Justice is what one and all are for... so long as it is administered to correct the injustices one has personally had to bear. Most of all, social justice has come to mean everything to everyone-and whatever is personally most convenient defines it differently for each and every individual. At least, the suspicion that this is the case does arise occasionally...

Very often, little attention is given to the point that justice does not simply consist of a bunch of principles. If it is going to be applied seriously, it must rest on an administrative machine that operates rationally and efficiently, according to procedures that are accessible to all. This is most clearly demonstrated in the field of international relations, where everyone actively condemns the injustices and  atrocities committed by others but couldn't care less about what one's side is responsible for.

So, the European powers denied they committed any atrocities when running "their" colonies. The Russians deny that their invasion of the Ukraine violated international law. The Israelis condemn every criticism they are subject to and deride it as anti-semitic, even as they transgress all standards of acceptable behaviour when persecuting and killing Palestinians by the score. And now we have the US which has been ordering sanctions against the judges of the International Criminal Court to make it clear that they disagree any form of justice should apply to the cases that are of interest to this Court.

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EUROPE'S DOWNSIDES

The official dogma, shared within the establishment as a whole, is that Malta has hugely benefitted - and still is - from its EU membership. The thesis is hardly more than a act of faith however because rarely if ever, has any analytical exercise been carried out to gauge how correct it is, in what way and in which areas.

A method for such an analysis would cover and measure dynamically the funds and exchanges between Malta and the EU. Financial receipts and outgos are rarely considered in this manner. Then, the flows of imports and exports would need to be evaluated... where they arrive from and in what way... as another relevant element of analysis, although in the past, some denied that this approach can be relevant.

Moreover, an analysis of how the Maltese economy has developed structurally would be needed. Over the years, the Maltese economy has become increasingly dependent on services. Here too, the impact of EU membership would need to be looked at closely.

However the establishment has consistently preferred to blank out anything that could let any doubt emerge regarding the ongoing "national" act of faith in the EU.

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TERRORISTS

Few words have undergone a more radical devaluation of their meaning as "terrorist". It is not only those who react with violence against any regime - independently of whether it is democratic or not - who immediately get tagged with the "terrorist" label. Frequently as well, even those who organise peaceful protests against the government of the day - from Iran to Russia to the US - are awarded the title with all the consequences that it implies. In colonial times, all movements which fought for independence were called such.

Even though the word is overused, it still is employed by both liberal and dictatorial governments, when having to face up to the discontent generated by their policies and they need to beat it back. Not all so-called terrorists are really that. It's not the first time that their accusers who use the word, would themselves in fact be operating in terrorist mode.