Inadequate Cover

9 of the thirteen independent candidates in the forthcoming local elections have complained of "discriminatory behaviour of certain sections of the media". The TOM is in all probability not the medium in question since it gave full coverage to the independent's propaganda and grieviances in full in this article. Some things will never change. There will always be a smattering of alternatives to the two bigheads in local politics. Their initial wave of enthusiasm will wane suddenly when they notice that superwann and nettivi fail to give them much prominence in their broadcasts. (Surprise! Surprise!).

Ironically, I always thought that local councils was the main field where the duopoly could be broken first. You do not need national tv to get your message across your village. A well structured campaign over the last few weeks before the crucial vote can do the trick. If nobody believes me I am willing to manage a campaign in any village for a serious independent (at a price of course).

On the other hand the complaint (or complain as we would have it in Malta - should I spell it komplejn?) continues to underline yet another sector of our society that betrays our shaky standards of living. We have a rotten media, a shaky road transport system (public or private), an insular mentality manages the airlines, and a kill-the-golden-egg-latying-goose mentality when it comes to touristic investment. Throw in a language that is no longer here nor there ever since everybody seems to know what is best for it, two political parties that still invest in Punch & Judy politics, a pension bomb, a stipends dynamite, a drydock impasse, a health trap and rising departure tax and what have you got left?

Thank god for ftajjar, hobz biz-zejt, the Blue Lagoon and Kinnie & Twistees.

*yes the last bit is a plug for the Maltese version of j'accuse. Thanks Bobby for the plug in WT.

Countdown to Cuba: 36 days

Countdown to World Cup : 95 days