I went on the Sunday to see Beyond the Barricade. It was full house, right up to the Gods and an evening of relaxation with good music and singing. I did hope, at one point, that one of them would burst out with a song from South Pacific, or Oklahoma of even The Student Prince. When I told my daughters this they laughed. “You really are living in the past, Moo. These people sing contemporary music not your old fashioned songs where moon and croon rhyme. For goodness sake take a leap into the 21st Century!”

I’ve had several hurried suppers in front of TV this week as I am in magazine-mode, so I’ve seen several programmes, all more or less in a hurry, in order to get back to my computer. Don’t forget, First should pop out of your newspaper this coming Sunday.

So, because I have watched more programmes than usual I have something to say about them.

I must mention Brian Hansford’s programme Realtá on Smash on Mondays. He dedicated one of them, a couple of weeks ago, to health and safety at the place of work in which the point of view of the worker as well as the employer was brought out with clarity and in a very civilized way. This programme followed the tragic death of two workers which shocked us, as much as we can be shocked after all the bad news we constantly hear.

Dr Mark Gauci who heads the Occupational Health and Safety Authority, came across as a caring human being who knows exactly what is happening in his area. Of course there aren’t enough inspectors to go and regularly visit the ever expanding number of building sites in Malta and Gozo. There will never be enough inspectors no matter how many more are recruited. What is needed is for each and every worker to take responsibility for his health and safety, to wear protective clothing and not take unnecessary risks unless all the possible precautions such as safety nets are taken. We need, above all, to teach people that ultimately they are the ones who are responsible for themselves: not the employer and not some government entity. These should do all they can to protect the worker but it is up to us to make certain that our working conditions are not going to kill us. How can we instill a sense of responsibility in our children and not let them grow up in a culture of blame? The individual can do so much.

This programme was followed the following Monday with a programme about loss. The people who came on it had all lost someone close, unexpectedly and young, usually a child. How can we not be moved by all this suffering? A child goes out never to return: murder, suicide or an accident take them away forever. Many of us have been through tragedy of one form or another and as one mother said, no one can really understand except those who have had to deal with tragedy. However, it doesn’t always work like that. One woman, whose son had died, phoned in to tell us briefly about it in what came across as being a very careless way – a total lack of emotion. And then it turned out that she had discovered Jesus. Ah! How lucky they are, those who discover Jesus and are able to accept a tragedy so easily…and then try to ram Jesus down everyone’s throat. As if Jesus, heaven and all its saints, of which there is an ever expanding band, can make up for terrible losses. Beati loro who can come to terms with their losses and their emotions so easily. But this is not for everyone and I believe, when there are people on radio or television, who are clearly trying to come to terms with enormous tragedies, it is best to keep quiet and not to make light of it.

I cannot understand how in some recent survey Smash has only a 0.1 per cent following. But then I have never believed surveys.

Last Monday’s Realtá was about the Monti, which has suddenly become a ‘hot issue’. The vox pop was excellent, giving so many of the stall owners a chance to have their say on television. It made a change to hear them speak up for themselves. I had no idea, for example, that they pay Lm1,000 for a licence towards a stall.

However, although I sympathise with them, all good things tend to come to an end and no situation is permanent, and yes, those stalls all along Merchants Street look messy. People, tourists included, will get used to going to St John’s Ditch. So many go all the way to Marsaxlokk for the fish and the stalls. St John’s Ditch is so much nearer.

Some changes are inevitable and if we are going to turn Valletta into the city it is meant to be then the stalls will have to go.

And yes, all good things come to an end, as someone said in an sms during Vice Versa, a programme on One TV which is presented by Charlon Gouder. This was about the present controversy regarding mostly, Bondìplus or rather Bondìminus. Again, Charlon who is the bane of every Nationalist minister’s life, especially Austin Gatt’s, came across very well. But the star was Helena Dalli who knew what she was talking about. Bondì, his usual arrogant self, lost even more kudos with the public in this programme. I thought he might leap up to gouge Helena’s eyes out at one point, as he had almost done to Wenzu Mintoff, but he did his best to curtail his obvious wrath at an editorial board which dared, but dared, not shortlist his programme. How dare they? Don’t they know who he is?

He threatened to sue Helena for libel if she as much as mentioned again that he must have knocked on many doors to ensure that in spite of the decision of the Editorial Board, Bondìplus would continue to ride the waves at the cost of Lm2,000 per programme.

Someone called me to correct me. “You’ve got your numbers wrong. It is Xarabank which is paid Lm5,000 per programme not Bondìplus,” the reader told me. “Don’t forget that WE have some six programmes on PBS, too. A near monopoly.”

John Camilleri’s interview was transmitted on the programme, a little at a time, giving us his view when it was appropriate. Some are asking why the reasons for turning down programmes are not being given to producers like Bondì. Why should reasons be given? Reasons are rarely given when, even where jobs are concerned, someone does not make the shortlist. In the case of jobs, you are lucky if you get a polite note thanking you for applying and informing you that ‘the vacancy has now been filled.’

How many books and articles are turned down by publishers with just a note? The ideal would be to tell everyone why their creation has not been accepted but it is unrealistic to expect it in this fast world.

Everything has a sell-by-date. That must be one reason why Bondìplus was turned down. We’re beginning to yawn when we see its protagonist come on again with some boring subject and turn even to ETWN in exasperation. Another could be the programme’s cost. This is public money and most of us are paying a licence to PBS as well as taxes. Both the Board of Directors and the Editorial Board should be conscious of expenses and ask whether any programme which is outsourced could be made with less money, while keeping the same quality, if produced in-house by PBS staff. This is what the average taxpayer likes to hear and not ‘taxpayer’s money is no object’ stories. And let us not forget that partly the reason for the popularity of some programmes, as Helena Dalli pointed out, is due to the fact that they are transmitted at prime time. Move them to an earlier or a later slot and they will lose their allure.

For further transparency, perhaps PBS could come out with a list of programmes and how much they cost PBS: how much money from advertising goes to PBS and what net profit is passed on to the producers. Some number crunching in short. That would be transparency indeed. But no one likes to mention these figures even if this information should be made public, since PBS is a public body. When it comes to licences, this is another thorny matter for there are so many who don’t pay it and get away with it I am told. Yes, about time Bondì gave us a break from himself. He can always make a comeback when he is 60. It’s very fashionable. Ermmm perhaps that is too soon. Maybe he should wait until he is 70.