In essence, de facto partners have the same rights as married partners. In some states but not all, they need to formalise this agreement in writing.

[Daphne – There is no such thing as common law marriage. To learn this, it is best to consult a specialist in family law in the jurisdiction in question, rather than Wikipedia. I remember last year a public information campaign carried out in Manchester by a firm of lawyers, driving home the fact to people that there is no such thing as common law marriage, and that you have NO rights over the person’s property, pension, benefits etc unless you are married to that person. “In some states but not all they need to formalise this agreement in writing” – that’s exactly what marriage is: a union formalised ‘in writing’, by contract.]

[Daphne – I have no problems with the food.]

[Daphne – I very much doubt it, and would appreciate it if you would cite chapter and verse of the relevant law. I am astonished that so many people who argue for tenancy rights for non-married couples fail to realise that the very act of getting married is a statement by that couple that they wish to transfer/obtain those rights. On the other hand, by not getting married, you are making a declaration as to the very opposite: that you don’t want those rights/don’t want to transfer those rights. The situation in Malta is anomalous, because you have people you can’t get married (heteros) but the solution to that is divorce. In Australia, where there is divorce, the anomalous situation doesn’t arise, so people who want rights can get married. If you impose rights and duties on people who don’t want them and who make a statement of this by not getting married, then that is a problem in itself. If two people live together when they are able to get married, what they are saying – or at least, what one of them is saying – is that they don’t wants the rights, duties and obligations of marriage. And so the state can’t impose those rights, duties and obligations on them regardless and against their will. I’m really surprised at how very many people don’t understand that marriage is not essentially a religious thing but a state-regulated contract precisely for the transfer of rights and obligations.]

There was nothing incorrect about any of my reports.

Tonio Borg felt the need to stress that his party was not liberal while speaking about the rent reform, a few days after making a passionate speech about how it doesn’t make sense to allow those people who “decide” to “go to Holland” and “marry someone of the same sex” to have the same rights as married couples when it comes to the same rent reform. I never attributed anything he did not say, I simply said one speech echoed the other. If you notice he does not say I misunderstood his position, he simply tried to say it in different words.

And regarding Magic Kiosk – again, nowhere was anything reported incorrectly. Joe Pace said he had around euro 70,000 in the building, and the next day he corrected himself and said it was more like 9,000. While the government insisted there was much less. I reported what was said, and made no observations of my own.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090129/opinion/liberal-schliberal

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090129/letters/liberalism-and-christian-democracy

[Daphne – I meant balustrade, without the s. The more accurate term would be banister, but the banisters of those Valletta houses are technically more akin to balustrades, though balustrades more usually go round the periphery of a terrace or parapet.]

Some years ago I came across a short biography of Katerina Vitale, that lady associated with Selmun Castle and who is traditonally regarded as some kind of saint. It seems that she used to enjoy tortuting slaves, some details were given, a real bi*ch. It seems that she gave some money for the ransom of Christian slaves so as to escape from prosecution by the Inquisition on charges of mistreating her own slaves. I must say I’m not sure about the details, but it was something like that. But than, Vitale is featured on the painting at Selmun Church, pity they don’t do a festa in her honour.

[Daphne – Giovanni Bonello had written a very good piece about her, if I recall correctly. Basically, she was a sadist, probably a sexual sadist. There was one particular description -again, if I remember it right – of how she had a female slave tied to the balustrades on the staircase of her home and lashed until her flesh was in shreds. What foxes me about people like that is what they imagined their religion was all about.]