then it is obvious that money is still available, only patrons are choosy where to spend it and there must be a reason for that!

As for parking problems, the situation in Paceville seemed to have improved immensely until some time ago. If parking is still inadequate then surely the matter can be addressed in a rational matter around a table.

When it comes to tourists, tourist volumes are not low in summer, and in winter, when they are, Paceville loses a good degree of its allure in any case.

What is surprising is that these noises come so soon after a face lift to the area, after Sunday shopping was allowed and at a time when an event like the World Cup should have seen the place awash with spectators/potential customers and, for all we know, it did.

Mr Fenech called for the return of the "6 a.m. phase-off", which, one trusts, the authorities will not grant. The present 4 a.m. phase-off is already deep into the night and into the early morning. Ask the residents of Paceville. And, in the name of consistency, if the argument about lower tourist volumes, less disposable income, bottle shops selling cheap drinks is to be sustained, what difference can a 6 a.m. phase-off possibly make? What, exactly, was the point Mr Fenech was trying to make?

It may just be the case that Paceville is jaded and young competition, like the Valletta Waterfront, which is not an entertainment spot in the sense that Paceville is, threatens to take its toll. This is called competition. Traders are said to love it.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.