The smartest and most effective activists think, plan and act strategically. Inexperienced activists make the mistake of focusing only on stopping things. Trying to maintain the status quo in today’s globalised and changing world may actually lead to falling short of obtaining the predetermined objective.

Activists should be shrewd enough to identify where an opponent is vulnerable and then try to figure out how to exploit that vulnerability.

They should also be prepared to redefine their premeditated objective if they realise that the resources at hand are inadequate to help them achieve their final goal.

This is a lesson which many seem to be reluctant to learn. When they do so it might be too late, and they may have already got their fingers burnt in the process.

Holocaust denial

The Iranian presidency is proving to be its own worst enemy, with the statements it has been making about the state of Israel.

One cannot be a firm believer in a two-state solution in the Middle East and then deny one of the two states in question the right of existence.

As a well-known political analyst recently put it, holocaust denial is a stance that seeks to deny Jews their history, their suffering, almost their very being. It’s like denying that African-Americans were ever slaves!

One has every right to criticise Zionist excesses but the statements made about the holocaust are not merely anti-Zionist, they are also decidedly anti-semitic.

In the same way that I condemn the Islamophobia that is dominating certain Western circles, I cannot but condemn and deplore what can best be described as the virus of anti-semitism.

Why we should avoid a new holocaust

In the same manner in which I condemn, without any reservations, the Iranian position on Israel, I must express my concern about a prediction made by Ziauddin Sardar that the next holocaust will zoom in on the Muslims.

Reporting from various European capitals he argued, rightly or wrongly, that Islamophobia is not a uniquely British disease but a trend whereby, across Europe, liberals are openly expressing prejudice against Muslims.

Racial prejudice is nothing new but what worries me most is that certain biased views are even being expressed nowadays by ordinary citizens who see themselves as liberals and enlightened individuals.

Blaming European liberalism as a consequence of decolonisation, Sardar concluded in his intriguing study that even among individuals with more relaxed attitudes to interracial relationships, racism is unashamed and upfront.

You simply cannot consider yourself ethical, liberal and tolerant and at the same time continue to discriminate against, dehumanise and demean certain segments of society.

The Cameron factor

Irrespective of whether he will be contributing mere style or substance, new Tory leader David Cameron is definitely responsible for the reversal of fortunes that his party has already experienced, as it shot ahead of Labour for the first time in many months in recently conducted opinion polls.

Although Nationalist propagandists seem more concerned about the fall out and loss of clout for the EPP Group in the European Parliament if Cameron sticks to the promise he made during his personal electoral campaign and pulls the Conservatives out of this grouping,I personally think that not only does the British electorate not care two hoots about the EPP, but the majority of them hardly even know what EPP stands for, except for too much Europe.

I watched him deliver his acceptance speech – which he did with warmth and without any notes – and also saw him on SKY TV taking on Blair during Prime Minister’s question time. There were moments when the British Premier, who is usually unflustered during this weekly session, was given away by his body language as he went from resting on one elbow to the other.

The real test for Labour will be when Gordon Brown takes over – as he is most likely to do before this particular legislature is out. As things stand today, Cameron has the edge over Brown but by then his honeymoon period will be over and he will have already had to get down to specifics on various issues and policies. But before we get to that stage, we will have to see how the most recent round of Blair vs Brown will all end. That is the round centred on the subject of pensions.

Two gentlemen who have passed away

Since I was away on a brief private trip abroad the other weekend, it was only when I started picking my way through the unread newspapers that I came to learn of the passing away of two gentlemen for whom I had deep respect: Dennis Degiorgio and former Labour MP John J. Borg.

Before moving over to the Bank of Valletta, Dennis was a father-like figure in the Barclays Bank days, particularly when I was still toiling away as a young bank clerk at the Customs Branch. Since then, we met under various different circumstances and I always treasured his words of advice and his opinions. A word of sympathy to his family and numerous friends.

John J Borg was the epitome of gentlemanliness. Hardly ever raising his voice, he was an energetic businessman but also a good interlocutor who was always ready to serve a good cause. It is ironic that he passed away almost on the day when Sea Malta, which he chaired for a number of years, was due to be liquidated. I am quite sure that his loss will be felt by many, particularly by those who were closest to him.

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Leo Brincat is the main opposition spokesman on Foreign Affairs and IT.