Robert Micallef's Blog

Top intellectuals

2008-06-30T12:32:00.002+02:00

Fethullah Gülen, Muhammad Yunus and Yusuf Al-Qaradawi are influential Muslims who have just been voted by readers of American Foreign Policy magazine as the top three in the rankings for the world's top 100 public intellectuals.

Who to support in Euro2008

2008-06-15T15:16:00.003+02:00

Sweden, Austria and Croatia are the most 'supportable' teams in Euro2008, according to ethical rankings compiled by the World Development Movement. These rankings advise globally conscious football fans on how European countries perform on ethical indicators such as protection of the environment and development aid. Italy, Greece and Russia are bottom of the ethical rankings.

28 April 1958

2008-04-28T18:15:00.009+02:00

The PN news website is trying to downplay the historical significance of the events of 28 April 1958 when the GWU called a national strike:

the results of these same rebellions weren't the ones which the Labour Party wished for as they did not only lead to the resignation of the Government, but also for a suspension of the Maltese Constitution to end up without a government for four years.

The Mintoff-led government had resigned one week BEFORE the strike/protest. Besides, the general strike was not "organised by the Labour Party with the help of GWU" but the other way round. Only a trade union has the right to call a strike.

Women in politics

2008-04-18T13:53:00.002+02:00

Twelve men were elected in yesterday's casual elections. Not one woman. Apart from the 6 women in the new parliament that will re-convene on May 10 (MLP: Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, Helena Dalli, Marlene Pullicino, Justyne Caruana; PN: Dolores Cristina, Giovanna Debono) only 8 other women have ever been elected in the 10 elections since Malta became independent in 1964 - 6 Labourites: Agatha Barbara (1966-81), Evelyn Bonaci (1966-76), Ċettina Darmenia Brincat (1981), Carmen Sant (1987), Maria Camilleri (1996) and Rita Law (1998) plus 2 Nationalists: Anne Agius Ferrante (1976) and Helen D’Amato (1996-2003). Not a good record.

Unpredictable changes

2008-03-21T17:38:00.000+01:00

With a new MLP leader Maltese politics will change in all sorts of unpredictable ways

50 most powerful blogs

2008-03-14T10:51:00.001+01:00

The Guardian lists the world's 50 most powerful blogs

Aldo Moro

2008-03-14T10:04:00.004+01:00

This Sunday Italians commemorate 30 years since former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro was kidnapped in Rome on March 16th 1978. The Brigate Rosse killed him after 54 days of captivity. The Moro case totally changed the Italian political landscape in the subsequent years. The film 'Buongiorno, notte' directed 4 years ago by Marco Bellocchi portrays the events in a politically detached way and from the perspective of one of the kidnappers.

Straġi ta' l-innoċenti

2008-03-13T10:27:00.000+01:00

The threat of the storage of fireworks in residential areas has been neglected for far too long. This time it has taken the life of two people one of whom was an innocent bystander. Malta should have a properly implemented national system of licencing for fireworks operators and in order to purchase display fireworks, operators must have licenced explosives storage and public liability insurance.

Mediterranean Union

2008-03-04T20:14:00.000+01:00

French press reports are saying today that France and Germany have reached an agreement on the Mediterranean Union but they won't disclose any details about it until the next EU Council in Brussels.

A parody of journalism

2008-03-04T19:09:00.002+01:00

The Institute of Maltese Journalists was right yesterday to describe the last minute press card issued by the DOI to an MP as 'a parody of journalism.'

The wild horse

2008-03-03T19:40:00.000+01:00

Antoine Camilleri would be celebrating his 86th birthday this year if he were still alive. Those of us who knew him will be moved by this video for TV series Bricolage conducted by Toni Sant in 1998.

Bizarre decision

2008-02-18T19:26:00.002+01:00

The decision by di-ve to ban all political reporting from their news website during the election campaign was extraordinary. They announced their decision like this:

As a result of new corporate policy, di-ve.com will not, for the foreseeable future, cover political activities and statements as part of its day-to-day operations

It has been condemned by the journalists' organisations. I don't know how di-ve can recover from something like this.

Nurturing Mintoff

2008-01-07T17:30:00.000+01:00

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

2008-01-05T07:38:00.000+01:00

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"

2008-01-04T10:07:00.001+01:00

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

2008-01-03T10:19:00.000+01:00

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?

2008-01-02T19:10:00.000+01:00

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

2008-01-02T18:39:00.000+01:00

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

2008-01-01T23:30:00.000+01:00

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

2008-01-01T16:31:00.000+01:00

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

2008-01-01T08:46:00.000+01:00

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.

Goodbye 2007

2007-12-31T14:22:00.000+01:00

Australians have just welcomed 2008 with a spectacular fireworks display. The clock turned to midnight first in Kiribati three hours ago. Ten hours still to go here before we say goodbye to 2007. Have a great evening and all the best for the new year.

Joint patrols

2007-12-31T10:28:00.000+01:00

Yesterday's news that Italy and Libya have agreed to mount joint patrols in the Mediterranean to stop illegal immigrants crossing from Libya was overlooked by the mainstream media in Malta. The agreement is a crucial development in what is one of the major issues of our times but everyone appears to be busy discussing L-Istrina, the Euro celebrations and Sant’s health.

Update 4 Jan: The Times have finally woken up to this groundbreaking news perhaps alerted by this press statement issued yesterday by Leo Brincat and Gavin Gulia.

Democratic irony

2007-12-30T21:54:00.000+01:00

A few moments after Benazir Bhutto’s son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was chosen to take over her Pakistan People's Party, the 19 year old Oxford student urged party members to "run the party democratically" and insisted that "democracy is the best revenge". This may seem ironic given that his mother was leader for life and he himself was selected without a vote. Perhaps Musharraf had a point when he wrote in his memoirs, In the Line of Fire:

"They [Benazir and Nawaz] would never allow their parties to develop democratic traditions, as was clear from the fact that neither Benazir Bhutto's party, nor Nawaz Sharif's had held internal elections. In fact, Benazir became her party's 'chairperson for life,' in the tradition of old African dictators." [Page 165]

Uncertain politics

2007-12-29T20:11:00.000+01:00

The assassination of Benazir Bhuto is tragic news and Pakistan is now plunged into chaos and facing an uncertain political future. Benazir’s father Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was a good friend of Malta back in the seventies when he, as prime minister, secured a good deal with PIA to help set up Malta’s national airline. Later, he lent a hand in the transfer of numerous Pakistani doctors to help the Maltese authorities deal with a shortage of doctors during a strike.