Maltese publishers are right to feel that compared to other sectors of cultural production in Malta, they are not being given the support they deserve. Independently of how one evaluates their business methods, they have been carrying out... still are... essential work in the fields of book publication and literature. These areas of activity are linked in the most profound manner to the island's national and artistic identity.

In their work, two problems have grown and spread till they're reaching crisis level; perhaps they've already reached it. On the one hand, their market has been shrinking continuously, and possibly not only because people now do all their reading off the internet, rather than from books. On the other hand, expenses have increasing across the board - raw materials, production costs...

On both fronts, the need has been for concrete and coordinated action, not bookish seminars. In the fields of the visual and dramatic arts, among others, an effective formula has been found by which the state is underwriting the efforts of artists and cultural enterprises. The same cannot be said for the book publishing sector which for some reason is monitored separately from the arts framework. 

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LABOUR'S RECORD

Labour's best asset in this election consists of the results it obtained since it's been in power. Even when what some people criticise about its record is taken at face value, one fact is undeniable: Never since Independence has there been such a long period of consistent economic and social progress. This did not happen when international devlopments were tranquil and sunny. It happened without theatrics and with a clear strategic focus even while huge uncertainties persisted, as they still do.

Clearly, in coming years with new uncertainties looming, the administration of the state had best be in the hands of people possessing insight and experience. The clinching argument in favour of Labour is that it has shown it does possess the sense of a can-do direction that will be required in the future.

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A WHALE'S ANGUISH

They spent weeks trying to rescue Timmy the whale from the shallow waters deep inside Germany's coastline where it entered and got stuck. Initially, a number of federal, state and municipal organizations were involved but their efforts proved unsuccessful. Then a private foundation took over, loaded Timmy into a floating dock and transported it out to the open sea, where it released him. The joy at having taken Timmy back "home" was shortlived however and soon changed to sorrow. From the seas to the north, a ship reported having sighted the drifting cadaver of the whale. After weeks of tension and struggle, the animal no longer had the strength to freely live again in its natural environment.

Was there a moral in this story for Germany and the Germans? Or for all those who anxiously followed it? Are there aspects of the life being lived by individuals and societies in today's Europe which seem to mirror the experiences of Timmy the whale during the last few weeks of its life?