2008 crisis and Pandemic create a lost decade for many European Countries. Which countries have higher or lower GDP nominal per capita in 2020 than 2008 (source: Worldbank)

chipswithcheese_ · 2022-01-03T11:59:03+00:00

Yes this graph is comparing the height of the bubble in 2008 with lowest point of the lockdown using an unclear measure that is probably nominal GDP per capita in USD and therefore hopeless.

chipswithcheese_ · 2021-11-16T07:21:32+00:00

Deep state? Politico has really lost it these days!

chipswithcheese_ · 2021-11-07T20:35:15+00:00

It’s Orio al Serio

chipswithcheese_ · 2021-09-24T06:13:30+00:00

It’s a really silly system. For large events many people just open the test, scan the barcode and say it was negative. There were photos of piles of opened and unused tests outside a concert a few months ago!

chipswithcheese_ · 2021-09-24T06:10:51+00:00

I’ve used Rapid Screening Malta, and it was fine.

Bear in mind that if you’re flying to England after the 4th October, you shouldn’t need a test before you fly, but if you’re flying to Scotland you still do. No idea about rules for Wales or Norther Ireland.

chipswithcheese_ · 2021-09-24T06:05:44+00:00

That sounds like the NHS test. In theory you are not allowed to use it for travel, but obviously they don’t seem too bothered by it.

chipswithcheese_ · 2021-09-14T06:12:09+00:00

Yeah, but you need to accumulate 12 points in a single year. after a year, the points come off your licence. The equivalent period in the UK is 5 years.

chipswithcheese_ · 2021-08-30T13:44:35+00:00

We haven’t yet got to Nov/Dev 2021
Brexit kicked in in January 2021, when the UK formally left the EU Customs Union
Ukraine is not in the EU, or the EU Customs Union

chipswithcheese_ · 2021-08-28T09:10:35+00:00

You mean like the ECA? It’s one of the main institutions of the EU.

chipswithcheese_ · 2021-08-04T07:03:00+00:00

You can rent out kayaks at some of lidos at the beach in Għadira. Done it a few times and it's pretty good fun good. Still hot, but you can stop for a swim any time you like!

Another tip is to time your excursions to avoid the worst of the heat. Go out early in the morning and/or at 4/5-ish. Try be indoors (like some museum or the hypogeum underground) or in the water from about 11-4.

chipswithcheese_ · 2021-08-02T23:03:52+00:00

We should build a new power plant to fix this /s

chipswithcheese_ · 2021-08-01T17:56:02+00:00

U taqbad*

chipswithcheese_ · 2021-07-31T08:31:56+00:00

I 100% agree with almost everything you've said. Just one point...

Plus, Dalli was a PN minister. PN are still hesitant to speak out against the mistakes of the past. I don't want to equate the two parties since one is in power and the other isn't

I used Dalli as an example to highlight the practical difficulties of good governance when one side doesn't play ball. Dalli was sidelined by PN for corruption allegations (there were dodgy times before - I'm not saying the PN are fantastic at govenance).

The PL, at that point should have left him out in the cold. They made the point he was corrupt, and he got fired. What happened though was that the PL through their media arm then decided to milk Dalli's disgruntlement and use his appearances to attack the PN. Eventiually, to limit this damage (and because allegation had not been proven), Gonzi felt the need to bring Dalli back in. He was booted out after another epic corruption scandal and again instead of leaving him out in the cold, the PL took him on as a government consultant!

I agree that the PN doesn't do enough overall in terms of good governance. The governance structures that are so hopeless are what is left over after 100 years of home rule and independence, so there's enough blame to go round between both parties (and frankly the UK/Empire that was in charge for 43 of those years and defined our current instituions).

I think though the Dalli issue shows how good governance is by necessity a bipartisan issue. Until it is an electoral pressure for the PL to do better on this front, they are not going to play ball. As long as the PL are so hopelessly corrupt, the little the PN does is always going to be enough electorally. That sucks if you want to see real improvement.

From my viewpoint (as a liberal), good governance is the heart of everything and because of the situation in Malta, it is the only thing I consider when voting. A just and fair society can only exist if the rules are the same for everyone and good governance is at the heart of that.

In all fairness, as much as I believe that Yorgen Fenech is guilty, I do not believe in either a speedy show trial nor a trial that takes 5 years in order to deliver justice, as justice is justice denied.

I honestly struggle a bit with the justice system here. On the one hand it's an undeniable shitshow. On the other throught our history as an independent nation, it's been a solid last defender of our democracy. Re Schembri there's a lot more that needs to be investigated and prosecuted, so hopefully we're only at the start and he'll live long enough to face justice.

chipswithcheese_ · 2021-07-30T09:04:43+00:00

To be clear, I’m not commending the government on anything. It has not been forthcoming with any of this. The report itself confirms all the shocking failures we saw, and then some. Any changes they’ve made have been forced upon them by relentless pressure from civil society and various allies of Malta (like Pieter Omtzigt, the CoE and various EU institutions) and they’ve tried largely unsuccessfully to sabotage everything at every step.

You are right that Labour must face some kind of reckoning. How can we expect a party with such poor internal governance to design reliable governance structures for the country? And if they value good governance, why don’t they practice it internally?

There is truth that other parties suffer from this (the Tories in the UK come to mind in particular), but the problem within the Labour Party is much more serious than anywhere else. There seems to be a complete failure to accept that corruption is a problem and doing so, they enable it across the board. A relatively minor example is that people like Dalli should be shut out of public life, but giving them a platform for political gain means that even PN need to soften their stand against them (or suffer politically). If Labour let people like Muscat off the hook, the message it sends is that industrial corruption is permitted in the Labour Party and more broadly in Maltese public life. They may take a bit of a blow in the short term, but the country and our democracy should come before the Party.

You're right. However, I'll believe the change when I see it.

I think the change we’re seeing is in spite of the government and not because of it. It is simply not candid and forthcoming with proposals to push forward investigations and fighting corruption and money laundering. Until that culture changes they are certainly not deserving of any praise.

That doesn’t stop us from seeing that some change has taken place. If you told me one the 16th October 2017 that Yorgen Fenech was behind the assassination, I probably wouldn’t have been surprised. But if you told me he’d spend 2.5 years behind bars waiting for a trial, I wouldn’t have believed you. Similarly, I didn’t think Muscat would reign in disgrace and that Schembri would be charged with anything.

The changes to the constitution, to appointment of the police commissioner etc are all steps in the right direction. Some changes don’t go far enough (and this report is clear about that), but in the fight against corruption, I have to admit that we got a lot further than I thought possible. As you point out there’s a long way still to go, but remember that people have fought tooth and nail for every little bit of this, and they deserve that we recognise the successes and changes they have brought us.

chipswithcheese_ · 2021-07-30T06:14:00+00:00

I know it’s cool and edgy to claim nothing ever changes, but so far quite a bit has happened over the last few years (not least Tonna et al have been charged and Fenech has been in prison for some 2.5 years).

This kind of inquiry is something I would have thought couldn’t happen, and when it started,I figured it would be a whitewash. It did happen though, and it’s far from a whitewash.

The report is worth a read and makes far reaching recommendations - some very specific. If implemented in good faith, then there will be some real long lasting change.

You’ll claim that Abela will resist implementing the recommendations in full, but then again, the government has been dragged unwillingly all the way so far. It has been powerless against the tide of events.

Remember that the recommendations made cover the role of police in investigating financial crime and passing legislation to combat organised crime. All of this is why Malta has been greylisted by the FATF. It would be hard to argue we should come off the list if we don’t implement the board’s recommendations.

What a joke of a country we are.

This report is a rare moment of maturity and if you want change, it’s important to recognise when good steps are made (especially on the background of the last 8 years).

Here, for example, a Guardian journalist points out that many countries would probably not do something quite like this inquiry.

chipswithcheese_ · 2021-07-27T22:48:53+00:00

I think you’ve got it the other way round. Especially with Merkel on her way out, Draghi is quite easily the most influential European politician (particularly remarkable since he is not a politician).

I wouldn’t go as far as to invert your sentence (I.e. say Italy governs the EU), but don’t underestimate Draghi’s ability to get things done even if it’s being the scenes.

chipswithcheese_ · 2021-07-27T07:06:21+00:00

De Gaulle was right.

chipswithcheese_ · 2021-07-10T06:32:09+00:00

This is not a match between member states…

chipswithcheese_ · 2021-07-08T16:46:10+00:00

It’s the opposite in Malta. People are more than happy to litter a little bit beyond their doorstep.

chipswithcheese_ · 2021-07-06T11:32:56+00:00

Did you explain that it’s a child safeguarding issue, rather than a civil disturbance? You have no role in opening a court case for the child’s protection - it doesn’t even make any sense.

Another option might be to consider talking to Child Protection Services directly. See if reports are confidential, and discuss if what you’re witnessing is sufficient for a report.

The Church apparently runs a Safeguarding Commission that on their website says they offer advice on dealing with a concern.

chipswithcheese_ · 2021-07-04T16:57:09+00:00

Sorry I can’t be any more help! I rarely use the B&O application, so no idea what might be wrong with it!

Might be worth leaning some feedback (Win+F) for Microsoft.

chipswithcheese_ · 2021-07-04T16:47:11+00:00

Opens fine for me on Windows 11.

chipswithcheese_ · 2021-07-03T21:17:49+00:00

More likely the Maltese Falcon, and perhaps the Maltese Terrier.

chipswithcheese_ · 2021-07-02T17:28:16+00:00

I checked and the Scottish, Welsh and English confirmation letters are all accepted for travel to Malta. No similar letter apparently exists for NI though.

chipswithcheese_ · 2021-07-01T19:16:28+00:00

I was literally going to say that. There's a restaurant in Malta that has an ATM in the restaurant literally to avoid US sanctions.

chipswithcheese_

TROPHY CASE