We have had a spate of public protests over the past days, ranging from the one organised by fishermen to others related to animal rights and cannabis use. A few weeks ago, we had another event connected to public transport.

We are sure that the people involved in the organisation of such events have their reasons for taking to the streets. They believe in a cause they want to push and they have every right to go to Valletta to speak their mind publicly and collectively.

A distinction must be made between the fishermen’s protest, which ended up with letters presented to the authorities, and the other three public demonstrations. The fishermen are concerned with their livelihood, and in a way this justifies their walk from Blata l-Bajda to Valletta to express their concern.

But, in the case of the other three protests we had, it must be admitted that the Maltese must be having a good time when compared to their European counterparts, if their lamentations are about the legalisation of cannabis, a circus with animals and a bus that arrives late.

When one considers that, in the year that is about to finish, we have had protests almost all over Europe about unemployment, fiscal concerns and economic difficulties – then, really, we have little to complain about.

We all remember the days of protests in Greece, Italy and England – in these countries, the people were worried about their jobs, not because they want to smoke cannabis in the open. They were worried about their salaries, not because a lion is being kept in a cage. They were worried about being able to pay their loans and buy food, not because Arriva was 10 minutes off schedule.

But it seems that in Malta we have a limited perspective, and as it often happens we fail to see the overall picture. Looking at things objectively, the government must have been happy with the reasons behind these protests – it showed that the Maltese have little to complain about, whereas other governments collapsed under the pressure brought about by the public manifestations.

Yes, we are a funny little island.