Despite our size we have never been a land of sheep, or to dance to someone else’s tune.

When we were a fiefdom under the Spanish Empire we approached Emperor Charles V and bought back our freedom. When the Turks laid siege to our shores we said no, at great sacrifice, and by some miracle fought tooth and nail against all odds, remaining a Christian nation.

When we felt oppressed under the French we rose up against them. When the British Empire tried to integrate us to keep their fortress colony we said no in a referendum in 1958.

Both sides of our Parliament joined to say no to a foreign King or Queen, and to have our own President. Then we said no to a foreign military presence.

When it came to decide we said no to isolation in Europe and voted to be part of a block. We now attend the European Parliament and sit at the Council of Ministers, with our heads held high, along with our peers from France, Germany, Italy and the UK.

At every stage of the way throughout our colourful history we have never fallen to fear and always risen to the occasion. Our tiny islands have forged a future which is not simply dependent upon past glories.

What does the future hold in spring, the sound of birds or gunshots? You decide. The time is now

Far larger islands like Sicily, Sardinia, Crete and Majorca were all great nations once, but only we have managed to hold our own along that elusive road to freedom.

This has not been incidental, but a result of seizing the moment without fear, to affirm our power as a people.

Once again we stand at a very fascinating juncture in our history. It is the very first time that we have not been asked by foreign powers or our representatives to express an opinion on a crucial matter.

This time we have taken it upon ourselves, by public petition, to actually force a decision by the people on whether we would like to maintain the status quo, or to effect change by saying no to the spring hunting of birds that visit our islands on their way to Europe, in order to do what nature has intended for all species on this big blue marble that we share, to mate and to breed.

This momentous occasion cannot be downplayed. The law gives us the power to take it in hand to decide the issue ourselves. This was not even the case with divorce, for even then it had to be approved by Parliament.

This is different. The people have demanded a referendum on spring hunting, and this time the people's decision is final.

We truly have the power to decide ourselves, without fear, whether or not we want to effect change.

How many times have we felt powerless in our lives, maybe because we have missed out on some job opportunity, or some relationship that was not available to us, or because of financial constraints? We have all been through it in one way or another, and it is not a good feeling.

There is nothing more liberating than the feeling and knowledge that we have the power to change our world, to choose a direction ourselves, rather than to let it be chosen for us by others or by circumstances.

Yet, with power comes responsibility, as every teacher and parent well knows. We cannot take it lightly, especially when we are called upon to be guardians of those who are vulnerable and who do not have the power themselves to choose.

This goes not only for the children under our care, but also for the trees in the forests and the birds in the sky. We are also, as the most powerful species on earth, the guardians of them all.

Our forefathers stood up to be counted so many times, often at such sacrifice, even of their lives, and we now walk along the path they have forged for us.

Let us not squander this exciting opportunity, to make them proud and to vote with our hearts and minds, to act as true guardians of our islands. Let us not trip up in our own laces.

The turtle dove and the quail cannot vote for their own freedom to continue their arduous journey on to Europe to breed in the spring time as nature intended. But we can!

It is we who have the power to determine their fate, to guarantee the magic of spring with the lovely sounds of music that birds give us as we celebrate the new sunny season, without the barrage of shooting guns, which causes all birds, even protected ones, to keep moving on out of sheer terror.

We have the power to make a bit of history. What does the future hold in spring, the sound of birds or gunshots? You decide. The time is now!

Let us vote a resounding no to a spring hunting season opening ever again.

Rodolfo Ragonesi is CEO of the Gaia Foundation.