Sunday, 19th April 2009
YOURS IS A DISGRACE
Just for the sake of explaining the title, “Yours is no Disgrace” is on the “Yes Album” issued in 1971 by, un-astoundingly, Yes. It is a title that has been shamelessly exploited by people like me, not so long ago (Nov. 19 last year) when I stood up a touch for Minister Mifsud Bonnici when he was dumped on by the motley crew of racists that infest this country for daring to suggest that racism and xenophobia should be legislated against.
This time I substitute “no” by “a”, rendering the title diametrically opposite in meaning.
It is not, however, Minister Mifsud Bonnici or the Maltese Government that has acted disgracefully on the matter of immigration. I am not being naive: there is much to criticise in the way the authorities handle illegal immigrants and many have been the critics, not least of whom Medecins sans Frontieres, who have made it clear that this is the case. We can do more and we should do more, but what we do is not deserving of the sanctimonious claptrap that is poured out by the various institutions that sit to our North, smug and comfy in the knowledge that the Southern Rim of Europe is going to have to handle the problem.
To be sure, Spain and Italy have their problems, as does, one imagines Greece (but hers are of a different hue) but there are some slight differences between Spain, Italy and Malta. That statement should be given a prize for the Most Massive Statement of the Bleedin’ Obvious of the decade.
So Italy’s refusal to give safe haven to the hundred and fifty or so illegals currently some fifty miles off its coast, on the pretext that Malta, about 110 miles away, is obliged to take them in is despicable in its inhumanity. This is a country that prides itself on being a cradle of civilisation, the source of so much that is good and noble in learning and the arts, refusing, because of its interpretation of the letter of the law, to take in human beings who are, not to put too fine a point on it, dying on the high seas.
Yes, fine, the ship is in Malta’s SAR, but there is a higher law than that which defines regions and technical obligations. It is the law of common humanity, complemented by the law of common sense: these people are way closer to Italy than they are to Malta and they need help. The law of common humanity dictates, whatever Berlusconi and his acolytes might say in their fervour to pander to the xenophobes and racists in their own midst, that they should be given this help, immediately.
Italy, complementing the above, is – just to put it mildly – larger and has more resources than Malta. In fact, Italy has so many resources that Berlusconi said “thanks, but no thanks, we don’t need your help” when it comes to taking care of the people hit by the earthquake.
As an aside, this might have sounded churlish (had it been said by the totalitarian regimes that usually make this sort of crack, it would have been churlish) were it not for the rider added by the Great Diplomat in the sense that the offered resources would be better employed elsewhere and not wasted in Italy, which has sufficient.
Being larger and better resourced than Malta, Italy is therefore by the law of common sense obliged to give the illegals the help they need. We have taken in our share and more – and will continue to take in more than our share, however much the racists and xenophobes bleat “Malta Full Up” like arrogant bus-conductors of old – but when it is someone else’s duty to take in their share, there’s no reason for us to act like Europe’s refugee camp.
This incident, to put it bluntly, characterises the European attitude to the problem, and to Malta’s role in it, perfectly.
“Malta is at the front line and it is a civilised country that will do what is expected of it, so hey, let’s let them worry about it and we can stroll off to have a crepe au chocolat and talk about the problem some more” you can imagine, without stretching your imagination too much, a Brussels mandarin remarking to another of that elegant genus on the Grand’Place, as they wend their way towards the lower end of the square.
And the other mandarin would be able, one can surmise, to riposte “Splendid notion, mon frère, I know that back in <<INSERT NORTHERN EUROPEAN CAPITAL>> they would rather like to keep those scruffy racists quiet for a bit, so we’ll let those poor buggers down South handle it. I’ll have a brune, though, it’s after lunch.”
And in the meantime, people die. I do hope Europe is proud of itself: the Lega Nord and the BNP in particular.
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Comments
“If there is anyone who expects Malta to take illegal immigrants that are his responsibility, he can forget it” - Mifsud Bonnici
Further comments from you are superfluous Bocc!
Your personal feeling of losing your 'battle' is more discernible by each passing day.
For once, yes, our Minister Mifsud Bonnici has proven his mettle and been elevated to the status of a hero at home for a few days. Long may it last and be repeated - irrespective of what you may think and say.
The numbers of themselves are meaningless unless put into some form of context – something that is not in the interest of GM.
Having managed debt is not of itself a problem – ask most home owners. Not managing the debt is the issue and here it is only one party that has controlled it intelligently in the past 20 years.
GM does not realize that there is a slight problem with the world economy that is having an effect on Malta and therefore Govt revenue. If the Govt spends the money wisely to create or safeguard jobs and keep the economy on the growth path in the midst of the worst recession in the history of the world then we call that wise not idiocy!
GM seems to ignore the high standard of living enjoyed in Malta by the vast majority and the amateur management of the economy in the PL years – remember the CET farce?
Dare one imagine our economy out of the EU and without the Euro?
Italy has a population of 60 million. By the same measure, Italy can host up to 6 MILLION immigrants.
No wonder Mr. Barroso declared that Malta's problem is BIG.
THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM LIES TO OUR SOUTH-LIBYA. But nobody dares take the bull by the horns.
Thank you for acknowledging my 'wise words' since, unlike you, I always try to call a spade a spade.
The EU, as you will admit and your party forever reminds us, is not a perfect organization. Nobody ever claimed that, and nobody will in the future neither. This organization is made up of ordinary individuals with a lot of titles but subject to taking shortcuts and apt to making wrong judgments from time to time. The UN, NATO, etc., and a dozen other world organizations are often accused of not taking action or taking the wrong ones. So, what is so different with the EU? The difference is that without such organizations, the world would be in chaos, we would have remained a small isolated island and in the face of a global economic meltdown, found ourselves in the unenviable position as Iceland found itself in.
Regarding the soaring deficit, I wonder why you even dared open your mouth since the LP (Dr.Mangion) constantly harps about the government not spending enough to help SMEs and others. About time you and your party make up your collective minds.
There again, it's the LP we're talking about!
With both feet on the ground, let’s face the true sad facts, with this unfortunate incident our Government, worldwide, looked tyrannical by being strong with the weak and Italy came out smelling of roses.
Before you all come rushing in, I’m not saying that our conduct was unbecoming, far from it, what I’m saying is that I will only say ‘prosit’ to our Government when it takes some serious action for a long term solution, but to do that it needs to be strong with the strong for which no other country in the world would applaud us. To my mind, that would be in the long term national interest.
God created the Universe, the land, the oceans, the rain forests and rivers and lastly man.
Englishmen are well known travellers, the first Englishmen to visit Italy complained to God; Why create such a land kissed with sun and beauty, whereas as in England all you gave us is; mist, smog, daily rain and the word `sun` is not even in our vocabulary.
God answered; be patient my son. Then he created the Italians.
HAHAHAHAHAHAA!!!
Thank you Martinelli - with a string of 14 simple words, you converted an otherwise long, mundane Wednesday afternoon to a much more tolerable one!
Throughout for the rest of the day I will no doubt (sparodically) remember you infamous uttering. I will also no doubt be bursting out in huge grins which I will try my utmost not to allow to turn into roars of laughter....
I sincerely hope that I refrain hard enought & I don't grin/ lol/ etc in any important meeting : I'd then have to explain my behaviour to others and strangers alike who do not have the Privilege of knowing you (and the additional Privilege of these, your wise words on top!) as we do here...
;)
>The government deficit at the end of the fourth quarter of last year had climbed to €45.4 >million compared to just €7.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2007
!!!!
>Revenue during the quarter dropped by €32.6 million
!!!!!!
>the NSO said...deficit at the end of last year reached €266.5 million, up from a deficit of €119.5m at the end of the previous year.
!!!!!!!!!!!!
>That raised the deficit to 4.7 percent of GDP compared to 2.2percent of GDP in 2007.
I make that more than DOUBLED in a year, though no doubt:
-il-bocca will remain VERY quite on this
-Martinelli will no doubt correct my mistake.
-some other apologist will no doubt blame it all on the BAD socialists
-yet another apologist will try to turn the argument to the BAD OLD days when TRYRANTS snatched banks, houses and any other glittering possession away from anybody "blue"..
And piece-de-resistance:
>At the end of 2008, the gross consolidated debt reached €3,629.9 million, or 64.1 percent of GDP
WOW!!!
no...better one to come yet(!):
>MALTA DEFICIT FIFTH HIGHEST IN EU
Proof that capitalism WORKS?
Why,this data above prooves it all...so do be quite.
IDIOT!!!
If I agreed with every point you raised, why rub it in?
The only variation on your theme was, that I placed the problem on the whole of the EU while you concentrated mainly on the Italians. You admitted that Italy has its share of problems too regarding illegal immigration, so maybe, an incident like the recent one would be enough stimulus for both Italy and Malta to pressure the EU to come up with real solutions not just postponing taking workable solutions.
The 'law of common sense' does not appear to be the bible the EU uses especially on this issue.