It seems like we really can’t catch a break these days. First we have the 2013 defection to Labour that about slammed the door bang shut. Then came the European Elections to splash against the door and leave a dirty puddle, only to be followed by the Come in but Wipe your Feet response from the European Commissioner, to Malta’s selling of citizenship scheme and now, to cap it all we have Mr. Juncker’s bottle party. A kind of Bring Your Own, so that there will be no complaints about the cost or the quality of the wine.
There must be some wine glut, though, in Brussels, because it would appear that a little too much of it is being consumed with the effect that the jobs for the Commissioners remind us of some Pass the Parcel game. It is not surprising to think of such games, because the whole charade that has just taken place in the doling out of the portofolios to the nominated Commissioners is totally petulant and childish. It is difficult to see what can be achieved by this irresponsible off-loading of problems.
The game that has been played in allocating these portofolios, which as we now know, were specifically chosen on a Reverse Psychology basis, has exposed the lazy thinking of the President of the European Commission. It is said – “If you want to get a job done, give it to a lazy person because they will find the quickest and easiest way to do it”. Well, in this case, Mr. Juncker’s desk must be quite clear at the moment.
And so, any moral support on the serious issues that we currently face, that could have been expected from a like-minded Union, is gone to nothing. Not only is the EU parliament populated by a growing number of far-right members but any confidence we sought towards a better future has gone the same way as Mr Moyes.
A striker can complain about a poor defence but that does not make him a good defender. Changing positions amongst the players only weakens the whole structure. George Papandreou said: How can a parliamentarian or a leader in a country say, on the one hand, that we’re going to support Greece but at the same time say that Greeks are lazy? In the same way, how can we say that the EU is going to meet the needs of its citizens and then gamble with their future in this counter-productive way?
Yes, there are many member states in the EU that have criticized and complained about several issues. Many adolescents complain to their parents about restrictions or perceived imbalances but that does not mean that the parents will abdicate responsibility to them and simply wash their hands of them. I remember my mother telling me that when she was a young teenager, her father caught her having some puffs of a cigarette in the garden shed. There and then he made her smoke the whole cigarette even though it was making her sick, so that she would remember how it made her feel. Juncker wants the naggers to know how it feels to wear the shoes and walk the talk but in doing this he has departed from a sense of superbia (suppervja) rather than to lead conscientiously. He seems to take some pleasure in hijacking the airplane and taking it right off course but expecting the pilot to take to its scheduled landing nonetheless.
It is important that the EU does not lose any more profile to those with hidden agendas and those who would like to see it fail. Many countries too, like Greece, Italy and Spain have made huge sacrifices to meet the austerity programmes imposed on them. People are struggling for work, for a living, for freedom and for the health of their environment and the legacy for their children. To this very day the suffering people of Ukraine fight to have a right to choose which way they would prefer to go. They need the sense and vision that they had, to survive or else they will truly feel let down. And not just them, but each and every state that is a member of the EU or aspires to be. The overall aim of the EEC/EU, since its foundation in 1958, is to promote peace; the values of human rights; democracy; equality; the rule of law; and the well-being of its peoples. These values are the bedrock of the EU’s work and its role in the world.
Or so they should be. More and more they seem to be brushed aside and replaced with material and political self-serving interests.
Who would have thought that after the electoral defeat, the PN would not only have to work to restore belief in the Party once again , but now, it also has to defend the values that the EU is meant to stand for in order to protect those same values for Malta and for the Maltese. I think Simon Busuttil may want to re-think his Do it like Brussels platform for the way forward for the PN. Somehow, I don’t think that people are going to take too happily to that way of doing things.
We will be 50 years independent tomorrow. I think we can look back and be proud of what we have achieved so far. But there is still much more to do and so much more to learn. We need to choose carefully and be very selective about the direction we take and investment we make. It may become clear soon enough, that the direction taken by the people of Malta & Gozo recently has not brought about the kind of management they were hoping for. To add to their worry, we have this Russian roulette going on at the EU and the poor immigrants crossing on their sinking boats are not the only ones to get that horrible feeling.
Support or not support, grilling or no grilling, the fact is that there are life-threatening issues at stake here. We are not playing about with subsidies for farmers or how many tomatoes will be squashed. The environment here in Malta and Gozo is undergoing massive abuse. Even the roads are filthy and abandoned. It is like nothing matters anymore and no one is accountable anymore. And there is worse, much worse, to come. There is a sinking feeling inside, getting heavier by the day and it grows more difficult by the day to emerge from this state and actually give a damn.
There are war-stricken people clamouring for safety and shelter. They risk seeing their babies die or losing their family but they must run from bombs and slaughter. We are told that we must protect their rights and give them decent accommodation when they are rescued. Those lucky enough to reach Italy do not even bother staying in the accommodation. They immediately leave and head to France and from there to the UK or other countries in Europe. Yes, we do very urgently need the EU to understand what is going on at its borders and in the Mediterranean sea. This cannot be done without looking at the rules and policies that limit the very rights for victims that the EU seeks to protect. They are concerned about more than a bed at the moment. Although, of course, such concerns should not be waived aside and are a part of the whole ongoing plight.
When it comes to the economy, most countries continue to perform badly. Even Germany has seen a drop in its GDP. Clearly, more political union is not going to be reached, especially seeing how regionalism is gaining strength at the moment. That therefore leaves the Euro where it was, with some countries carrying more than their fair share of the burden and remaining locked in austerity. True, the UK, who has the Financial Stability, Financial Services portofolio, has advised against federalism of Europe but those countries who have the Euro and follow the rules are stuck in the middle and need a way out of this uncomfortable spot.
The way of idealism has gone the way of the banks and this play at realism is not well thought out. It is risky to say the least and anarchic at worst. It is the mad ploy of someone who has lost the plot completely and is using their imagination to make up an ending which suits them. I wonder if those candidates who fought so hard to get elected last March realized what they were getting into and how much is going to depend on them to bring this ship home safely. They may feel encouraged by a Poll which says 75% have higher expectations than the 2009-2014 Jose Manuel Barroso Commission and 25% have lower expectations than the 2009-2014 Jose Manuel Barroso Commission (total of 81 votes). The devil is in the detail.