Nicolas Maduro, last seen shuffling in foot restraints in a Manhattan courtroom, is just like other dictators of the Left or of the Right.

He stole an election in which he obtained 30% of the votes while his adversaries got 70.

Thousands were forced to risk everything, cross rivers and forests, risk being killed by the many bands roaming around but still today the Venezuelans out of their country are probably more numerous than those who remain.

As for those who have remained, because they could not move abroad, these sub-proletarians have been kept alive by 'Maduro's boxes', containing a few essentials (like we get the government cheques).

Do not imagine, however, that the Venezuelans we saw rejoicing in Buenos Aires etc are going to return. Even now they are at the mercy of gangs and they are still illegals but they will not go back to their original country before things get really better.

Only these?

The government is sponsoring a video inviting comments regarding its proposal to open up White Rocks, Manoel Island and Fort Campbell to the public.

There are points to make about every site but this government initiative risks making us forget about other sites which still lie derelict and unused. And some of them do not have ownership issues like these three have.

For instance, the lower St Elmo, Fort Ricasoli, and above anything else, the Royal Opera House in Valletta.

And with regards to the controversy about Fort Tigne, we must understand one basic fact - both under the Knights but even more so under the British, Malta was a fortress island.

We have already obliterated the landward side of Valletta and unless we think over things properly we risk blotting out parts of our heritage.

Long memories and responsibilities 

History is made up of faces, individuals, who even when gone, remain alive at least in the memories of their loved ones even if not in the memories of the world.

Take the Crans-Montana victims of New Year's Eve, all 40 of them plus the injured, those who are in the hospitals.

Meanwhile the world has kept going, as new issues arose. Take Iran as just an example. Or Ukraine. Or Venezuela.

But let's return to Crans-Montana, the small resort in the Alps, normally known as the playground of the rich.

Only now it has become known that the Constellation nightclub has not had an inspection for the last six years.

The owners, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, Corsicans, are people 'from outside'.

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