I never disconnect the attachment of history with present-day events. Yes, we do try to forget and move on with our new realities, but there is still that transparent thread which somehow survives the passage of time. Hence the sickening revival of European fascism and the emergence of old hatreds and prejudices that once led to the building of empires and the imposition of cultures eventually smoothed away during a refreshing period of decolonisation and the gradual granting – and winning – of freedom to many peoples.

It was with this in mind that I tried to fathom the incredulous events of last week in Spain where a simple referendum to gauge the people’s will in Catalonia led to ugly scenes of violence by the Police that would have made that old Iberian dictator, Generalissimo Francisco Franco, shed tears of joy. After all, Catalonia was the chief Republican stronghold against his Catholic Church-inspired, Nazi-assisted coup that resulted in his 36-year-long dictatorship – from 1939 to 1975 to be precise.

Mainstream objections to the referendum were based on Spanish Government and Spanish Court declarations it was illegal and anti-constitutional. Fair point? Hardly. A nation’s painful extraction of freedom from a body it feels it does not belong to, as is the case with Catalonia, Scotland and several Eastern European republics in particular, cannot be expected to be a process that occurs within the objecting body’s own institutions. It is why, for example, many ex-British and French colonies had to resort to arms and revolution to obtain their freedom, while the luckier ones, like us, got it through dialogue and sheer negotiation. Because there was not a single line on the imperial rule book that said it was ok for the oppressed or the dissatisfied to opt for independence.

Hence, someone needed to set the ball rolling, to seek a way out in as peaceful a manner as possible in such circumstances. In the case of present-day Catalonia, there was every likelihood that had the Spanish government and its legal henchmen simply accepted the region’s desire to hear their citizens’ views on the independence issue, including those determined to vote no, this would have been quickly forgotten with the announcement of an unconvincing result. Or were they fearful of a convincing one?

Instead, they chose to impose their authority on a harmless democratic exercise and resorted to extreme measures such as disrupting, both manually and electronically, most of the polling process and, worse, actually using armed police and violence against whom they insist are fellow compatriots! That is the most shameful – and worrying – aspect of this sad Spanish story that we have had to watch from the comfort of our homes wearing 21st century glasses with filters that are oblivious to historical truths, such as the persisting embers of a long, unforgotten civil war.

Not for the first time, Europe was conspicuous by its absence from what was happening in an otherwise convinced member state. The frigidity that was shown at a time when a judicious voice of reason would have done wonders can hardly be overlooked. The EU’s belated statements and calls for dialogue sounded hollow and obtuse, given that Spanish democracy had already been viciously kicked in the teeth.

 

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Radio days

One of my favourite Sixties song, Flowers in the Rain by The Move, was the first record to be played on BBC’s Radio One when it was launched 50 years ago in reaction to the growing popularity of the pirate stations, mainly Radio Caroline and Radio London transmitting from on board ships off the English coast.

Tony Blackburn was still only 24 years old when he came on air and uttered: “And good morning everyone, welcome to the exciting new sound of Radio One.” History was made in that instant as pop culture rapidly spread across Britain and the rest of the world, not least here in independent Malta where national broadcasting was still in the cast-iron grip of a foreign company.

A new generation of radio presenters who preferred to be known as disc jockeys was emerging everywhere, meeting the challenge from a rampaging television sector with the same fervour and determination. In the Maltese scenario, radio was also on the counter attack and several generations of listeners, national pride apart, can still attest to those exciting radio days. Many of those involved at the time still have a radio presence, able broadcasters who deserve their niche listenership, if only, but not only, for their groundbreaking forays into the medium so many years ago.

The picture I include with this piece is our “Radio One” piece of photographic memory. Faces have changed, hairlines have receded or even disappeared, and some have moved to pastures new, but they gave Maltese radio that first burst of energy into what eventually became a highly competitive and still relevant medium of communication that has since happily also grown digital wings.

 

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Time to tango?

We have heard it so often that it is bound to irk many people. Is this going to be really a new chapter in Maltese politics as Adrian Delia takes over from the negative, electorally condemned clutches of Simon Busuttil? The talk has been there, the signs so far not so visible, alas, but there is light where there is hope, or should that be the other way round?

Malta is doing well in every sector of the economy, but there are national issues that can only be tackled and overcome by a concentrated bipartisan approach. From constitutional changes and waste disposal to traffic chaos and sustained development, there are parallel ideas and methods to be discussed minus the old political inhibitions without either the government or the Opposition losing any ideological ground.

Labour under Joseph Muscat, when in power and, more important, in Opposition, has long declared its willingness to go for it. Is it not time to tango?