It is dangerous to even contemplate the possibility of letting people drown at sea when we can save them. This has nothing to do with how many refugees Malta can take.

Likewise, it is horrendous to talk about legislating for the killing of the unborn. It has nothing to do with women’s health. It has to do with a woman being a mother and killing the baby in her womb is against her nature.

We should revise how we treat our old, letting them rot in their loneliness. John Henry Newman once wrote that small fish can only become big fish. He was speaking about the development of the Christian Church but does not it apply also to the unborn? Are they not already humans, albeit small humans, if they can only develop into big humans?

In education we must give them the joy of learning and the celebration of doing something well. I find a sizeable proportion of students who are afraid of books when these should be cherished. Give them the basis, the skills required to think logically and the facts, educate in them a noble and good heart and let them grow and make fruit.

In dealing with the world around us, should we not be more caring?

Are we not realising that when we attack insects in an inordinate manner we are making a war on ourselves? And why do we not practise the golden rule of wishing to others what we wish for ourselves and our children? Why does someone want to build outside the development zone and ruin the open spaces and view and fresh air for the whole population?

In rearing our young, we should not breed small monsters because they will develop into big monsters and come back to haunt us.