The public opinion surveys being conducted about the European Parliament elections are shedding more heat than light. Their most consistent conclusion is that the Labour Party is always shown to be leading in the number of votes it will get, but with a continuously changing majority. As far as I know, no survey has as yet concluded how exactly Malta’s seats in the EP are going to be shared among the two main parties.

Labour would like to secure four seats, the PN is endeavouring to have the seats shared out equally. There’s no doubt that all this will depend on the number of people who actually go out and vote. In fact, the survey results are failing to really describe the extent of the abstentionism that is likely. There are very wide variations in the available estimates, ranging from a huge drop in the participation rate to one quite close to what was recorded in 2019.

Most indications are that up to the very end, the estimates that will be made about this aspect of the vote will remain dubious. Probably many of those who intend to abstain will arrive at a definitive decision on election day.

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HUMAN VS PLANETARY CHANGES

For all of us members of the human species, what we experience as individuals, as members of a family, a society or a nation, is over the short term understood in terms of months, or two to  three years at most; if seen over the long run, decades or perhaps a century or two, are taken into account. After all, what is known of man’s history does not go farther back than a few millenia or so.

By contrast, changes that occur on a planetary scale, or on a wider basis that extends to the universe, require millions of years (according to how we measure time) in order to develop. Which makes planetary events, on this world or beyond, completely foreign to the human experience and therefore difficult to comprehend.

Possibly the climate warming that is now being reported world wide is the only instance where this “rule” is being contradicted. Many people claim that they can recognize the climate changes that are currently taking place  as having truly happened during their lifetime. 

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AUSTRALIA

A meeting with a friend from Australia whom I had last seen a long time ago triggered memories of that very happy country and my experiences there. I could say that I have visited most of the country’s main cities with the exception of Brisbane and Darwin. Everywhere I met Maltese and Gozitans of the highest calibre whose sense of friendship and hospitality is really admirable. I also met other Australians who were very articulate about how their country was shaping up.

All my visits were of great interest and highly pleasurable. During them I learned much. At times, the idea inevitably occurs that Malta should be doing more as a country to sustain and to further promote our existing contacts with Australia. We should not “allow” the EU to monopolize the island’s diplomatic and commercial initiatives.