Last year ended with a widespread feeling that Malta had gone back to the 1980s. In the case of the environment, there is no question.

There is the same government indifference and the same concentration of power in the hands of politicians. Malliagate, however, made many people think that law and order were back to what they were in the 1980s, which was lawlessness and disorder from those who were supposed to protect the rule of law. I'm not so sure.

It's one thing to say that we are in danger of beginning to slide towards those times. It's another to say we're there. I disagree. I lived through those times and, bad as Malliagate was, the 1980s were worse.

We should respect the memory of those who suffered in those days. The murder victims and their families, those whose confessions were extracted under duress, those who were beaten by thugs and the police... In 2014, law and order were shaken but not dragged down to that level.

Malliagate was a warning signal that we should be vigilant. Some Labour apologists suggested that Malliagate made the Nationalist Party rub its hands with glee. What nonsense. Those of us who were teenagers in the 1980s wouldn't want our children to pass through what we did.

Which is why I wish the new police minister, Carmelo Abela, and the new Commissioner of Police, Michael Cassar, succeed in rehabilitating the reputation of the forces of law and order.

Taghna Lkoll Hit Parade

The 1980s were the years of my teens. They were years of great music. On a lighter note, therefore, this hit parade, which looks at the year ahead, is made up of exclusively 1980s great hits.

Will this be the perfect description for 2015 of our progressive prime minister travelling the world to sell passports and fix contracts with shady governments?

Der Kommissar Falco's song made the following German phrase familiar to the English-speaking world: "Alles klar, Herr Kommissar?" Got that, Mr Commissioner? Last year ended with an acting Police Commissioner who didn't. Let's hope the new one does. Betting is open on whether a certain former European Commissioner will get it or not.

Wake me up before you go go With its line, "You put the boom boom into my heart", the song that made George Michael famous might seem one to avoid. We've had enough boom and bangs. But this song is also for anyone who can restore trust and hope in politics and public life. I myself hope to see Simon Busuttil continue riding the momentum, showing that the Opposition is capable not just of criticising the government's mistakes but also of offering an alternative.

Should I stay or should I go? Appropriately enough, this song was by The Clash. It's the song for all errant ministers - five down, how many yet to go in 2015? It's the song for our youth as they ponder their opportunities. It's the song for everyone wondering whether they should withdraw into their private shell or give their part to make our public life cleaner and more accountable. Our personal rights and civil liberties can only be protected if we keep alive our sense