It just doesn't make sense for the government on the one hand, to spend lots of money to create green spaces for the recreation of people away (or at some distance) from the pollution of traffic, and on the other hand to issue permits for land that is being used for agricultural purposes to be given over to the construction of roads, residences or commercial units. Apart from the fact that a significant portion of the "new" green spaces being created actually get covered in cement, the evident priority should be to conserve all the green spaces that already exist.

There's no more effective manner by which to achieve this than by instituting a total embargo on the elimination of any existing green space, whether it is used for farming or still in its "natural" state. About that proposal, one gets told: Such a blanket approach might end up hurting some individual or some project, apart from the fact that you could be committing some injustice.

However no policy no matter how excellent, can be free of all negative repercussions.  And the worst injustice will be done with the people of this country in Gozo and Malta, today and tomorrow, if we continue to destroy what remains of the natural beauty of their country.

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PAYMENTS

A major change in national and global financial systems took place in "recent" years with the development of payment systems that operated at the side of banks, as separate and distinct businesses. One would have thought at first that the banks weren't too pleased with such a development as it would cut into their market.

Yet many banks did not seem to have seen it like so. The greater the increase of electronic devices with which to carry out payments between enterprises and individuals, the more banks seemed not to worry that other institutions were lining up to deal with payments. These institutions did not accept deposits or issue short and long term loans, which was where banks considered that their profits would concentrate. Others could very well take up payment services where profit margins were slim while involving disproportionate effort.

It has so happened that some of the enterprises which specialised in financial payments did so well that they are now considering entering the whole range of banking services.

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STANDARDS

For many sectors of activity, targets are set in Malta and the rest of Europe which are meant to be visionary and ambitious. This has happened in education, health, justice, the environment. Targets are presented as a vision, a strategy, a challenge, a call to the future. Everybody tries to see how to load more noble and beautiful intentions onto what is being proposed. 

Then it is progressively discovered that "all" have been too ambitious. Actually they were simply setting out ambitions; others would have to be responsible for their implementation.

And those charged with achieving the targets frequently have no clue regarding how to successfully get on top of the ambitious scramble they have inherited. A solution becomes that of downscaling standards. What previously used to be ok if it reached 80 on some scale, now becomes brilliant if it reaches 60. And the set targets end up being achieved, or almost.