Editorial
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The economy during election campaign
Every election causes a degree of disruption but it would be unwise of the political parties or of any of the social partners to make it worse. They can do this by talking too negatively about the uncertainty that an election usually generates or,...
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The morning after the Budget vote
It is rather ironic that after the Budget failed to get through Parliament last night, Malta at last has some certainty: a general election will be held on March 9. The country can take comfort too from the fact that there will be no more...
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Making museums more attractive
The number of tourists visiting Malta over the past three years has steadily increased to record levels. Visitors to Malta’s museums, monuments and sites, however, have perversely been steadily decreasing. This doesn’t seem logical. A larger tourist...
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Moment of truth has arrived
Whatever happens in Parliament tomorrow does not really matter in the global scheme of things: from this perspective it will just put an end to any speculation that the election can be held on a date beyond March 9, which was highly improbable in...
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Re-injecting the thrill into cinema
The European Film Awards hosted in Malta last weekend provided the perfect platform to show off the splendour of cinema and entrench the big picture as one of the most important means of cultural entertainment. The ceremony celebrated the most...
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Teachers should be respected, not bullied
Teachers are usually held in high esteem in society as they are rightly perceived as the providers of knowledge to youngsters preparing themselves to become members of the community. So when one hears about acts of violence committed against...
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Shocking examples of bad governance
It would be unrealistic to expect an organisation the size of a public administration to work without any governance hitches. However, there ought to be a limit to the level of shortcomings allowed by the country or, more specifically, by the party...
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The families at risk of poverty
Malta is a homogeneous society. In general, there is equality of opportunity for all. There currently exists an adequate social safety net. But there is growing evidence of a widening gap between rich and poor in society. This can be seen not only...
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Crime-watch role the police won’t play
The BBC promotes its monthly TV programme Crimewatch in the following manner: “Help us solve some of the UK’s biggest cases... Your call could be all it takes to put an offender behind bars.” On its homepage, Crimewatch, which started in 1984,...
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Action against ARMS opens can of worms
About 80 non-Maltese residents have taken legal action against ARMS, alleging that the government agency responsible for collecting payments of utility bills is discriminating against them. The gist of their grievance is that ARMS is dragging its...
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Is Busuttil the PN’s future?
A week in politics is a long time, and disasters can always strike when they are least expected. But an overwhelming majority of Nationalist Party councillors on Friday night looked into the future of the PN and decided that its name is Simon...
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Seeking the right investment mix
Just two months after the World Bank found Malta the most difficult place to do business in Europe, more than half the number of foreign-owned firms based on the island are planning to expand their business here. Had the situation been as difficult...
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Film servicing industry’s storyboard
For the past three decades, the film facilities industry in Malta has been ticking over rather quietly with moments of intense activity and others when its activities were less evident. Competition from neighbouring Mediterranean countries, like...
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A Santa or Scrooge Budget?
Something for almost everyone might be the best phrase to sum up last night’s Budget as the Government attempted to inject a dose of feel-good factor in several sections of society. With a general election looming – there is no doubt this was the...
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Labour’s plans for renewable energy
The Labour Party’s spokesman on the environment, Leo Brincat, has committed his party, if elected, to adhere to the European Union’s targets on renewable energy, but possibly to re-consider the “mix” of energy sources to achieve them. It is...
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Wriggling out of pressing issues
There would seem to be something intrinsically wrong at the way Malta or, rather, most local politicians, look at some of the most important challenges facing the country today. Contrary to situations abroad, Malta sometimes acts as if it prefers to...
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Real transport reform remains elusive
Changes there have certainly been in the route bus service ever since Arriva came along in summer 2011. However, the reform as such, that is the all-round improvement that was promised in taking commuters from A to B in the most comfortable way and...
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From small things...
In a recent interview, Malta’s new Auxiliary Bishop Charles Scicluna compared the process that was set in motion by his Episcopal ordination yesterday to a wedding. But with a sense of stark realism that he possesses and which already marks him out...
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Tackling the solvent abuse problem
Many products which are readily found in the home or the workplace, such as spray paints, markers, glues and cleaning fluids, contain volatile substances that have “mind-altering” properties when they are inhaled. People do not typically think of...
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Tourism and the genuine Malta
When tourists come to Malta on holiday many of them tend to spend most of their time soaking up the sunshine by a pool at their hotel or at the seaside. If they seek ‘culture’ they will generally head off to a number of well-advertised and, indeed,...
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