ToonToday: Merry Christmas

And this is Christmas

The other day, a senior political figure in a political station expressed dismay that everyone was being nice to everyone when during the rest of the year it was so very different. The man who hails from Mosta was evidently irate that there wasn’t a pitched battle in the streets between the blues and the reds.

One would hope and we would agree with this assessment that the man had no brief.

But it is not impossible or unthinkable that in the next three months there will be those who entertain confrontation in the worst form possible.

It is evident from the Prime Minister’s speech at the annual exchange of greetings to the press at the Auberge de Castille, that in the next three to four months, we may experience three electoral battles.

The first one is the referendum, the second are the local councils elections and the third and final hurdle would be the national elections.

If this is going to be the case, then one should expect three to four solid months of campaigning, that will not only tire the politicians and their entourage but the media and the people who will follow through the riddles and spins that should follow.

What we will get in the next months will be something beyond sound bites. On the one side we will have a packet called the negotiated packet, on the other side we will have empty promises without guarantees.

The senior political figure who castigated the politicians for being subdued and nice in the festive period is not acting without reason. He knows that the campaign against Europe and effectively against the Nationalist Party is difficult.

To a certain extent it goes against the grain, it is taking the logical conclusions and turning them upside down.

This is the scary part.

There will come a time, probably very close to the elections, when both sides will look into the future and come to terms that there is too much to lose.

However, in the case of the referendum and/or election, the biggest loser, if we do not get in will be the country. True, we cannot forget to mention the occasion of pride and glory that the Nationalist party will have to miss.

But truthfully, the question of Europe is by far the most significant and historical decision with far reaching implications for the future of our country, its citizens and future generations.

University at large

A survey published by the KSU tells us what the University students think of Europe. The survey should contribute little to understanding the pulse of this country. The University is an insular village that has little or no reflection on the workings of Maltese society. A factor that is amplified by the limited impact University life and thinking has on society in general. In reality University is only geared to churning out graduates instead of ideas, innovation and reference points.

Therefore any consideration for this survey should be taken within the limits that the University presents itself in the real world. That it is a nest of anti-Labour individuals with very little appreciation for providing new solutions for society and its culture.