Stuff and more stuff

My musing last week on the possibility of a TUC à la Maltais ever figuring on the menu of dishes available for general consumption proved prophetic, to a degree.

No one is ever right when trying to analyse the industrial relations scene, which is subject to so many variables (not least of which is the "variable" of who is in government, though for the last 20-odd years there has hardly been much variety there) and shifting alliances that you can't really make out which head is wagging which puppy's tail.

In the good old 1980s there was a degree of predictability, given that the largest union at the time was Prom Queen to the Malta Labour Party's Prom King, but in this day and age, with everyone and his brother (as in, "what about the workers, brothers?") you're never sure who is on whose side.

Which is as it should be, of course. The only loyalties unions properly owe are to the members and to society at large, generally in that order, with the latter coming quite a long way after the former.

The news that headlined The Times' web-portal on Wednesday evening, while I was watching Chelsea making a meal of trying to beat Bordeaux, was that the CMTU grouping had accepted the government's position on the utility tariffs, while the assorted other unions, ranging from the GWU to the Uni Dons' Association, were still playing hard to get.

What price a union of unions now, I wonder?

In the meantime, while we fiddle with utility tariffs, the dour Gordon Brown messes about with a couple of percentage points on VAT, hauling the rate down in an effort to get the Great British public spending. Considering that it's being made pretty darn clear that the savings and borrowings being resorted to now will be clawed back in a couple of years, probably with interest (not to say with bells on) I'm pretty iffy as to whether this is going to stimulate a recovery.

For that matter, even if there wasn't the prospect of having to give the goodies back, do you think that a two per cent drop in prices, always assuming the retailers won't hang on to it, is going to persuade anyone to start feeling good about things and kick-starting the economy into recovery?

Somehow, I doubt it. The gloom and despondency that reigns supreme all over the place is hardly likely to be dispelled just because of a pretty minor tweak. I'm not at all sure this isn't just a manifestation of the way Labour parties all over the place think they can make a difference by fiddling around with everything.

I don't know, of course, I might be wrong and the way forward is to roll back taxes rather than increase utility costs - Gordon good, Lawrence bad, if you want to put it in sloganese. Given that no one seems to have the faintest idea what to do, who is to say who is right?

In the meantime, people are going around doing good, unsung and unpraised. Well, let's correct that; a few legal beagles of my acquaintance (and a few other folk too, I imagine) are going to pull a particularly loony stunt next Sunday. Apparently, as part of the Puttinu Cares project (I hope I've got it right, I asked one of them to e-mail me the details and - being a good lawyer - he didn't bother) these nutters are going to cycle from Birżebbuġa to Ċirkewwa, catch a breather on the ferry across, swim from Mġarr to Ħondoq, run to Victoria and then cycle back to Mġarr (not a great chore, it's all downhill).

The lazy sods will then catch yet another breather on the ferry and cycle back to Birżebbuġa.

If you see them, give them an "attaboy" and stick your hand in your pocket, why don't you?

In the interests of taking your mind off the economy, I bring you tidings of great joy. In Victoria, a new place by the name of Maldonado (apparently, he was a Governor of Gozo back in the 1600s for a couple of years - I don't remember him) has opened, down the narrow roads leading away from It-Tokk. A bit of judicious searching will bring you across it and, when you find it, stop, go in, sit down and order some food.

You will not be disappointed - friendly service, enjoyable atmosphere and superb food. We had Sunday lunch there and we will be back, soon.

We went back, too, to Snoopy's on Friday. What can I say that hasn't been said before? Great place, great staff, great food: stop me if I've said it before.

OK, I'll stop.

imbocca@gmail.com, www.timesofmalta.com/blogs