In an authoritarian society or one that is moving in that direction, a crucial factor becomes how artistic and cultural expression gets positioned in favour of or against the regime that is being or was established.

If the society has been conditioned to authoritarian rule over a long period, like in China or Russia, it will be relatively easier to integrate cultural and artistic initiatives in the governing structures, both by way of incentives as well as by the use of stick.

In larger societies, where the liberal tradition of thought and action have a long history, cultural dissent can take a big role. Presently US President Trump is having to come to grips with this. He's finding that over quite a big range of the American cultural and artistic establishment - not just the segment which can be considered "elitist" but equally a wide spectrum of popular artistic performers - people are pushing back against his leadership. They are deploying against him the same "populist" methods that he has always specialised in- as in the Bad Bunny show during the American football final at the Super Bowl, watched by practically the whole of the US.

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WE WERE BETTER THEN...

One still meets people... and they're not all old... who complain that Malta used to be governed much better by foreign rulers. They seem to believe for instance that under the British, the island was governed according to the norms of fair play and justice, without the preferential treatments and clientelism which in their view, vitiate the governance of Malta by the Maltese.

Such an appreciation of the past is totally false. Actually, the sentiments it feeds on served to give an impetus to the efforts for Malta to join the EU many years ago. Above all, the claim that we did better under foreign governance does not hold water in the economic and social spheres. The progress recorded in these fields was practically all achieved post and not pre Independence.

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PUBLIC WORKS

It's very difficult to understand why some public works projects should trail on for so long, even in places where they create much disruption. While major infrastructural projects do get done with the commitment they need to keep to the timeline set for their completion, it does not seem like the same is done for smaller but still quite important undertakings.

I can just point to where I live - B'kara. In the crossroads (not to call it a  square) fronting the building where the local council and the regional health centre are housed, a big hole was dug some weeks ago. It was surrounded with equipment, creating a huge block in the middle of the road. One would have expected that the public works which needed to be done there, whatever they were/are, would be carried out swiftly. Not at all.

And not so far, in the road which from Swatar leads to the "ta' Paris" zone, alongside the B'Kara bypass, public works are still proceeding after a year, perhaps more, obstructing the "easy" access to the "ta' Paris" neighbourhood.

No doubt, similar problems exist in other areas of these islands. Why are they still being tolerated?