It's useless pretending most of the voting population gives a flying duck, or quail as it were, about the upcoming spring hunting referendum. The hunters do, of course. As for the rest, it's a very small minority of people who care enough about ecological balance, environmental issues and the rest of it. So in some years' time there won't be any birds for us to enjoy, for the hunters will have blasted them into extinction. Big whoop. Most of today's voters won't be here anyway.

This is why those of us who are pushing the ‘No’ vote are having such a hard time mobilising the masses. There is nothing to make the blood of the majority boil, unlike with divorce, same sex marriage or even EU membership. And this is why many people have told me they will decide on the day how they will be voting, if at all. The reason? "This does not affect our lives, who cares?"

Well, here's some news. Your reasoning is short-sighted and wrong. And yes, if you allow hunters to go on exercising a pretended right when you had the power to change things, your life will be affected in the here and now.

If you vote yes, you are telling bullies who think they are above the law that their belief is justified. These are the same people who, some years ago, when the possibility of removing spring hunting was just a glitter in Malta's eye came out with all guns blazing and declared that "there will be war", a battle cry that was repeated by the hunters' lobby as recently as this year.

These are also the same people who, only last Saturday, attacked those who were demonstrating peacefully in favour of a 'no' vote.

Vote yes, and what you are saying is that you are happy giving power to these people, allowing them to think that they control our country.

If you vote yes, you are saying that we may as well quit the EU, because we are perfectly happy living in a tinpot state with its tinpot laws and tinpot dictators. Our dictators do not sit in parliament, they roam the streets, hunting rifle in hand, and they hold government hostage with votes and threats.

Vote yes, and you are telling the world that we are not interested in joining civilisation and in the democratic process, because we are happy to have men with rifles ruling the country from their dura.

If you vote yes, you are telling our spineless politicians that you are happy with their spinelessness. Spring hunting - like divorce and same-sex marriage - should never have gone to referendum. We elected our politicians so they could do their jobs and enact laws that are good for the country's development, in keeping with modern tenets of democracy.

It is not up to the majority to decide what these tenets of modern democracy are - they are inscribed in stone. Instead of carrying out their duties impartially, our politicians not only washed their hands of the responsibility, but -  in a spectacular show of cowardice and suspect motivation - they actually said that they would vote in favour of spring hunting, with all the implications such a declaration brings with it. Vote yes and you will be endorsing this dishonorable behaviour, confirming that Malta's voters are nothing but sheep and deserve exactly the government they have.

If you vote yes, you are telling your children that you do not care about their quality of life when you are gone. That you don't care if, thanks to you bad choices, they live in a country ruled by shady individuals who have the ear of the government  and  who are likely to take a couple of potshots in your direction if you dare take  a picnic where they happen to be stalking their prey.

Vote yes, and you lose your right to complain when your children get chased off the little countryside we have remaining.

If you vote yes, you are putting a nail in the coffin of minority rights. You are telling government that it's fine to trample on everything that is morally correct as long as the majority have voted for that.

Today it is our right to stop hunters from permanently extinguishing certain species of birds that is in danger. Vote yes, and what you are saying is that the right of our children to enjoy a balanced eco-system has a price and that price is 10,000 votes.

If you vote yes, you are telling the rest of the world that it's okay to treat us like a backwater country that has yet to discover civilised behaviour, because that's what we are and we will never be any better. EU membership offers the perfect framework within which to improve our country's infrastructure without having to come up with the basic framework ourselves. And what do we do? We kick the opportunity in the face.

Vote yes and what you are saying is that you have no interest in improving our lot and that you would rather maintain the status quo of insular and parochial living that we have indulged in for years.

If you vote yes, you are reducing Malta's rich cultural heritage to the right to kill quail (or whatever species is unfortunate enough to find Malta in its migratory path) during breeding season. Hunting is not an honorable tradition, or even a legitimate hobby. In years gone by, it was a necessity. People hunted because meat was expensive and few could afford it. That is as far as the tradition goes. There is nothing noble or traditional about hunting down a bird today in order to stuff it in your vetrina.

Vote yes and you are saying that Malta's culture has nothing to do with its rich history, its architecture, its artistic heritage and everything to do with some men who think shooting things out of the sky is a god-given right.

So pretty please, come April 11, do the right thing even if you couldn't care less about the quail. Vote no. And remember that not voting counts as a yes vote.

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