GUEST POST: “I’ve had it up to here with Laburisti and their anti-Britain rhetoric.”
This actually came in as a comment, but it’s long enough (and good enough) to be a guest post. So here goes – posted by Matthew S:
I’ve had it up to here with Laburisti and their anti-Britain rhetoric. It just shows how miserably out of touch they are.
London is the place to be.
The South Koreans and the Chinese, the Italians and the Greeks, the Bangladeshis and the Indians, the French (especially now with Francois Hollande’s, Joseph Muscat’s hero’s, tax policies) and the Americans, the Nigerians and the Russians….. they all want to move to London. And so do the Maltese.
Enterprising and creative people value a multicultural, honest, stable, welcoming and open place. London’s population is in fact growing at an incredibly fast pace.
Students and artists, established business people and budding entrepreneurs, workers and adventurers, rich and poor – all want a piece of London.
Complaining about the food and the weather is such an old, stale, pointless cliché. So is saying that both are better in Malta, when in the case of food, that’s obviously not so. In London you can find all kinds of food. Indeed, you can also find some of the best restaurants in the world.
As for the weather, the stifling heat we live in here in Malta is not making us any more productive, active, courteous or interesting.
But the essential point is that food and weather don’t make a life.
In southern Europe, we have the most wearisome of lifestyles and we’ve got the statistics to prove it: the highest unemployment levels (Spain), the most depressingly stagnant (Italy) and the most slothful (Malta).
Give me a cool, rainy London day over another day in sweaty, stifling Malta, dealing with ill-mannered people and off-their-rocker politicians, any time.
Getting bored in London is virtually impossible. Not getting bored in Malta is a constant uphill battle, struggle and major effort.
In an ideal world, every person would spend some time living in London – but to many Maltese it would be such a culture shock. They’d be scared out of their wits, especially those whose highlight of the year is the local festa, and those who rush to Silvio Parnis whenever they need something.
More than a third of Londoners were not born there and English is not the first language of about 22% of Londoners. Most new immigrants are well qualified and the children of the older, poorer, less qualified immigrants are doing rather well for themselves.
Well-to-do Londoners, including the famous mayor, love bicycling around London. In Malta, the well-to-do love aggressively driving get-out-of-my-way kind of vehicles.
Harrods, a once quintessentially British department store is now owned by Qataris and caters more for non-British tastes than British ones.
In Malta, we have racists on the internet complaining about a Muslim food store because it doesn’t sell ham.
The creative industry in London is made up of young people. The creative people sitting around Joseph Muscat during his seminar all look like old farts and has-beens or never-weres.
Incidentally, if his message was about political parties getting out of the way, why did he stand amongst them in the first place, when he’s the leader of a political party and the event itself was organised by that political party?
To be consistent with his message, he shouldn’t have been there or better still, not organised the thing in the first place.
Although Nationalist leaders pay lip service to Italian lingo, football and old culture, they, together with the saner half of Malta, envision a London-like place.
The similarities are quite striking. For years now, the focus in both Malta and London has been on financial services and ICT (think hedge funds and Smart City). The Shard, London’s latest gleaming project, was designed by Renzo Piano, who Lawrence Gonzi engaged for the Valletta regeneration project, a project constantly criticised by Joseph Muscat as a waste of money.
The Shard was financed by Qataris, with whom Lawrence Gonzi this year signed a number of agreements in the midst of Joseph Muscat’s whining about Malta needing a new government. Both places have withstood the economic crisis rather well.
Eddie Fenech Adami did immense good for Malta but his incredible vision will only become fully apparent in the decades to come. Many young people who emigrated to London and other EU destinations, on the strength of Malta’s EU membership which Joseph Muscat campaigned so hard against, will never come back.
But some of them will and they’ll bring back capital, knowledge, expertise and fresh ideas.
Had we stuck to Duminku Mintoff’s, Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici’s, Alfred Sant’s and Josph Mucat’s (lack of) visions, the best prospects for these people would have been humdrum lives in Malta, shuttling between mean jobs and dull leisure, or business deals with nasty dictators which would have all blown up last year.
The Nationalist Party’s use of a British-inspired billboard has more to it than meets the eye. It doesn’t just make a statement about the Labour Party’s abysmal track record in generating good jobs, but it lays down a whole vision, an economically progressive vision which will reap rewards in the future. And, without ghettoising anybody or brandishing gay rainbow flags, a vision of equality.
Using an image from the Margaret Thatcher era is one of the most inspired things the Nationalist Party has come up with recently. No wonder that Labour hate Richard Cachia Caruana and the other brilliant strategists at the PN headquarters.
There’s so much behind it for those who care to look. Unlike Labour, which constantly plagiarises others’ campaigns and ideas, the PN immediately cited its source for the idea and actively encouraged people to look into it – which I think is brilliant.
Unfortunately, as Daphne has frequently written, in Malta we have two cultures which are completely alien to each other despite sharing the same ethnicity. There are those of us who see London as the epitome of a modern, diverse, European thriving city to be emulated, and those who are happy to beg politicians for favours while living in Sicilian-style sleaze (note to Sicilian lovers: just last week, Sicily’s governor, who leads a hugely over-bloated administration, announced massive debts).
No amount of mocking the billboard will change the facts, especially when that mocking is so lame.
By the time the Coconut at Mile End has figured out what the new Nationalist Party billboard means, people in the know will have discussed what Labour were like in 1979, how much Malta has progressed since then and what lies ahead.
They will probably also have concluded that, as Daphne likes to say, Labour is not fit for purpose.
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First – I agree that Labour is not fit for purpose. For many reasons – but not in any way linked to a preference for London over other cities. But that is rather beside the point.
I still think you are exagerrating London’s benefits against other major european cities. Its not a matter of one over the other. Weather and food (you call them cliches) are important to ones lifestyle choce. The only advantage London has over other cities in the Maltese context is that they speak the same language – English. Linking ones choice of what is a preferred european city (a very personl thing) to their political affiliation is gilding the lilly somehat.
Jesus Christ on a pogo stick. The “only” advantage?
ANY European city has an advantage over Malta, except maybe Reykjavik because it too is isolated. But the size and sheer natural beauty of the country more than makes up for it.
You’re right on the last bit though. Anti-barrani Malta-l-isbah sentiment flourishes everywhere.
Dinner date with Tina il- Maltija
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbGZ2xkjtlY&feature=player_embedded#!
“But the essential point is that food and weather don’t make a life.” – So English.
Food, definitely no, but then again what would the English know about that. Just last Saturday, the Englishman seated next to me at a restaurant, ordered a glass of white wine with strictly two (2) ice-cubes.
[Daphne – Have you taken notes on how the Maltese eat? The point here being that you don’t judge an entire nation by the behaviour of one particular group. No, I’m afraid to say that food and weather DON’T make a life, or perhaps I should rephrase that: food and weather make a life for some, but for others, it’s nowhere near enough and scant compensation for the rest.]
I would dare say that the weather in the UK is among the best in the world.
It is varied, it’s never too hot in summer (bar some freak heatwave of 27 degrees) and it’s never too cold in winter thanks to the Gulf Stream (you may occasionally get a -5 degrees but never the -20 degrees you would get in central Europe).
No wonder the British are one of the more productive nations.
Besides, restaurants in London and even in the countryside are now excellent.
We were there a few months ago and we ate well everywhere we went.
My husband and I are foodies and would not be satisfied with just anything, and I had not been to England for many years and was very pleasantly surprised.
One thing the English have that make staying there such a pleasant experience: it is the courtesy and friendliness they show you.
In Malta people look back blankly when I smile at them. I used to smile at everyone but now I have to stop myself, because even children find it hard to pull their mouth into a smile. I find it so depressing.
“One thing the English have that make staying there such a pleasant experience: it is the courtesy and friendliness they show you.”
Yes, the Londoners in particular are renowned for their courtesy and friendliness…
I ate much better in England than in Italy. I had such a high expectation but out of 15 days I only ate probably twice good food worth writing home about in Italy.
And the Wops probably screwed you blind, whilst smiling all along.
Hey Jack,
Seems you have overlooked the Maltese mixing lemonade with wine. And the fast food culture? Think again…
@ Joe
Re: fast food
Surely, you can’t be serious. There’s a kebab shop in virtually every corner of the UK. And don’t get me started about the deep-fried Mars bar (with optional chips) – a true delicacy – served just North of the border…
And the Saturday night special of course: Curry with lager and a fight with some yobs.
[Daphne – My, just like home. No wonder the Maltese underclass finds it so easy to integrate. And we’re talking specifically about London here, not ‘England’.]
The mixing of lemonade with wine, as disgusting as it sounds, is not an entirely Maltese invention. The Spaniards love their cheap calimocho, which is cola mixed with (cheap) red wine.
The Maltese have terrible and crass table manners, but nonetheless, I think it is fair to say that we are know our cuisine better than the English (a very modest claim indeed).
[Daphne – How wrong you are. And believe me, I know what I’m talking about: don’t forget that 60% of my working life is taken up by the subject of food.]
I personally find cuisine to be one of the barometers of the cultural level of a nation, and in that respect the English score dismally.
[Daphne – Wrong, wrong and wrong again, at least re ‘the English’. As for the Maltese, you’re right. Food in Malta is beyond terrible as a rule, whether in the home or restaurants. There is just no feeling for it. It is still seen as fuel to be consumed in great quantities.]
Personally, I fail to see the allure of living in the UK. I mean, who in his right senses, would take up a job in say, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, or worst of all Leeds?
[Daphne – Manchester and Liverpool are a whole lot more amusing than Malta, Jack. Believe me when I say that by the time you’ve spent 50 years living in Malta, you end up wanting to mow down the same faces you’ve looked at (getting older and more irritating) practically since birth, or going over the same 17 miles by nine and thinking of Gozo as an ‘escape’. Notice how when people say ‘Malta is a fantastic place to live’ they ALWAYS qualify it with ‘as long as you can get away often’. Well, not such a great place to live, then, is it, if you have to escape repeatedly. Yes, some people successfully shrink to fit, while others just evolve stunted and so never expect too much, but everyone else seems to bugger off nowadays, when you can.]
As for London, well, I guess that after the allure of theatre and museums have receded, if you have a penchant for compulsive shopping, overpriced meals, commuting for hours a day, getting pissed at the pub and like the grime and greyness, it the right place for you.
[Daphne – Not very imaginative, are you, if you think of life as an extended holiday with sightseeing and shopping. If you want ugliness, may I show you round the parts of Malta most people choose to live in? ]
@ DCG
Sigh – take this from a person who had the misfortune of spending an uninterrupted three (3) years in the UK (London / Manchester / Liverpool / Cardiff). I wonder whether you had lived in the UK for such a stretch? Probably not.
Malta is small, cramped and has a lot of obvious drawbacks. With all the interbreeding, sometimes I am surprised that I don’t have three arms and one eye. I don’t feel the urge to laud living in Malta nor bemoaning living here. I am anything but nationalistic, nor patriotic. I just consider myself
I consider myself well-travelled, having spent long stretches in France, the Netherlands and Germany, and to me, despite the obvious language connection, England is the pits. No city of culture makeover can conceal its peripherial ugliness and the embarrassing uncouthness of its inhabitants. It is just a decrepit, crumbling, tired, bankrupt nothingness.
So no, Malta is not cool, but please don’t give me this “Cool Brittania” bull. If Britain is the designated yardstick of measure… than it must be really bad. I’ll pass.
[Daphne – My goodness, how negative, battered, bitter and disillusioned.]
Ditto, Jack.
Seriously? Manchester and Liverpool are ace, and a nice alternative to London if you can’t cope with the fast-paced way of life of the capital.
Indeed what you say about the island is true and I make it a point to stay away as much as possible.
Saying that London is the place to be might be pushing it though. Of course, you are entitled to your opinion.
[Daphne – Gosh, thanks.]
‘But the essential point is that food and weather don’t make a life.’ Defining what makes a life is a tricky one. The western world, especially those who only know the life of a city, have a twisted perspective of what, life, having a life, or living is.
[Daphne – Actually, no, it’s not difficult at all. There’s life, and there’s existence. You can have either, in the city or out of it. But generally, in the city there are more and better choices.]
Many young people who emigrated to London and other EU destinations, on the strength of Malta’s EU membership’ We do have more opportunities, granted! However, many also did that before joining the EU, of course unless you were lazy and expected things to just fall on your lap.
[Daphne – Look, I’m tempted to be really very rude here, but I’ll hold back. Are you honestly saying that the situation before EU membership, in terms of freedom of movement, was pretty much comparable for Maltese people to their situation today? If so, you will need to get your head examined, or have a word with whatever parent or mentor told you that rubbish. Maltese people couldn’t go anywhere to live and work without actually EMIGRATING, and then only after jumping through several hoops and being accepted for immigration. It was either that or a very complicated work permit situation. I trust you know the difference between emigrating and freedom of movement.]
‘In southern Europe, we have the most wearisome of lifestyles and we’ve got the statistics to prove it: the highest unemployment levels (Spain), the most depressingly stagnant (Italy) and the most slothful (Malta).’
Economics should be the study of people’s behaviours. Now, it’s more like social engineering. Lifestyles are dictated by marketing and economics (and bullying nations but let’s not go there).
Indeed these places face huge problems but in a world were the vast proportion (especially the political class) follow the ‘I’m OK, screw you Jack!’ attitude (and in the case of politicians – getting the majority of votes), do you, or they, really care, if you are not doing fine? probably not. Many in Italy, and Spain, a very large proportion in fact, live wonderful lives.
‘Unfortunately, as Daphne has frequently written, in Malta we have two cultures which are completely alien to each other despite sharing the same ethnicity. There are those of us who see London as the epitome of a modern, diverse, European thriving city to be emulated, and those who are happy to beg politicians for favours while living in Sicilian-style sleaze’
So nobody begs (well, in fact some don’t beg, they just ask) the PN? Haha! very funny!! Daphne is right in saying have two cultures, to be precise – two foes whose sole concern is putting each other down for their own personal gain (or at least that is their no.1 priority), at the expense of a nation.
[Daphne – No my dear, you are completely wrong. That is not what I meant. The two cultures to which I refer span both political parties. They are social cultures, not political cultures.]
This is why this island is what it is – mediocre. In fact, I would go far as to say, UK is great!!! we should have never gained independence in the fist place because all the Maltese were capable of doing was screwing the island up, which had so much potential had it not been for some self-serving clans (it took us less than 50 year!! We do excel in some things).
The fact remains that the vast part of the population doesn’t get anything out of the two and votes for the lesser evil (Well, this is actually true worldwide I’m afraid). Things have changed since 1979.
There was a time when we were doing great but times have changed, and perhaps you should consider that in more recent times, it is the current administration which has become slothful and sleazy.
[Daphne – ‘There was a time when we were doing great but things have changed.’ You’re wrong again. All of it is relative. Things felt amazing 15 years back compared to the shit-hole of experience that we had before 1987. But if you look back 15 years and assess the situation properly, things were far less great then than they are now. You’re talking about feelings, not facts, and that’s a mistake. Now, there’s more of everything – including disillusioned and miserable people, unfortunately, with their ‘first world’ problems. Before 1987, we were too busy worrying how we were going to take a shower to fret about the water bill.]
That is what is truly worrying!
There is ample evidence of this if people use their own head (Yes, Daphne, you find stupid PN supporters too, unfortunately) rather than believe anything which is fed to them.
I reckon, that is what happens when you have been in power for too long. Time for a change. Many have had it up to here with the current administration. Keep on deluding yourself that they are all from the PL clan, if it makes you feel any better.
[Daphne – Actually, no, it’s not difficult at all. There’s life, and there’s existence. You can have either, in the city or out of it. But generally, in the city there are more and better choices.]
In fact, many can only exist. There are various reasons as to why that is though. Cities are places of opportunity, I couldn’t imagine living my whole life in one though.
Matthew S spoke about emigration, and I replied about emigration.
Since they were based on bilateral agreements it is difficult for me to asses the reasons why they were so tough.
If you have any links or information, do share please.
Indeed I agree that the EU membership was a good idea when it was about trade and freedom of movement; I have problems with the changes that came after that. Having said that, countries, such as Norway, which are not part of the EU, still enjoy freedom of movement, and trade, along with the the other EU nations.
Totally agree with you about the ‘first world problems’. Indeed complaining is a national trait. However, I would leave it up to individuals to judge their own problems. Definitely not the political class.
‘In Malta we have two cultures which are completely alien to each other despite sharing the same ethnicity.’
The rhetoric isn’t simply anti-British, it’s a depressive melanchonic fatalistic take on life.
What Sciascia calls ‘nascere vissuti’ and which gave the Mafia the ideal space to bring an entire people to heel.
There’s an uncanny similarity between their approach and that of the ‘defeated dons’. It’s as if the law, rights, opportunity, technology and access don’t matter.
What matters is belonging to the Hakem.
Many people are missing the point on the PN billboard. The fact that a 33 year old slogan is still valid today shows how much Labour has not changed.
How could it change when they are promoting the same dinosaurs that brought Malta to its knees back then?
I personally find London quite backwards and provincial compared to other great cities such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai.
[Daphne – errrrr, Shanghai? The only way you could live there as a westerner is among the expatriate community, and who wants to do that. I found it interesting, but so very WEIRD. And Singapore is a dictatorship, for heaven’s sake. A benign one, yes, but still a dictatorship.]
Speak to anybody who works in the financial services and they will all tell you that their ideal posting would be to either of the cities previously mentioned, since everything works like the best Swiss chronographs in these places, while in London everything is smothered in massive amounts of red tape, making even simple things such as buying a new fridge for your apartment an absolute nightmare.
In London unless you take home a 6 figure salary/bonus per annum, you really are just a very, very small cog in a very big wheel, and there is no real quality of life, just a relentless rat race, with no ending in sight.
Having lived in London for 10 years and in various Asian megacities for about 15, I can tell you with certainty that living in Malta is closer to a Hong Kong experience than a London one in regard to ones quality of life, my point being that if Malta remains on its current projection as regards Financial and ICT services, this can very quickly snowball into something huge and before anyone can repeat “viva Labor” a hundred times, Malta could emerge as a major financial hub.
To achieve this there is one golden rule that can never be broken under any circumstances, and the rule is, “no fancy moves.”
This can and does mean many things, but in a nutshell it must be understood that the government cannot afford to be seen or be perceived to be seen, as having any type of radical agenda’s or policies.
To create a financial hub you need the right type of legislation and laws but most importantly you need to be labeled as having “safe haven status” in people’s mind, since there is nothing scarier to potential investors involved in financial services, than instability.
My question to the movement without name, policies, or color would be this: If you win the next election will you remain a party without policies or will you then create policies? If it’s answer is that you intend to create policies would you be kind enough to let me know what they are.
Ah, Shanghai:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3nYFJ6PCZU
great article.
Why is it that the “experts” complaining about living in London are the ones that have never set foot or at the most have visited for a couple of days?
They have no idea what it’s like. Ask some of those who have and are still living in London. Ask them if they would be happy to return to claustrophobic Malta.
Kevin if you are one of those lucky enough to be living in London, all I can say is just stay there because we won’t miss you.
This is a small island and so The less the merrier.
“Why is it that the “experts” complaining about living in London are the ones that have never set foot or at the most have visited for a couple of days? They have no idea what it’s like. Ask some of those who have and are still living in London. Ask them if they would be happy to return to claustrophobic Malta.”
Malta is claustrophobic and you need to get away from it all every so often, but so do the Londoners, albeit for different reasons.
Would I want to retire in Malta right now if I was of age? In a heartbeat.
Do I want to return to Malta for work right now? No.
But ask those working in London if they would happily move to another major European city for the same pay. Just because one wants to escape Malta’s insularity doesn’t mean London is the best city to live in or that it isn’t/cannot be a shithole. Jobs in London just happen to be paid well at the moment.
Yes Shanghai hai was great. Loved it there, and miss the weirdness as you call it.
London is kind of weird too. You have 35 million tourists, mixed with 5 million expatriates of who 50% are blue collar workers and 50% are Tax Exiles, Real Oligarch’s or African dictators offspring.
In amongst all this you have British landlords such as Savills raking it in since 98% of London’s property is leasehold. At the bottom of the heap you have some English people on the dole.
Last but not least for the kids you have some of the best universities, coupled with the cheapest cocaine, crack and MDMA prices in the world. Don’t get me wrong because I like the UK, but to the average Chinese person this might seem a little weird too.
Oh I forgot to comment about Singapore being a benign dictatorship.
The reason I like the current PM is to a certain extent he is a benign dictator. Isn’t this what the whole Gonzi PN thing was about. Centralizing all the government’s power into the few competent hands available. That’s what I voted for.
I love benign dictatorships if it means having a society as developed as Singapore’s.
I believe experiencing the expat life irrespective of the destination should be a mandatory rite of passage.
Kudos to the 20-somethings who are living their dreams.
Some will never return to the rock, but others will. It is a shame that for some, EU membership came too late to uproot their lives and make the move overseas.
It is a shame because the PL repressed their dreams and ambitions, whilst they fought for their children’s freedom of movement.
Where I disagree with this post is the generalisation about the political leanings of those who are either pro or anti Britain.
I was in a long-term relationship with a staunch Labourite. We had differing political views and they never caused any issues between us.
When it came to the EU referendum and the subsequent general election, both my ex and his sister voted PN because they both wanted their freedom of movement. We celebrated the referendum outcome together because our goal was to emigrate, which we did.
Surprisingly he stayed in London and to this day loathes Malta, and lives with a huge chip on his shoulder ashamed to say he is Maltese or mix with other Maltese expats, whilst I returned to the rock and worked through that same chip on the shoulder, happy with my choice to be back.
I recall Sunday lunches at his parents’ house with Super One in the background and various attempts to engage me in verbal confrontation and that unfortunately is part of the Labour mindset – the inability to be anything but fanatical about the chosen political party.
My family is just as staunchly PN-leaning but they never dared discuss politics with my ex for fear of causing trouble between us.
There are two Maltas, that much is true, but it is mostly the baby-boomer villagers who deserve to be wiped off the face of the earth for everything crass they represent.
The good news is they will not live forever and with their demise Malta will leap forward into the modern world. Until then, there will be two Maltas I’m afraid.
Of course Malta is boring.
That’s mainly because of its size.
Not having any space in which to move, the Maltese move around the same places taking with them their circles of friends which is extremely claustrophobic and stifling to one’s personality.
It is very difficult for most Maltese to develop their own persona when they gravitate all their lives in drones of friends (usually the ones which they make in adolescence and who accompany them through to old age).
I have been away from Malta for 12 years. In these 12 years I have learned to appreciate isolation from all that is known and familiar.
This blissful sensation has become indispensable to me.
When I visit Malta, I have very mixed feelings but, on the whole, I know that I would be very miserable if I had to come back to stay for good.
With respect to opportunities, of course they are limited in Malta.
I do not live in a large city but a small town on the Adriatic, and in spite of the present dire economic situation, I know for a fact that my son has loads more opportunity here than he could ever dream of in Malta.
As to living in London, at my age? No way! On the other hand I would certainly encourage my son to live and work in London for a while if he had the opportunity to do so.
Living in London, Rome, Milano, Paris or other large city is great if you are under 30 or a millionaire. As for living in other English towns, from my limited experience and from what I’ve heard from friends and relatives they are dead boring, with just the local pub for evening entertainment.
One last point. I am still trying to get over Cod’s post that English cuisine is better than Italian cuisine.
[Daphne – I don’t think s/he meant ‘English cuisine’ as such. In any case, I was talking about restaurants in London, not ‘English cuisine’. And yes, they are definitely a whole lot better in every respect – food, decor and service – to restaurants in Italian cities, excepting the topmost end, of course. For a start, you have variety, which is absolutely essential. Italian cuisine is, sadly, fossilised, like the rest of Italian culture.]
Italian cuisine is definitely best eaten in Italy, where the raw ingredients are freshly made and picked, preferably in the region where it originated.
Besides there is no question that the best Italian restuarants are in Italy (I agree that they may not necessarily be Piazza Navona, of course).
I suppose the same goes for French restaurants/cuisine.
As for other types of restaurants, such as oriental restaurants, then I agree that London offers the best there is in “westernised” oriental food.
“I was talking about restaurants in London.”
Unfortunately those living/working in London/the UK are not here as tourists and their taste of ‘English cuisine’ has to extend beyond the nicer stuff served in good restaurants.
[Daphne – You don’t have to eat a three-course meal in a top restaurant to eat well in London. There is a vast number of places where you can eat well very cheaply, and they have mushroomed precisely because of the demand from people who live and work here. Tourists eat elsewhere, or most often, not at all. But once we’re on the subject of the better restaurants, I have yet to see your standard tourist in any of them, and I don’t think it’s because I tend to sit down at 9pm not at 7pm.]
This often means shit ingredients from the supermarket chains, fruit and veg which don’t taste like fruit and veg at all, etc. Good local produce is hard to come by, unless you live in the countryside (with a regional salary that doesn’t justify your choosing to work in the UK), let alone finding it at reasonable prices.
[Daphne – I’ll be happy to give you some recommendations if you’re that desperate.]
Please do ;)
One of the things we should be thankful to the P.N. that they got us in the E.U. so now it’s possible for all those Maltese who prefer living in London, just to F–K off and leave.
Then we Will have more space to welcome to our shores those English people who are always so eager to come and live in this, according to you, ugly, uncivilised, backward country, where the weather is terrible and the food awful, but most of all the people are mostly hypocrites.
One day you say that all foreigners are envious of us, the next you come out with that trash, make up your mind and than and only than will you become more credible.
Hoping that you will not consider this as inappropriate and print it.
[Daphne – Upload, Silvio, not print.]
Thanks Daphne,I will copy upload hundred times.
“Then we Will have more space to welcome to our shores those English people who are always so eager to come and live in this, according to you, ugly, uncivilised, backward country, where the weather is terrible and the food awful”
You do realise, I hope, that if English people (better salaries; more saved in the bank) flocked to Malta in droves, property prices would go through the roof again?
I’m Maltese and I live in the UK. I live here because of my line of work and earn good money.
Daphne, I think on this subject you are very naive. It is the usual cliche of people not being happy with what they have. The UK is a shit hole, most of my British friends say this.
I would come back to Malta anytime but because of my line of work I can’t.
Also the British unlike the Maltese are ignorant about food and have no idea what good food is. Well off people tend to spend a load of money thinking that that means good food but are happy to eat overpriced rubbish.
[Daphne – Using your argument, the Maltese in general are ignorant about food, too. On this subject, as with most others, you can’t generalise by nation, but by socio-economic group, and even within each socio-economic group, you have to break things down further. Please understand that this is a subject about which I know a fair amount, because it is my line of work.]
The quality of life that people have in Malta is far superior than what the average person has in the UK.
I would like to go for a walk by the sea and have a glass of wine this evening but I can’t because it’s fuckin freezing!
[Daphne – And guess what, Wenzu? I would like to be effing freezing this evening, but tough, I’m sweating it out in Malta, where the humidity is currently a version of hell. So…]
“you can’t generalise by nation, but by socio-economic group, and even within each socio-economic group, you have to break things down further. Please understand that this is a subject about which I know a fair amount, because it is my line of work.”
Serving chips on top of lasagne or pizza is for frigging peasants, but I can assure you I have English friends from very privileged backgrounds who think it’s perfectly fine to do so. Ditto for dipping pizza in garlic or mayo dips.
You cannot judge a country’s cuisine by the standard of the better restaurants in the capital. Expats in full-time employment don’t afford to eat out everyday.