The good news being advertised and effectively experienced by customers in many parts of the UK is that when ringing up many business and government organisations, you will get through to them, and you will get an answer on the phone, and service, within literally seconds.

The reality about the same entities in Malta is still light-years away.  You still have a hard job getting through to them in the first place.

If you get through, the first reply is followed by endless music. You are invariably given the merry-go-round, press this or that, plus security warnings, plus nerve racking non-service to whatever you really need.

If anyone doubts this try ringing up, as examples, Melita, Go, HSBC, several hotels, several government departments, Mater Dei, etc.  In most of these organisations it seems as if there are no such rules as: no phone must ever be allowed to ring more than three times before being picked up; the person nearest to any ringing phone at any time is personally responsible for picking it up and answering it. Yes we effectively had such rules way back in my Barclays Bank in Malta days, and God help us if we didn’t all play ball. Yes, even on things like telephone service, a country is often rated as to its level of modernity.