It was Lm50 per day for business trips. Mere mortals were allowed Lm250 for the entire holiday, no matter its duration. These limits remained unchanged for several years.

At the bank, we had to see air tickets before we issued any money, and also check the immigration departure/arrival stamps before issuing money for another trip, just in case you cancelled the trip.

The amount of cash/travellers’ cheques were recorded at the back of the passport. Some data protection that was! For the duration of the validity of the passport, anyone with access to your passport could snoop into how much money you had to spend on holiday.

And, when Mintoff had one of his tantrums involving Italy, we were not allowed to take any spending money at all, if visiting Italy.

Oh, the joys of The Golden Years!

It’s interesting to note that you (Richard Borg) assume that Karmenu Vella’s bosom buddy is the (Qormi) John Dalli that is currently an EU commissioner.

You don’t know what you’re talking about.

Please read the article again, especially the one line paragraph (clearly stressing the point) which states: ‘And no, I don’t mean the EU Commissioner, but Helena Dalli’s brother-in-law’

It was Lm25 if you went away for a day.

“I speak for the electorate”

“L’etat, c’est moi”.

John Dalli was never a minister?

1989-1991:Minister for Economy

1992-1996: Minister of Finance

[Daphne – Not that John Dalli. There was one in the Labour Party, too.]

Nahseb li min jahseb hekk sejjer zbal,, lil min jista’ jaghzel Joseph meta jitla’?

Ghazla kbira m’hemmx. Jekk nitghabbew b’partita avukati li ma jaghfux x’hinu negozju jew kif thaddem azjenda immorru l-bahar kif konna morna litteralment fis-sjuf ta’ zmien Dr Alfred Sant, ghax min kien ghal-rasu bil-kemm kellu xoghol u min kien mal-partikolar kellu xorti jekk kien jahdem erbghin siegha.

Interessant kif il-kelma GALBU li hi l-iktar haga mehtiega m’hix tissemma’. Dik kienet ta’ Sant, bhal-Fazulli.

Sthajjiltom ghal-waqt wiehed erba sakranazzi jghidu lil wiehed li jixrob ftit , biex joqghod il-boghod mix-xorb.

Ghal waqt iehor sthajjiltom l-erba rikkieba taz-zwiemel tal-Apokalissi:

http://bereanbiblestudygroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/apocalypse-horsemen.jpg

Dawn kienu l-istess nies li ghajru lil Gonzi li ghadu ma’ naqqasx it-taxxa u ghax nehha is-sussidju mil-kontijiet tad-dawl u l-ilma.

The travel allowance was the equivalent of Lm50 per day for us ordinary mortals.

This did not include the foreign currency regularly stuffed into our shoes and duly aired on arrival at destination.

Those were the Golden Years.

U dawk kollha li ghal erbghin sena ivvutaw Labour, allura aktar tan-nejk minn Joseph u shabu l-iskaduti.,