Nurturing Mintoff

Monday, January 07, 2008
In a Guardian obituary, Chris Hull writes that his father Oswald, a writer who has died aged 88, was an influence on Dom Mintoff while at Oxford:

Studying geography at Hertford College, he was not immune to the political ferment of the late 1930s. Drawn to the left at Oxford, he developed a lifelong friendship with Dom Mintoff, later to become prime minister of Malta. Ossie claimed to have nurtured Mintoff's interest in politics.

Trailing Cyprus

Saturday, January 05, 2008
Following the introduction of the euro, Malta's credit rating has been raised by Moody's but is still one notch behind Cyprus.

"Produzzjoni tan-NECC"

Friday, January 04, 2008
In his weekly article in the online edition of The Times, Fr Joe Borg - a government advisor and accomplished journalist - takes a critical look at the new year's eve TV broadcast that welcomed the introduction of the euro. He calls it a 'fiasco' fronted by 'the bevy of ill prepared and totally unscripted TV presenters from PBS and Net':
..The momentousness of the night was flattened out (not just dampened) by the amateurish production broadcast by the three main TV stations. Those who stayed at home were bored to death. Only those most masochistically inclined managed to stomach more than thirty minutes of it. All the persons I spoke to felt really cheated..

How could anyone have so much potential - concerts and fireworks - available and manage to produce something more banal and inane than Il-Lejla! Il-Lejla! and Il-Kunjata lumped up together? It was really a "produzzjoni tan-NECC"...

Dream team

Thursday, January 03, 2008
Timothy Garton Ash, Professor of European Studies at Oxford, explains why Clinton-Obama would be his dream team.

What will dominate the headlines during 2008?

Wednesday, January 02, 2008
An article with my assessment of the political situation and what to expect in the year ahead is published here today. Issues discussed include the next elections, Sant's health, illegal immigration and the euro.

Robert Naudi

Robert Naudi, who has died aged 71, was an MLP member of parliament representing the Msida district elected in 1976 and 1981. In an interview five years ago he said that he was once diagnosed with cancer but was 'miraculously cured'.

Immanuel Mifsud

Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Author Immanuel Mifsud was my guest blogger at Wired Malta over the weekend writing about the experience of travel in Schengen times, silence away from the city and his most important moments of 2007.

Faulty ATM

A sharp CNN journalist noticed the faulty ATM used by the Prime Minister during the euro celebrations shortly after midnight:

Maltese Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi had to wait a little before getting his hands on the new currency. An automated teller machine did not work when Gonzi tried to withdraw euros, and he was obliged to use a different ATM.

New currency

Malta today becomes a member of the euro area less than four years after becoming an EU member state. A recent Eurobarometer survey indicates that 76 per cent of the Maltese population are positive about embracing the euro. On the other hand, a majority (65%) of Maltese fear the euro will drive prices upwards as a consequence of an expected rounding up of the currency by retailers.