I recently saw a film about men shooting small birds on Malta. In England, we feed them to help them survive. In Malta, you shoot them to help them die.

The investigator in the film was an English journalist who got too close to a group of these ‘men’ (loud-mouthed thugs would be more accurate). One kept insisting he was being provoked but the journalist would not back off. No easy task in front of a group of armed men.

Eventually, the police were called and the journalist was held for questioning for five hours. The bird killers, of course, went free to pursue their vile ‘sport’. How big and powerful they must feel, armed with rifles to kill these tiny creatures, one of God’s great gifts to the world. Do the women of Malta also pursue this hideous activity?

If not, there is certain action they could take to make their ‘men’ give it up… Have these men never heard of clay pigeon shooting or has that never reached Malta?

Are they too ignorant to understand that what they are doing is an evil affront to nature? During World War II we stood by Malta through thick and thin and the island received the George Cross for the bravery of the people.

And for this? You can’t get much lower than that.