Can there be anywhere in (excuse the expression) the civilised world that experiences as many power cuts? Some time ago, Enemalta claimed that power cuts occurred, on average, once every five years. Not so. Five times a year might be closer to the mark on Malta. And, on Gozo, relying as they do on a length of underwater wire, they occur even more frequently than that. That’s without the ‘scheduled’ power cuts, which are a daily feature of Maltese life.

The most recent, on Thursday, lasted more than four hours. That’s a long time, especially in the winter cold and darkness. The low temperature may mean that refrigerated food is not (too) much affected. But, of course, they occur quite often in the height of summer, too. When they happen, people working on computers – as many on these ‘smart’ high-tech islands do, these days – risk losing their current work and possibly even their accounts and files.

The cellular network also goes down, putting people out of contact – and unable even to tell associates or family members that their power is out. In the days when there was much talk about a tunnel, it was explained that it would have its own generator for ventilation and drainage. If that would be possible, why not a stand-alone or emergency generator for Gozo, now? Come to that, why not a back-up system for Malta? The EU, which already pays for everything else in Malta, would doubtless pick up the bill.

(Oh... I know it is colder in the UK and before anybody asks why, if I don’t like power cuts, I don’t just go back where I came from, the answer is that I am thinking of setting up a business here selling mini-generators.)