The crunch is coming. Political life in Malta is put on hold for the Easter days and this means that with the election getting inexorably nearer and nearer this people is getting less time for the full discussion of the state of the nation which an election is supposed to bring with it.

Someone stands to gain from this and I have no doubt who it is.

So this someone is feeding us dreams about the future instead of submitting what has and is being done for the people's judgement.

Let me list the dreams that I remember: the Manoel Island dream; the inner harbour dream; the other derelict areas the government says it will do something about; etc.

Let me discuss each in short.

Manoel Island: I remember the time when this island belonged to the State. It was lawless and derelict.

Midi focused on Tigne and what they did was fantastic. The high quality buildings, the shopping centre, the creative use of a football ground, etc.

It's a tragedy that they seem to have run out of ideas and most probably money before they could tackle Manoel Island apart from restoring Fort Manoel.

Those who mainly out of envy have always been against Midi can now rejoice. We are already seeing people taking bits and pieces and doing what they want.

The inner harbour dream. Every time you access YouTube you have to watch a computer generated dream of the inner harbour becoming an extension of the waterfront.

This is just CGI, with no info on who will be doing it, the legal frameworks, where will those who will be moved out go.

Etc, etc.Good on CGI, short on specifics.

The Opposition, not to be out-gunned, has come out with its own pipedream.  The mass transit dream that the Labour government who came out with it first, dropped when it realised how toxic it is.

Nor is there any real discussion on foreign policy with the two parties being mirror images of each other, Labour losing its pro-Pal bias and PN toying with it.

As a result Malta is in the pro-US chapel hiding this with pro-Pal rhetoric.

In the EU Malta is insignificant, were it not for its superstar President of Parliament. It would like to be an Orban and keeps trying to cosy up to Russia on the quiet.

Despite joining in a few sporadic initiatives it is no front runner in Europe, its academic level is very limited and its scientific contribution is non-existent. The professional class seeks every opportunity to make money such as selling passports. 

And the country is seen all around the world as a soft touch where people have not heard about enforcement.

There are many other problems - the density of the population, the many TCIs, the unsustainable health service, the public transport system that's collapsing.

And do not forget the public debt about which nobody talks and a private sector on life support. 

And all those claims of corruption high and low.

But none of these gets a mention or worries people. Nor a CGI reel.

And I repeat again the Royal Opera House must be rebuilt exactly as it was.

[email protected]