Alfred Sant always had a way with words. Not in the cheesy chat up lines in a bar sort of way. But in the succinct slogan that sticks. He had this phrase “ħbieb tal-ħbieb” which in its simplicity, and the daring rip off from the English commonplace ‘friends of friends’ came to mean much more [...]
This set is by Jon Borg.
This set is by Robert Agius.
https://youtu.be/O3xvu4AQcgM
https://youtu.be/0cB28rhJyG4
Through all the contradictions, the lame excuses, the artificial smoke, and the hollow categorical declarations, we learnt some new things from Keith Schembri’s testimony yesterday. The night before Yorgen Fenech tried to make a run for it on his plush yacht, Keith Schembri says he spent 24 minutes on the phone with him trying to [...]
"Corruption is much more likely to flourish where democratic foundations are weak and, as we have seen in many countries, where undemocratic and populist politicians can use it to their advantage." – Delia Ferreira Rubio, Transparency International. A few months back, late in 2019, a relative of mine came from Canada to visit. He took [...]
Photo: Jon Borg I was already in Valletta as protesters gathered outside parliament when I saw headlines reporting on the Ombudsman’s annual report. “Ombudsman: galvanised civil society brought about downfall of disgraced Muscat,” said the MaltaToday. “An organised civil society brought down an administration – Ombudsman,” wrote the Times of Malta. “Organised civil [...]
This is yesterday's Facebook Live broadcast by Repubblika that went on air minutes after that crook Keith Schembri ended his testimony in court yesterday saying he's not a crook.
October is almost here. Many have a blank 4 to 6 weeks in the heat of summer between now and then when they don’t plan to do much. Distraction will be easy. Here’s something to worry about while basking in the sun. October ends the extended grace period within which we had to implement the [...]
In an earlier post I wrote that Judge Toni Abela heads the Association of Judges and Magistrates that is resisting calls by the Venice Commission to remove the Labour Party's power to protect judges and magistrates who commit serious wrongdoing. The Venice Commission, along with NGO Repubblika, insists that judges and magistrates should be independent [...]
Members of the Association of Judges and Magistrates are up in arms over the government’s decision to agree to implement a number of measures recommended by the Venice Commission. The association does not officially speak for all the judiciary but only represents those judges and magistrates that have signed up to join it. It is [...]
This photo of city cleaners sweeping up rubbish this morning gives a welcome chuckle in the midst of all the murderous gloom we're witnessing. The photo features on Times of Malta's live blog from court. Makes a change seeing the filth of Neville Gafà and Kenneth Camilleri heading into a garbage bag. From just that [...]
Is Malta, a presumed democratic nation-state, employing a mix of capitalist-neo-liberal economy that thrives on the entrepreneurship of influential elites co-opted with government; an ambience that generates aggregated high profits to the “powerful” while dispersing abstract material wealth leading to mass consumerism that has fabricated excessive corruption – what the French poet Louis Aragon had [...]
It is no wonder that since 2013, the Nationalist Party did not make any inroads with the electorate. Survey after survey show the same pattern, with the Labour Party leading by an average of 25 percentage points. The latest one by The Sunday Times even shows that the actual leader Adrian Delia as the 4th [...]
In theory political parties are not supposed to receive a donation from anyone in particular beyond €25,000. But political parties designed that law, so they know how to go about it. The government contracted Captain Morgan to provide illegal off-shore prisons for migrants that have since been brought ashore. There was no earthly reason to [...]
Last Friday I published this post reacting to the Reuters and Times of Malta story about corruption related to Enemalta’s spending spree in Montenegro. I pointed out that someone at Enemalta is responsible for taking the decision to spend over €10 million in a purchase of a property that 18 days later had changed hands [...]
Keith Schembri promised to tell us the truth Isn’t it surprising how people promise the bleeding obvious. A couple of days ago Joseph Muscat promised to remain available to answer question by the police. Why? Is it optional now? Can anyone avoid answering police questions by making themselves unavailable? And is Keith Schembri suggesting he [...]
Because if we don’t, Daphne’s killers will get away with it. Because they have robbed us of money they must give back. Because we can never hope for justice, if such an injustice is allowed to pass. Because if they’re not punished, present and future politicians will think they can get away with anything. [...]
From my article in The Sunday Times today: "Theuma is no hero. He’s a money launderer, an underground bookie, a whimpering lackey. He’s a murdering bastard and a snitch. His concern for his own skin is loathsome. He is a cartoon figure of a middle-aged man: a self-centred, auto-commiserating, undiagnosed narcissist in a permanent state [...]