The trouble with writing political commentary over a period of some years is that after some time the election slogans, the sound bites and the wild promises start sounding the same. I can’t bear to hear the word ‘change’ without holding my hands over my ears. ‘Hope’ was done best by Obama in 2008, and never as well since then. As for ‘Future’ and all its variants, it just reminds me of the squiggly snail logo of the PN where the snail’s tail ended up forming an arrow. The utterings which give me the strongest feelings of déjà-vu are the pre-electoral promises.

Jobs in Gozo for Gozitans cannot be guaranteed unless we’re talking about a limited repertoire of jobs- Claire Bonello

The most typical of these are grandiose projects which would guarantee employment for the locals (Think Smart City, Cottonera Waterfront and the completely forgotten White Rocks Sports Complex). I am fascinated by people’s willingness to fall for these promises every time, but then hope springs eternal in the human breast and this pig-headed insistence on believing all the pre-electoral jabber, must be a manifestation of this.

The latest in a series of pre-electoral promises – or guidelines – or stages on the road map leading to prosperity, comes from Joseph Muscat speaking at the Labour Party congress convened in Sannat, last week. Speaking in a Martin Luther King vein about his dream, Muscat told the Gozitan audience that he wanted Gozo to become the economic motor of the Maltese Islands. According to him, instead of being seen as a burden Gozo should become strong enough to carry the whole country forward. And then, in that most modern manifestation of the democratic process – a show of hands – those present unanimously approved the guideline for Labour’s electoral manifesto on Gozo - jobs in Gozo for Gozitans.

I’m sure that went down well with the assembled crowd and I hate to rain on anyone’s parade, but jobs in Gozo for Gozitans cannot be guaranteed unless we’re talking about a limited repertoire of jobs. The size of the island and its population is just one of the factors which militates against Gozo being some major economic powerhouse. You can’t have large retail or catering establishments opening for a limited number of potentialcustomers. The return on investment wouldn’t be high enough. Muscat mentioned manufacturing as another possibility. The double insularity and transport cost of goods from the island would put paid to that.

But the main problem with promising jobs in Gozo for the Gozitans is one which plagues other small countries (Malta included) and rural areas – that people setting off on the first steps of the career ladder want to go where it’s all happening, to urbanised areas where they can work, rest and play and catch a plane or a train to another destination at the drop of a hat. It is desire which is leading to the exodus of young career-minded people to busy, heaving cities away from our shores. It’s happening in Malta – and for the same reasons – in Gozo. How exactly is Muscat going to reverse the trend?

• So a French court has granted the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge an injunction, prohibiting the gossip magazine Closer from publishing further photographs of Kate sunbathing topless. Prince William and his wife are reported to be pleased with the court’s decision. I suppose it is a victory of sorts for the royals – as it indicates that they mean business when it comes to protecting their right to privacy in future. However it comes a bit late in the day to stop people from gawping at the future Queen’s breasts.

Maybe we will see nothing saucier than the shots already viewed by thousands across the globe, (At the time of going to writing, an online poll held by The Guardian showed that 42 per cent of respondents had seen the photographs) but once the images have entered the ether, they are permanently captured online, crystallised in screen shots which will show up with predictable regularity on every pit stop of Kate’s journey to the throne.

Once papped and uploaded, there is no escape from the evidence of one’s gaffes or transgressions – minor or major though they may be. Kate may flex legal muscle and moan about grotesque invasions of privacy and paparazzi, but it’s not going to change anything. It is naïve to expect paparazzi to grow a conscience overnight. They will continue to capture images of public figures within the cross-hairs of their lens from miles away.

Once those images are uploaded, trying to stop their viewing and dissemination is a bit like trying to squeeze toothpaste back into the tube. When you’re a public figure, you have to be circumspect at all times – even within the perceived privacy of your home or where you don’t expect prying camera lens to be present.

It’s unfair but it comes with the territory. If you’re a public figure, there is unfortunately no way of avoiding the constant surveillance of others, so unless you’re prepared to brazen it out in the same way as Prince Harry did when snapped in his birthday suit, it’s best to go through life being fully aware that others’ eyes are trained upon you at all times.

cl.bon@nextgen.net.mt

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