I do not presume to teach Patrick Dalli what makes good art. I don’t presume to teach that to anyone, frankly. I know what I like but it doesn’t mean I know why it’s good. I know what I can afford to spend which I accept has nothing to do with value. Times of Malta [...]
David Gatt The witness for the prosecution in the 2017 trial that acquitted former police inspector, now criminal lawyer, David Gatt, has published a letter he wrote to the police after David Gatt testified in his own defence, pointing out facts he believes should have led to Gatt’s conviction. At the time the court was [...]
ML AERIS sent this under the post about the daily grind of replacing protest symbols at the Great Siege Memorial because they're removed by State-employed, State-sponsored or State-mobilised thugs. Yesterday that State's lawyers argued I have no legal standing to argue this is a breach of the right of freedom of expression because I didn't [...]
Raphael Vassallo headlined his weekly column with this title: “‘Freedom of expression’ also means the freedom to talk out of your ass”. Never has a more appropriate heading been chosen for the article that would follow it. His main thrust is freedom of expression in Malta is a-ok and the moaners that complain it isn’t [...]
The Department of Information last night issued what must be, in the annals of its hallowed history, the most despicably iron-curtain piece of Newspeak ever to have been officially published by a government not bearing a hammer and a sickle on its badges. It took plenty of time to reach its point. There’s that classic [...]
Twenty-nine years ago a great Italian movie won the best foreign language film Academy award. It was Cinema Paradiso that had been made two years before by Giuseppe Tornatore. Twelve years later the director revisited that film and gave it the Director’s treatment. It told the story of a young boy who grew up in [...]
As one commenter put it on the YouTube post of this video, this is the Pet Shop Boys song you never thought you needed. Another one said this could become the national anthem of a few countries now. https://youtu.be/P9jEuHbB0GQ
Watch these 49 seconds of venom first. It will do miracles for your digestion. https://www.facebook.com/robertabelaPL/videos/302895860420894/ This tribalism is mainstream. A Labour Party MP who is not part of government out of his own strategic and cunning choice telling supporters Labour must “take care of its own” is not shocking in a country where political parties [...]
Skilled Tunisians will be granted work visas for Malta on a renewable yearly basis, the Tunisian press is reporting. The news comes out of the ongoing State visit by the Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi who is leading a government delegation here. The work visas will be granted by the two countries on a reciprocal [...]
This morning I commented on how remarkable it was to see the daughter of the victim of a terrorist attack chide racists for attributing collective responsibility to all Somalis because of the crime committed by the Somalis who had just murdered her father. She didn’t but I called the people who think like this, stupid. [...]
Joseph Muscat was asked to react to Franco Debono’s post where he accused him of owning or being close to the owner of Egrant and of being the most corrupt Prime Minister in Maltese history. Joseph Muscat’s retort — smug, superficial and hardly spontaneous — was “freedom of speech”. It’s one of those Joseph Muscat [...]
A couple of weeks ago Jason Azzopardi proposed in Parliament the appointment of a magistrate focusing only on corruption. He said the magistrate should be appointed by the President with the power to investigate corruption on their own initiative and without needing to rely on the Police. That’s not an entirely original idea. Alfred Sant [...]
She had just heard her father had died, shot by terrorists in Somalia. Never mind the shock and anguish and sorrow at the great loss. Just think of the logistical nightmare that a mourning daughter has to face to get things done properly in a situation like this. And yet the daughter of Paul Anthony [...]
I don't think the government think much about the flowers, candles and protest messages left every day at the Great Siege Memorial. From their point of view the 'problem' has been addressed. Their own supporters no longer call them to harass them and use sexist metaphors about men in power not having the balls to [...]
The Nationalist Party is exactly where Labour want it to be: trailing so far behind they cannot even smell their sweat. MaltaToday’s monthly survey published today shows almost twice as many respondents would vote Labour rather than PN. Month on month the rate of respondents determined not to vote — 13% — remains stable. Those [...]
Watch this feature (in Italian) broadcast on Rai Uno following up on what happened in Slovakia since the murder a year ago of the second journalist assassinated in the EU in recent times. Jan Kuciak's girlfriend, Martina Kusnirova, was killed as well when both were shot in their apartment. https://youtu.be/pJT3KW74rEY The film, by Maria Grazia [...]
Repubblika sent this letter to the President: 1 February, 2019 The PresidentThe PalaceValletta Madame President, Re: Constitutional Reform Repubblika is a non-governmental organisation which was founded to promote civil rights, democracy, the rule of law, freedom of expression, personal liberties, social inclusion, the protection of the environment, economic sustainability and equal opportunity. Its aim is [...]
"Galadriel: Will you look in the mirror? "Frodo: What will I see? "Galadriel: Even the wisest cannot tell. For the mirror shows many things. Things that were, things that are, and some things that have not yet come to pass. "From The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) "It is 2036 and Maltese democracy could [...]
Franco Debono is nothing if not a controversial figure. Actually, he’s a bit more than that. He’s the Commissioner of Laws whom Owen Bonnici described in 2013, when he appointed him to the post, as “responsible for removing conflicting laws and other legislation which the Constitutional Court deemed unconstitutional and in breach of fundamental rights” [...]
Maria Efimova, who testified at the Egrant inquiry which the Prime Minister says exonerates him of the accusation of bribery and money laundering, reacting today to Joseph Muscat's statement in court. Well, don't want to sound heroic, but I will stand by what I've witnessed even if all the others withdraw. https://t.co/ZZa4I3IiDD— Maria Efimova (@MariaEfimova7) [...]