The suggestion that the George Cross be removed from the Maltese flag and replaced by the image of the Neolithic temples is interesting. Unfortunately, it would appear that, as with so many things Maltese, reality is much different to the image.

I suspect that few people interested in the Neolithic temples as such are pleased with desecration of Ħaġar Qim. Whereas once it was possible to approach the site and view it as our ancestors did, appreciating the dramatic image of erected stones under a free sky, we now have the usual Maltese vandalism: an unfinished visitors' centre which, no matter how it is finally faced, will never blend with the landscape, together with an eye-searing umbrella covering of the site itself. I do not know whether this is the result of a consultation with the Maltese people. If it is, then I feel sad; if not, then it is an outrage.