Hark the herald angels sing...
Dedicated to the long awaited, much anticipated and heralded arrival of low cost carriers to Malta. It’s only a couple of destinations so far, and we still have to contend with a very inflated airport tax until next summer, but the cost of flying out of these small islands needed to become reasonable. How you balance retaining people’s jobs at Air Malta, and allowing us to leave these overpopulated hot-house islands as frequently as we can (and at least as often as those who are having to leave on EU business so often) and need to, is a balance that the politicians must strike. But it’s been one way for way too long and something had to give.
Good King Wenceslas looked out...
Dedicated to the few but essential people of vision who look beyond their four cosy walls at the needs of others and do something about it. A spirit of altruism that is not remotely about doing it for the prizes L-Istrina style but that is found in so many of Malta’s unsung heroes and heroines. Though we gripe about those who are the few baddies in their midst, we should appreciate the amazing nuns who carry out such a service for Malta’s most abandoned children, the social workers who are threatened daily because they try to protect children, the teachers who are thumped by out-of-control parents when they try to apply the same rules to everyone, the doctors and nurses in our Casualty Dept who will no doubt face another tough time this Christmas, thanks to our penchant for over-boozing and over-making merry – at weekends especially, and during this period particularly.
Santa Claus is coming to town...
Well we have to dedicate this to those who have to prepare our budget every year – a budget that is evaluated from a child’s goodies perspective. We look at it and consider what is in it for me or us, “us” being our own limited group. One exception this year was the GWU, which actually praised the good points included, and abandoned its normal partisanship, to the relief of many who would like to see our trade unions a mite more independent of political pressures and influences.
Jingle Bells...
Dedicated to the positive optimistic spirit of our kids, who see a lot of fun and joy ahead of them, not, of course, riding in a one horse open sleigh but via their Playstations, their iPods, their mobiles and all the technology that is changing faster than the time it takes me to write this article. Christmas is, above all else, a time for children. We just have to make sure that we keep this planet going long enough for them to enjoy bringing up children too.
The Holly and the Ivy...
Dedicated to all those political personages who were vying to wear a crown this year. While the public sees the usual boring, perennial battle for power between the reds and the blues, various interest groups form and reform amoeba-like to defend certain interests. No media in Malta can tell it like it is, whatever they claim. Certain people are protected, certain people are the perennial scapegoats of the follies of others.
Silent Night...
Dedicated to all the firework and hunting enthusiasts who feel might is right and live by that mantra. How many more years are we going to have to endure senseless petards that wake up our babies, terrify some of our children, make our homes rattle, and, every year, claim the life of one or two enthusiasts? Petards make no sense, they just make a lot of noise, and it is about time that the Church, which comes down so strongly when there is rivalry in a parish and bans the feast, bans the feast where petards are deemed necessary. This country’s clergy still has a lot of influence, despite declining Church attendance, and it is about time they used that influence more bravely than has hitherto been the case. Remember, Jesus was a rebel in his time, not a yes man.
Rudolph the red nosed reindeer...
Well, maybe Rudolph’s nose was red with the cold, not with embarrassment, but politicians who should be embarrassed this year include the formerly great Bush-Blair tandem. Blair, who oversaw one of the best periods, has had his reputation totally tarnished over Iraq and now money for peerages, even though this has been going on for yonks. In Malta, thankfully, we have no House of Lords, but there are still more than enough people lording it over the rest. Here, the money for the financing of political parties remains a mystery, with every political candidate having to sign a declaration in which they say they will not spend more than Lm600 or so. I am sure they find a way to justify this lie, but it is ridiculous that we even expect politicians to start their career by lying to us. There is no way you can normally get elected, unless you are part of the party machinery, spending so little.
Little Drummer Boy...
The drums of war between Christianity and Islam started rolling again this year. The Pope’s admittedly misguided remarks brought him terrible threats. While Muslim fundamentalism rears its ugly head, opinion is divided as to whether to fight it with more Christian fundamentalism or wishy-washy multi-cultural policies that have failed all over Europe.
Away in a Manger...
Dedicated to all those whose home life is threatened this Christmas. From the many children who get taken away from parents unable to provide adequate care, to those parents who give them away because they do not have the resources to look after them, from all those women whose home has become a prison, to all the troubled teenagers who seek solace in one form of drug or another.
And the new looming threat brought about by the get-rich-quick mentality of our new property millionaires. Elderly grandparents being persuaded to sign over their homes and then being left with nothing, although they were promised care for life by their children.
Christmas is a time of joy and a time to sing, but it is also the hardest time of the year for way too many, not least those who are disappointed by the continued cruelties they have to endure. Think of them too, tomorrow.
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