Behind many of the conflicts between nature and society in our sunny islands, are the never-ending range of activities and hobbies that are a part of everyday life for the average family.  Mum, dad, in-laws, children, grand-children are one nation.  Then there are the politicians they serve, the clubs and activities they dedicate most of their free time to and the annual festa.

Sports is largely dedicated to boys’ football or hunting and the need for nature does not extend much further than the purpose it serves in the hunting community.  When you talk of country-side for the people to enjoy, you may as well put up a big screen with a picture of the Austrian Alps on it and set out the tables and chairs on the concrete, with a good sound system and no ash-trays.  Of course, the road or path leading to the space must be asphalted and the dog can round around lose.  During the afternoon, there may be need for a little kicking of the ball. 

Basically, that’s it. 

Now that summer is here, the programmes are full-on.   Up to Gozo, out to sea in your motor cruiser or chris-craft.  BBQs, all-night swimming, roof-top lounges and fireworks.  Let no-one come between the Maltese family and their entertainment. 

Greater disposable income has made the entertainment a bit more sophisticated.  But the feasting of family and friends reaches above all else.  Enjoying the right to relaxation is paramount.  The trend to have caravans parked along the coast and around bays has now reached epidemic proportion.  It is the summer equivalent of the hunting season.  And, as usual, the government gives them rights over land and the community and ignores the councils that are facing the problems related to their take-over.

If the people are not given what they want, they will take it.  No problem.  Find the route in the form of your local party and work it all the way to getting what you want.  Rules are trash.  Entitlement is all.  Threats are also customary these days.

The result is more and more boxes of flats, cars, boats and caravans.  Beaches getting smaller and turned into cocktail lounges and no promenade to walk on.  To many, nature is an obstacle to their desires.  It should be left as a token and serve only as a display here and there.  Planting a tree under a flyover, does the trick.  Full marks.

Nothing should come between the Maltese family and its social life.  Not even Covid.  If there is a festa to celebrate, a way will be found.  If the football league has been won, party we shall.  Ferries running all night long, fumes and noise, restaurants and shops serving coffee and ice-cream on every piazza and every pavement.  “No limits” is the general policy.

There is no way that the average family is going to appreciate the beauty of nature, walking in the silence and leaving the place intact after enjoying it.  Protect it?  Why?  For whom?  If climate change is upon us, we have a new power station.  If we dump on the fields, the Council will clean it.

Some people, this week, lamented the power cuts that occurred, lasting up to 13 hours.  Possibly they were frowned upon by those who think that you should help yourself in such a situation and find another way to party on.  “No Valletta, no party”.

The PN have given themselves a tall order with their new slogan “Nemmnu fik. Fiduċja f’Malta”. 

It endorses the attitude of clientelism.  Malta is currently on the grey-list and yet, probably more interested in money than in the future of their country.  Before leaving the responsibility in the hands of the people, it would be best, perhaps, to work on attracting the right people to follow them and then go forward from there.  It may take time to build such a following but at least it will count.  At this point in time, the good of the country, the values which are needed to ensure justice and protect our heritage and identity may need people to set themselves aside and for the party to lead from in front.  Flag waving crowds have been elevated quite beyond their status as it is.  The time now is not for people to be at the centre of politics but the good of the country and what is best for it to be defended.

Rebuilding trust in the country is going to require sacrifice and honesty.  Useless pretending that we have done a good job of saving our country from shame and criminal abuse by a system of indulgence and impunity. Before we can pride ourselves on our achievements we need to be honest about what those are. 

Is leaving Malta to become barren, asphalted, tree-less and full of ugly blocks of apartments towering over our landscapes and urban spaces the right trust we should have in ourselves?  Wouldn’t it be better to say where we have seriously lost the plot and educate people to protect their quality of life and livelihood?  Putting sense back into it and not just partisanship.

Can we show some maturity and speak the truth, saying that Malta’s government was found to have been responsible for the death of a journalist?  That big changes are needed if we are to regain some pride and correct our ways.  Not the kind of pride that comes from boasting of how you can get whatever you want.  The Cabinet of Joseph Muscat was found to be collectively responsible for the climate that led to the assassination of a journalist.  Anyone that was a part of it should resign.

Will we start to look around us and see how we are treating neighbours and anyone outside our family circle?  Are we going to just allow courts to be strong with the weak and helpless whilst all that brought us to where we find ourselves today, still enjoys support in the mind of many?

But that has always been the case with the Maltese.  They want all the protection and to believe that nothing can stop them getting what they want.  Ambition is a natural characteristic that is pandered to by Labour.   Nobody should criticise or complain because they will immediately be told to go back to their country or have to listen to a tirade of insults, vulgar expressions and passive aggression.

This passive violence has now become a part of our behaviour that is not only permitted but encouraged.  Even simply asking someone to allow some space between you in the queue results in outrage.  The arrogance of many has become mainstream. 

The PN would do well to stop this in its tracks and steer the country back to some normality. To do that they must stop coddling the people, keeping them in this adolescent state of indulgence and pampering to their every whim. Can we begin to reward honest work instead of clientelism and nepotism?  Will fairness and equality ever exist again?  When can we trust that politics is there to ensure real progress and genuine opportunity? 

Of course people want a good health system, a prosperous economy and good education.  But putting entertainment and lawlessness above all else is a high price to pay.