Moderate, progressive or fundamentalist?

There was much news last week but perhaps the most innovative and interesting was the Adrian Vassallo declaration that he would rather live in Iran. Not because he is a great fan of the regime there but because he is a great enemy of pornography. And he has a great right to be. And we are not talking of peep shows on slot machines but on what we traditionally know (and perhaps prefer to continue knowing) as "blue films" - and at this point could some illuminary in the film world explain why "blue" - in secluded hotel rooms.

In my experience (and, mind you, only because I go through the titles) hotel rooms in most democratic, liberal, call them what you like, countries have this facility. And, further, does one not have the right to watch a "blue film" in the privacy of one's home? Are we still living in the middle ages?

I remember, as a teenager, some adventurous guy getting hold of some adventurous film on an 8mm reel, borrowing or renting a projector (which erased most of the film anyway) and collecting small crowds in secluded areas. They would swarm like ants. Was this healthy?

And what about having bare-breasted women in Italian or other imported magazines being dressed up with black gem marker? Or buying a magazine at no mean price only to find half the pages torn out by some priggish censors (probably in their 80s) who had seen all the pictures themselves, of course? And on to certain cinemas (illegal, I admit, as being public areas and as we have been reminded by our criminal legal beagles recently) where a conglomeration of men only would meet at 11 p.m. on a Saturday night, largely under cover they thought, only to stand up in the intermission and see a host of friends and neighbours. There was once a film called Tora, Tora, Tora (Japanese, I think) in one of these cinemas and the constant cry by a frustrated audience was "Tara, Tara, Tara u ma tara xejn" (watch, watch, watch and see nothing)!

Is this where the Honourable Dr Vassallo wants us to go back to? Obviously, he is entitled to his views. But then is this something he is advocating to the moderate and progressive political party to which he appertains?

To be fair to the leader of the Labour Party, he has disassociated himself from Dr Vassallo's comments and I would have been very surprised had he not. Yet, Dr Vassallo's views are not moderate and progressive but fundamentalist and his declared Iran affiliation has proved this.

However, the PL's stance of being open to all can accommodate the likes of Dr Vassallo, who has no problem in defending those who sometimes slaughter birds but then denies tourists/business visitors the right to watch what they like in their own hotel rooms and probably private citizens in their own homes. I might prefer to watch a pornographic film than the sheer violence and brutality we see in so many programmes on television and to which children are often glued. Perhaps the other Honourable Vassallo (Edwin) will carry out a survey as he inspects people's bedrooms (and I say this with tongue in cheek, of course).

But enough of porn. Let's move on to sport. The project just recently launched is very impressive. The idea of a Sports and Leisure Village at the years-long derelict and abandoned White Rocks complex will hopefully come through. I say this because we have had so many great ideas and great projects over the years (and I do not mean only at White Rocks) which have just gone "fizz".

Ok, it is said that the government will not be spending a penny (sorry cent), although this is hard to believe - but we will see.

We have talk of various sports facilities, hotels, sports colleges, sports administration buildings and the lot but absolutely no aquatic sports facilities (and for those who know me I do not need to declare my interest in this). This is fascinating! If there is a sport that brings at least relatively successful results to this country, it is swimming and waterpolo.

The national swimming pool, which has been somewhat refurbished this year (and, yes, well done Malta Sports Council) just cannot cope with the demand. Our swimmers are crying out for more facilities. We desperately need them. And no pomp and circumstance will bring this. An investment of €200 million is mentioned for White Rocks, yet, the government tells us it has no funds to replace the existing scoreboard at Tal-Qroqq (requiring a mere €100,000), which will fall to pieces any minute and erase all international competitions in Malta, let alone locally.

Yet, this massive White Rocks complex, whose proposed architects are boasting about building some mega pool in Dubai, will not have a pool. This is unbelievable. The government should insist in its negotiations, if it has successful sports at heart, on the building of an Olympic-sized pool, with state- of-the-art technology, including a scoreboard that is some distance from the neolithic age.