Could old Dom be appointed Tourist Supremo?

For centuries, hundreds of families have lived in unexplored pharaoh’s tombs in Egypt. This summer a decision was taken to evict them, and officials are confident that many treasures will then be unearthed and thus add to the undoubted tourist attraction that Egypt’s ancient history holds for the rest of the world.

For years it has been extremely galling to thousands of intelligent and academic Maltese that Malta boasts a longer history than Egypt and has wonderful ancient temples and treasures of its own. Such people, with some justification, hold their heads in despair when they hear the Gonzo Dog Do Da Band government rant on about Malta becoming the most exclusive tourist destination in the Mediterranean by 2015. Like me, they believe that Gonzo himself has more chance of scoring for Manchester United in the 2015 FA Cup final than this happening. Nor do they have any confidence that Dr Santa Claus and his Amateur Dramatic Party would do any better. I completely agree.

But here comes the irony of all ironies. In order to make the most of these opportunities it is rumoured that the Egyptian government is considering offering Malta’s very own Dom Mintoff a consultancy role on the back of his outstanding contribution to preserving Malta’s tombs by strict planning legislation and development of a sophisticated and successful tourist industry for his native isle. What? Actually guys, you know good old Gonzo and his Dog Do Da Band might make up some ground on Egypt after all if Robert Mugabe’s old chum “Dom Dom the Communist Son” gets that job.

However, on a more serious note, I was travelling on Air Malta recently and read a newspaper handed to me by the hostess. Inside, I came across an excellent article by Martin Scicluna about how Valletta is a betrayed city because successive governments of both parties have lacked vision, courage, decision and leadership. I was thinking how right he was when I turned the page and came across a letter by one Joe Borg who, amazingly, was complaining about Malta being full of disgruntled tourists who were always moaning. Now there’s a healthy attitude! The most exclusive tourist resort in the Med by 2015? I think not.

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Religion, murder and more bloody murder of religion

Two weeks ago, 150 senior Muslim clerics wrote to the heads of other religions, including the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury, to plead for more inter-religion dialogue in order to avoid religious differences tearing the world apart. I agree and have written here before now that it is my opinion that the greatest current threat to world peace is the morally bankrupt self-indulgent Christian and Jewish West versus the undemocratic fanatics of a Muslim East.

However, shouldn’t these learned men of Islam write to a few people of their own religious persuasion first? Islam is not a violent and horrid religion. However, in far too many cases it has been hijacked by evil men who teach their own moronic dogmas as a form of Islam.

Today, all over the world wicked acts of terror that kill or maim innocent people, many of whom are women and children, are carried out by suicide bombers who have been brainwashed by people who never endanger themselves to believe that Allah will reward these so-called martyrs with a future in paradise.

The same men encourage the mutilation of hungry children who steal a loaf of bread or the stoning to death of girls who commit the crime of loving a non-Muslim man.

Look guys, inter-religious talks that might lead to a greater tolerance are very important – but don’t you appreciate that “tolerance” is a word that far too many fanatics of your faith simply don’t understand? May I suggest that it might be a good idea to write to them first? Oh and one word of advice – get a PO Box reply address to avoid the possibility of being killed yourselves.

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The Fat Controller’s train is derailed

Britain’s Fat Controller from Scotland suffered a humiliating climb down earlier this month that was completely of his own making. You may recall Teflon Gordon, as he is affectionately known to many Tony Blair supporters, saw his summer ratings rise despite Britain becoming by the day more like a control freak eastern European communist state with serious criminal and administrative problems. It seemed that reality was being ignored while the spin that Gordon Brown was a strong decisive man was accepted.

Indeed, Britain’s chubby PM saw Labour leap into an 11 point opinion poll lead following his party conference. As a result, the naturally cautious and dithering Scot started to listen to his rather nasty and cynical set of young advisors, known as the kitchen cabinet, and allowed them to spin to the public via secret press briefings that a November election was in the interests of the people in order to give old Teflon his own mandate.

Election fever ensued, and with the Conservative Party appearing in disarray, the Fat Controller steadfastly refused to rule out an election and even gave a number of hints that one was definitely on the cards. Behind the scenes, senior party members let it be known that the Tory Party Conference would be a fiasco and that an election would be announced on Monday, 8 October.

However, David Cameron and his Conservative Party had obviously not read the script. They enjoyed a united and powerful conference. All major shadow ministers spoke well, and thinking that there was an election being called within days, unveiled a number of new policies. These, and the fact that Cameron, or Chameleon as New Labour like to call him, spoke to the conference for an hour completely unscripted and from the heart apparently caught the public imagination, especially among women voters, and suddenly an 11 point lead for Labour became a six point lead for the Tories.

The Fat Controller bottled it and, not having the courage to face the press, announced his decision not to hold an election via an interview with a Labour tame political journalist – the BBC’s Andrew Marr – that was pre-recorded at 10 Downing Street. Now Teflon reported that it was not in the interests of the British people to have an election, as they would benefit more from him just getting on with the job of government.

OK Fatty, perhaps! But if you really believed that, why was it that you thought that an election was in the national interest only days before? And if you didn’t, why then did you consistently refuse to rule one out and even went out of your way to encourage the speculation?

The truth is that you never thought it was in the public interest but rather in yours, and when the polls went against you, you chickened out. Not too much wrong so far, as long as you owned up to it. But unfortunately, you were neither honest enough nor brave enough for that. Now the media is furious with you for using them so obviously and the public realise you treated them like fools and will never forget that you are a weak man who lacks Blair’s courage but shares his pleasure in dishonest spin. You then followed these errors by attempting to steal these new Tory policies in your Chancellor’s pre-budget statement, which earned both of you the nickname of “Magpie”. The next day you were mauled more at a Prime Minister’s question time than I have ever witnessed since the 1963 Profumo Affair when I was but 13 and Malta was still part of the British Empire.

You waited 10 years in government, as Teflon Gordon, to kill Blair off and now you’ve got what you wanted it has taken you only three months to blow it. Please don’t bother to whinge on about minding the gap at platform one anymore. It’s already too late, Fat Controller – your train is derailed.

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I’m sorry, EU – for Malta, size is important

Boat-loads of illegal immigrants continue weekly to flee their native African countries due to famine, pestilence, plague, war or just the promise of earning a year’s wages in a week. They make their way across an often cruel Mediterranean in unseaworthy boats towards the promised land of Europe while Brussels continues to struggle with this human disaster and the economic chaos that could ensue.

Mainly, such immigrants are just poor souls, not criminals. They have been driven out of their native lands by the necessity of running away from a life where their families’ very existence is threatened. As a result they are preyed upon by wicked gangs who take their money by promising a lot and often delivering little more than a sinking boat.

Of course the EU can’t hope to control the political and economic stability of Africa. But where there is political stability it could do more financially to incentivise international corporations to take advantage of Africa’s labour markets and invest. This would make economic sense if the protective EU import taxes were lowered to encourage trade with such countries. That would go a long way to stemming the tide, as people only leave their homes and make such journeys out of necessity. The EU should forget about aid and bank loans, which all too often are wasted or embezzled while interest mounts up to non-repayable levels and any product that does result can’t find its way to market due to our defensive taxes.

HRH Prince Charles has said for years that if you give a man a fish you feed him for a day but if you teach a man to fish you will feed him for life. He is right. It is “free trade” and not hypocritical talk about “fair trade” while putting millions into corrupt officials pockets that is needed here.

However, while the bureaucratic lunatics that run the EU take their time to realise that a capitalist solution is required, rather than another idiotic socialist scheme, we are left with this ghastly problem and Malta, thanks to its location, is in the front line.

The vast majority of these boat people don’t wish to settle in Malta but end up here as their craft fail to make it to Italy. As we all know, but few in Brussels seem to realise, this is an island of some 17 miles by 13 with one of the densest populations in the world. We just can’t continue either economically, socially or culturally to accept boat-load after boat-load of these people. Each EU member has agreed to take in a number of immigrants but, ridiculously, those rescued on the high seas and brought to Malta are not included in such numbers and so become solely Malta’s problem. This is idiotic and absolutely selfish. Malta’s needs are being ignored by its much larger European partners because it suits them to do so. Can you imagine the stink kicked up if these boats were turning up on the River Seine in Paris? Worse, some MEPs have even had the cheek to question Malta’s efficiency in protecting the European frontier. In addition, there needs to be more cooperation between the EU and the countries of origin of these people so that many can be repatriated and thus ease this problem. But as usual, bureaucratic Brussels grinds on at a snail’s pace. It’s a speed that Malta cannot afford. Inside the Gonzo Dog Do Da Band government Dr Michael Frendo seems to be doing his best to wrestle with this issue. However, he needs help and good old Gonzo himself must bang the drum louder and louder until Malta’s more powerful partners are shamed into dropping their national self-interest and helping this tiny island out. They need to learn that as far as Malta is concerned, size is important.