A very interesting and useful initiative was given coverage recently by which children get to learn how to speak, read and I guess write in Maltese. As a model, it is based on how years ago, when the only TV stations available were Maltese or Italian, Maltese children learnt Italian by following cartoon programmes in that language.
That this really happened I know for a fact. And given the presence in our midst of so many foreign residents, it makes a lot of sense to provide their children with all the best opportunities available for them to learn Maltese. However if I understood correctly, the intiative is also meant for Maltese children.
This aspect of such a project inevitably places the searchlight on a disquieting reality. A substantial number of Maltese chidlren have little to no understanding of the Maltese language or practice in it. They need to undergo an educational process modelled mostly on the experience for children learning a foreign language, to enable them to come to grips with their "own" language. Much needs to be considered and said about this reality, from the perspective of the Maltese identity, as well as from that of the ever increasing concern about the future of the Maltese language
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TRUST
If one is to believe the results of successive opinion polls (which is not always a good idea: just remember the polls conducted prior to the last US presidential elections), Maltese politicians enjoy a very bad reputation among their fellow citizens. They are considered to be in politics for their own good (not to phrase this in much more offensive terms), live isolated from the ordinary cares of people, arrogant...
Clearly, such results need to be taken seriously. They provide a "factual" confirmation of what is frequently said between Tom, Dick and Harry, from which it has normally been difficult to generalize.
Even so, the question remains: How should the issues raised by these poll findings be dealt with effectively? - By politicians collectively confessing their sins, making penitence and introducing codes of ethics that apply equally to all? And who should really feel concerned by the results? If it is the citizens themselves, could it not be claimed that they already have elections which provide them with the opportunity to censure those politicians who have lost their trust?
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THE GERMAN ELECTION
For the early elections being held in Germany during February, the forecasts strongly indicate a win for the christian democrats led by Friedrich Merz. They'll still need to set up a coalition with some other party, and the greatest likelihood apparently is that it will be with the social democrats, expected to come second among the "traditional" parties, though this is not so sure.
A number of factors could tilt the outcome in ways that are not so easy to foresee. There is a growing disquiet among many voters... about the economic situation which is deteriorating, as the risk grows of lay offs... and about the threat of war in Europe which voters see as rising... Politically there are the uncertainties about whether the extreme right could continue to grow and become the second largest group in the political system, while the question also is about the level of support that voters will give to the new left wing party led by Sahra Wagenknecht.
Nor should one underestimate the ability of chancellor Olaf Scholz to manoeuvre cleverly and claw back the best part of the popularity he has lost over the months.
What happens in Germany remains very important to the rest of Europe.