The Masterplan
During this most recent pre-electoral campaign run-up Joseph Muscat and his sycophants have reiterated their willingness to divulge their masterplan to salvage the country when the time is right ie on the eve of the forthcoming general election. Recently Muscat and numerous PL exponents have also echoed the archetypical Maltese zero-sum mantra, the Opposition’s role is not to govern and help the party in power govern but its role is to act as a watch dog of some kind. However they also remind us that their mission is to serve the people!
Serve the people my ass! Starting with the opposition’s role, if they really would like to serve the people then they should share and exchange ideas with Government in Parliament if they believe that they have some kind of solution to any of the people’s woes and tribulations. If the PL is in possession of a formula which can instantly lower water and electricity tariffs, ease the burden and improve our quality of life then it should tell us what the plan is and make sure that Government implements it as soon as possible. If the opposition keeps its cards to itself it only means one of two things. It either has no plans at all or they do actually have brilliant plans, do not give a hoot about improving our quality of life and will only use these plans to its advantage i.e. gain power.
Cigarettes and Alcohol
The Times of Malta reports that ‘A Sudanese man who lives in Sliema has been jailed for three-and-a-half years and fined €2,000 after he pleaded guilty to being in possession of 5.06 grammes of cannabis in Paceville last August.’
Sentences dished out by our courts cannot be more ridiculous. A foreigner found in the possesion of 5 grams of cannabis gets a 42 month jail sentence. A Maltese Chief Justice found guilty of bribery, revealing state secrets and trading in influence gets 33 months. Great! Whilst our ‘responsible’ kids and adults have free access to caffeine, nicotine, ethanol and an endless list of legal drugs, our honourable police corps and judiciary are hell bent on throwing illegal drug users in jail. The solution might appear to be too simple but I really believe that drug use can only be controlled through the legalisation of all drugs. Yet for a number of ‘mysterious’ reasons such a public debate is light years away, here and abroad.
Where Did It All Go Wrong
The Emperor has lost his omnipotence and invincibility. Berlusconi must be wondering where did it all go wrong. A few months ago he must have felt untouchable as scandal after scandal his position and popularity got stronger and stronger. Immunity was guaranteed. Now he is stranded, he is all but finished. What the ‘communist’ judiciary, the disjointed opposition, the ‘communist’ press and underage prostitutes could not do in 17 years has been done in a few months by the markets, the European Central Bank and the IMF (and his own incapability to govern). Who said they are heartless and evil?
What will happen of Italy? It will take a long time to recover from the economic mess they are in. It will take even longer to recover from the ‘democratic’ mess Berlusconi has left behind. His departure will disorientate the wide political spectrum and create a vacuum in the centre-right alignment and heighten the expectations for the centre-left parties. However resignation and departure are two entirely different things and for now he has only completed one of the two.
