I have followed Georg Sapiano's stand on the fireworks factory in his locality. To take up a cause which your party does not support is uncommon, though not unheard of. Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, MP, did it when landfills were proposed next to historical sites. In that case too, my feeling was that these are the people who should feature in the Nationalist Party's renewal. It is also clear that Lawrence Gonzi sees his party as one in which different views can co-exist.

We are so used to the 'two tribes' mentality that Claire Bonello (The Sunday Times, January 20), completely misunderstood the article Dr Sapiano had written in The Times. She thought he was engaging in clumsy propaganda in favour of his party which, she said, went horribly and 'inadvertently' wrong because it pitched him against the establishment.

Anyone who has observed Dr Sapiano at work in the broadcasting media over the years, giving his guests a hard time with tough questions, will doubt that anything he does is unintended.

Dr Sapiano was right to act in favour of his family and his constituents. He and the residents who succeeded in bringing about the closure of the remaining fireworks factory should be warmly applauded. They have done, through the courts, what successive governments have not yet addressed.