Intead of hitting below the belt and mud-sling each other which we are famous for, we should try and be imaginative in a constructive sense and show our unity as a Maltese nation. Divde and rule has destroyed many national treasures among them our reason in times of uncertainity and crises.

The Swiss are wise in using the Referenda system and we should copy their example. You hardly hear of any national crises in Switzerland. We should copy ‘wise’ ideas.

Also I only stated the facts all the way in my letter, where I made reference to giving the people a choice in the matter. Yes, given the size of the population and the advanced techonoogy in doing opinion polls and surveys, the pulse of the people must be taken into accoung. The time is ticking and all we have done are reports, reports and …….reports, talking, talking…….and talking since 1942. Come on MAN!

A clove of garlic on a sherry trifle means “unsuitable and totally out of place.

[Daphne – No, Nigel: it’s an old-fashioned expression once used by the bourgeoisie of Sliema and Valletta, the sort who actually had the wherewithal to make and eat English sherry trifles but who called them souffles instead, especially if their background was particularly Italianate and/or reactionary.]

Daphne, sure you can see that this is so.

[Daphne – No, I can’t, because it’s not ‘so’. And secondly, even if I did think as you do, I would assume that it is my judgement which is iimpaired and not Renzo Piano’s. To assume that I know better than Piano is one of two things: the most phenomenal arrogance or the most phenomenal stupidity.]

I am not deriding Piano, because he was only following the brief that was given to him viz: “Renz, we do not have any money to finish off anything spectacular. Just give us something to close some mouths. Our Daph, will see to it that any dissidents will be dealt with” .

[Daphne – Renzo Piano needs neither money nor briefs. People in that position do not take on briefs with which they are not in agreement.]

Lucian Freud, a German-born British painter, whose paintings are associated with surrealism which feature the element of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and non-sequitor – which due to its apparent lack of meaning relative to what follows seems absurd. [Daphne – Googled him, did you?] Just like the Barry/Piano open air theatre maybe? [Daphne – You do realise that Lucian Freud is one of the most highly acclaimed masters of our time? So yes, the comparison is appropriate.]

The predominant definition of ‘referendum’ is as follows: ‘The submission of a proposed public measure or law that has been passed by a legislature or convention to a vote of the people for ratification or rejection’.

Referendum(s) are usually reserved for Constitutional matters and are binding on the legislature while a vote to determine the popularity of a project, or the preferred choice of multiple alternatives, is not usually binding on the legislative body and may be simply regarded as an advisory tool.

The Piano project does not have any Constitutional implications and holding a referendum in this case is not binding on the government, therefore it would be a waste of money and precious time.

Why are so many people allergic to the notion of an outdoor theatre? What other sort of theatre do they go to at this time of year – if at all? Not the Catholic Institute, I would imagine, or even the Manoel Theatre, for that matter.

[Daphne – “a clove of garlic on a sherry trifle”: translated literally from Kenneth’s article on the subject. It is a complete project. It looks incomplete to you in the same way that a Lucien Freud would seem to you unfinished.]

Main article: Voting in Switzerland (From wikipedia)

Swiss citizens are subject to three legal jurisdictions: the commune, canton and federal levels. The 1848 federal constitution defines a system of direct democracy (sometimes called half-direct or representative direct democracy since it is added by the more commonplace institutions of a parliamentary democracy). The instruments of Swiss direct democracy at the federal level, known as civil rights (Volksrechte, droits civiques), include the right to submit a constitutional initiative and a referendum, both of which may overturn parliamentary decisions.

By calling a federal referendum a group of citizens may challenge a law that has been passed by Parliament, if they can gather 50,000 signatures against the law within 100 days. If so, a national vote is scheduled where voters decide by a simple majority whether to accept or reject the law. Eight cantons together can also call a referendum on a federal law.

Similarly, the federal constitutional initiative allows citizens to put a constitutional amendment to a national vote, if they can get 100,000 voters to sign the proposed amendment within 18 months. Parliament can supplement the proposed amendment with a counter-proposal, with voters having to indicate a preference on the ballot in case both proposals are accepted. Constitutional amendments, whether introduced by initiative or in Parliament, must be accepted by a double majority of both the national popular vote and a majority of the cantonal popular votes.

There is also the Lansgemeinde still practised in one or two Swiss German cantons where voting takes place in public by a show of hands. Everybody can see how you vote. That might go down well in Malta?!

[Daphne – Thank you, Fanny. John II, Fanny lives in Switzerland, land of the referendum.]

Me, worried about “them” stripping Valleta of its World Heritage Site status”? Where did I say that?

I just pointed out that this “stripping” occurred cos they tampered with the historical core of the city – which is exactly what the Piano designs are doing.

[Daphne – Were you taught logic at school? That’s what is called a non sequitur.]