On Commissioner Malmstrom’s Facebook page, people are beginning to fight back against the Ignorant Maltese Army

Published: August 8, 2013 at 12:16am

What did those jerks imagine – that they could spew out a torrent of abuse and be widely admired for it? Their whole world is their kazin, their place of work and a seedy club on a Saturday night, and they just don’t understand how freakishly insular they sound to others.

The relentless vulgar abuse and ‘take them to your country’ stupidities have really triggered off an adverse reaction not just among other Maltese but, inevitably, people who are not Maltese and who have tarred us all with the same brush because, obviously, there are so few of us. Here’s one with a few home truths, and the ‘take them to you place and keep them between you legs’ brigade just don’t know how to handle it, because they’ve been raised on lies, myths and legends and aren’t accustomed to be spoken to plainly by outlanders.

Fřancesco Stefano
enough with this childish maltese pseudojustidying and excuses about Malta and tourism…… You Malta need to stop to be heartless and egoist. You don’t care if people die or live, then what if it was Maltese desembarking in Italy crying for help? We should let you all die for hunger or illnesses then. f you want to stay in the EU. You can’t just stay here if you don’t don’t understand that you have not just take [what about all the money you get from EU?] but also give. Malta is not anyway any better than other mediterranean countries that have beautiful beaches that never end..Tourism uh?’ Popeye, fake Calipso grotto, some old memories of the St.John’ knights, not even the templars..,.. not much there,.Get out of Europe if you don’t like to think European.. cause anyway in the end, you’re not even european.. your language comes from NORTH AFRICA and you want to play the europeans by letting people from North Africa, like you, die. we don’t need these ticks with us, No parasites who play the snobbery, thanks. Mrs Malmström, You are a great and intelligent lady.




73 Comments Comment

  1. WhoamI? says:

    Che vergogna Madonna Santa.

  2. Harry Purdie says:

    The slippery slope to international ridicule and detest began on March 9th 2013. In five years, we will be vying with Zimbabwe for the lowest of the low.

  3. Christian says:

    For the very first time in many years I’m ashamed to be Maltese. Ashamed to form part of a people which professes to be Christian and which would camp out all night for a front spot on the Floriana Granaries if the Pope were to visit us next week whilst at the same time applauding a subtle political mantra of racial and religious differentiation and hatred.

    Ashamed to be perceived as blood-sucking leaches and self-centred bigots by those who would, perhaps unjustly, consider us to be European only by pure political circumstance and for no other reason. Where are our true political and spiritual leaders?

  4. Min Weber says:

    Who is this Francesco Stefano anyway?

    Seems to me a pompous ass.

    Knights Templar?

    He probably got his culture from watching thrash TV programmes.

    I wouldn’t be quoting such nincompoops.

  5. Natalie Mallett says:

    He is certainly following Mintoff’s footsteps. Remember how embarassed we all were when his daughter threw horse’s dung at the British parliament back in the golden years? This time it’s not his daughters because they are too young to join in with the rest of the mob but himself and his herd. What a jerk of a prime minister. Who would have imagined all the pre election predicyions on this blog would materialise so quickly.

  6. Dez says:

    ‘Boycott Malta’ is spreading like wild fire. And the country deserves it.

    • etil says:

      No the country and the Maltese who did not vote for Muscat do not deserve this. Why should all the country and the decent Maltese be placed in the same basket as those vulgar, illiterate idiots. If an Italian, Spanish, or whatever nationality did the same I would not blame all the country and its people.

  7. Joe Fenech says:

    That really made me blush.

  8. Barney says:

    Ahna l-Maltin qe nitkellmu, meta nvadejna l-Awstralja, l-Canada u mitt elf pajjiz iehor, u wisq nibza li l’hemm ergajna mexjin

  9. Sad but true says:

    Malta’s hard earned status of a respectable EU country has gone down the drain in less than 6 months.

    It is going to take so much longer to earn that respect again. All that hard work put in by our ex foreign ministers wiped out by a horde of peasants in suits, and we have 54 months left to endure this. It is going to be one hell of a long, terrifying ride.

  10. Fausto Majistral says:

    “What if it was Maltese ..?”. Sadly, we have precedent there.

    In 1956, during the Suez Crisis Nasser ordered British nationals to leave Egypt. That included the sizable Maltese community who, at the time, were holders of British passports.

    Their first choice would have been Malta. But Mintoff, in his first stint as Prime Minister, insisted with the British government that Malta could not take them citing reasons we are now familiar with (too poor, too small, too crowded, etc.). They were resettled in Britain and some later re-emigrated to Australia.

    Malta turned its back on other Maltese, tradesmen and experienced administrators, who, barely a decade earlier, had set up Malta Relief Fund to loan money to fellow Maltese in Malta who wanted to emigrate to a better life in Australia. That’s how we treated our own.

  11. charon says:

    I strongly disagree with what a section of my fellow country men consider spewing out abuse as normal. Neither do I agree with the load of crap spewed out by Francesco Stefano. You do not expect better from a Spaniard. However I would like that someone somewhere replies to my question, i.e. Where was the M.V. Salamis heading to before it came upon the boatload of refugees?

    [Daphne – He can say that precisely because he is a Spaniard. If I were Spanish, I would take great exception to somebody sitting on a rock between Tunis and Tripoli bleating on about their ‘rich history’, with total lack of insight or awareness of the fact that were it not for SPAIN, we wouldn’t have much history at all. Even Stefano missed that point. I certainly wouldn’t have. The tanker’s original destination is irrelevant. When you pick up people in distress, laws kick in. It’s the nearest safe harbour (safe for THEM) and not your destination.]

    • Jozef says:

      Were it not for Spain, Armstrong wouldn’t have any ‘Maltese’ balconies to refurbish.

    • charon says:

      Sorry but the tanker’s original destination is relevant, because if it were bound for Italy then it explains why the Italians had a change of heart and capitalized upon it. As to history, Spain also has a history part of which was forged by the Moors, part by the Romans.

      [Daphne – Your point being…?]

      • Ta'Sapienza says:

        As far as I know the destination was Malta. It is in fact anchored at Hurd bank as we speak.

    • bryan says:

      let us not sound like kids here. thanks to you, thanks to who? every country has a varied cultural background.

      [Daphne – No, in fact every country does not. Japan, for example, was isolated for centuries. The cultural background of the Scandinavian countries is far less varied than the cultural background of those in the Mediterranean. Generalisation is sloppy.]

  12. MB says:

    Well..he’s not speaking all the truth either….but yes I feel embarrassed by how this issue was handled

  13. anthony says:

    Thank God he hasn’t seen a picture of that Cutajar guy yet.

    He would have called us Sub-Saharan.

  14. Zorro says:

    What a pity! All that was built up in the past years, lost because of the arrogance and lack of forsight by the amateurs in government now.

  15. Tracy says:

    Ir-reputazzjoni tajba li kellna ma pajjizi ohra, li nbniet bis-sahha tan-Nazzjonalisti tul iz-zminijiet, hassarilna bniedem li l-injoranza u l-egoizmu tieghu eccelleraw bil-kbir.

  16. Volley says:

    I’m afraid to say that this guy Francesco Stefano is right.

    • Ta'Sapienza says:

      Yips. Every year I visit a different Spanish city and I always think why the hell do these people come to Malta.

  17. Tracy says:

    Jitghallem kemm jitghallem u akkademikament igib unuri gholjin, jekk ma jkollux qalb nobbli, il-bniedem jagixxi ta’ annimal.

    L-edukazzjoni tigi mill-qalb – inutli tkun stilla u tagixxi ta’ muntun.

  18. Nathalie says:

    X’misthija, mamma mia. Naqra u wicci hassejtu ser jisplodi bil-misthija.

  19. Benspi says:

    Andu punt, imma mhux li jqabbilna mal-afrikani ax andna lingwa tixbah taghhom, ax jekk ma jafx, il-lingwa taghna andha t-taljan ukoll. U li jajjar l-istorja ta malta ed juri l-injoranza li andu ta xi hadd li ma jifimx sahta. U li jajjarna mahniex europej, iktar juri kemm u injorant ax l-istorja tal-pajjiz ma jafhiex. Injoranza bhal din mandiex tkun mhallija tinxtered jew fil-miftuh.

    [Daphne – Turi mill-kitba tieghek stess li ma tafx xejn dwar il-lingwa. Li tkun Ewropej m’ ghanda x’taqsam xejn mad-DNA jew l-origini taghna, imma mal-attitudni. Being European means embracing European values, regardless of your genetic origin.]

    • Matthew D says:

      Ghalhekk Daphne titkellem bil-Malti bhal turista bi speech impediment, ghax b’hekk tkun qed turi kemm ghandha valuri Ewropej.

      [Daphne – Actually, child, I speak that way because I am from a different social background to yours. I have an accent that is typical of that background, which accounts for perhaps 5% of the population, all of whom speak Maltese as a mother tongue, but with that accent. You may have noticed that David Cameron has a completely different accent to Wayne Rooney. This does not mean that Wayne Rooney speaks better English than David Cameron because there are more people in England who speak like Rooney than there are who speak like Cameron. You might be fascinated to know that it might even mean the opposite, and in fact, does. My Maltese is better than yours for the simple reason that it is backed by wide education and a sound awareness of the importance of grammar and that words have precise meanings. I don’t use it as my common currency for the simple and straightforward reason that I find it inflexible and lacking in variety. If people speak only Maltese there is a strong likelihood that they will speak it badly, because speaking only Maltese and knowing no other language is evidence of a poor education. The poorly educated are unable to use language properly, by definition.]

  20. Connie Sullivan says:

    Response to francesco stefano
    I was not one to post vulgar words on Mrs malstrom page, however Europe needs to be more sensitive towards this problem malta is facing
    They are arriving here in numbers. I think we are tpp of the list as how many arrive per capital

    1. As far as malta disembarking in italy. Sorry at the moment in time it is vice versa. People are coming from Italy tying to
    work in our country as there is now a lack of it in Italy.

    2. Our language jusr for you to know is a symetic language.

    3.if you have visited malta for sure you would not say not much there, as he have a beautiful country with lot to offer

    4. We do not need to play Europeans as we are Europeans

    5. We only want to take from Europe

    Note we always give our share when countries go knocking to Europe for bail out. Thanks to our previous government we have a good economy
    Let’s see who’s next knocling pn Europe doors for a bailout
    Italy maybe……

    • Lestrade says:

      “symetic” or “synthetic” language ?

    • Jozef says:

      Semitic.

    • Josette says:

      Be careful what you wish for, Ms. Sullivan. An Italian bailout would be the death of the Euro and a huge danger to the stability of the EU.

      • Connie Sullivan says:

        Never wished for it. Nor to any country for all that matters. Read all my reply to Francesco Stefano and you will understand why I posted my comment.

      • Connie Sullivan says:

        I do not wish any country to have to face a bailout. It was a response to Francesco Stefano who is at the end of the day mocking our country

    • Rumplestiltskin says:

      Connie, one word of advice. Before you venture to comment on social media in a language you are obviously very uncomfortable with, get someone who has a modicum of
      knowledge of the language in which you are attempting to write to proof-read your comment. That way maybe you can at least avoid personal embarrassment and vicariously my own as a Maltese person.

      • Connie Sullivan says:

        Dear Rumplestilskin, I am for sure not embarrassed. Proof is that I am using my own name and not shy away using another name. On the contrary proud of my country and do not remain silent when I read certain posts from foreigners about my country.

  21. Mike says:

    To be fair the man is just as idiotic as the other Maltese morons posting on Facebook. Picking holes at Maltese culture and language damages his argument against the blatant racism being posted on Ms Malmstrom’s account. He should have terminated his argument at the fifth line.

    [Daphne – If you had read the entire chain of comments, you will know that Stefano’s arguments are entirely in context, and that the Maltese comments were not. One of the main lines of argument is ‘we have withstood every invasion and we have thousands of years of history and we are not going to let Africans ruin our culture and our tourism2. So yes, his response is justified and in context.]

  22. Connie Sullivan says:

    To be clear I as a Maltese dissociate myself from all those stupid and vulgar comments posted on Facebook and I am sure a lot of Maltese people will back me up on this one as there are ways and means how to voice your concerns.

    • RoyB says:

      I am glad you disassociate yourself from the comments posted on Facebook, but it is a bit rich coming from someone who only 16 minutes earlier, on this very page, makes assertions which might not be vulgar in text, but which are just as substantially ignoble.

      Also, I have no words to address your 5th point. I only hope it was written with the consistent disingenuousness and bad grammar of the rest of your points.

      • Connie Sullivan says:

        The 5th point are the words used by Francesco Stefano.

        I have posted a reply to that as we do not only take from Europe but we also contribute.

  23. Jar Jar says:

    Definitely it is a nasty mess of Joey’s making. He’s opened a Pandora’s box and there is no going back now.

    However I do find the ‘holier than thou’ attitude a bit ironic, especially coming from an Italian. After all, we don’t throw bananas at black footballers and do the ‘ooo, ooo noises’.

    Moral of the story: Every country has its black ( no pun intended) sheep. In these times their voices are heard more via FB and other social channels.

    • Jozef says:

      Oh yes we do. Ever been to a football ground?

      • Jar Jar says:

        Ok – at least not to the ones I’ve been to, but once you wrote it, and I have no reason to disbelieve you, then I despair!

    • Josette says:

      The issue is that when these things happen in Italy, they are on the news and condemned by the mainstream. In Malta, our Prime Minister and some of his ministers are egging these racists on. THAT is what makes the situation in Malta so precarious. I hope that I’m wrong but I think that one wrong word (maybe by the Prime Minister showing us his oh so British humour) will make the whole powder keg blow up.

  24. Dgatt says:

    Well, to put it bluntly, that’s not very bright either! Apart from the obvious grammatical and spelling errors, Mr. Stefano has no idea what he’s writing about. Our island’s historical richness is hard to beat. Equating it with “Popeye” and a “fake Calipso grotto” is a mistake borne of ignorance.

    [Daphne – Mr Stefano does not live in a country where English is both mandatory and the official language. I don’t even think he is Italian. And is he right about the rest, including his anger in the face of such obnoxious ignorance and brass neck. Our island’s historical richness is hard to beat, you say. You are wrong, for it is beaten by practically every other country in Europe, and also by a neighbouring island, Sicily. Malta’s ‘historical richness’ is of the ‘dog that walks on its hind legs’ variety: it is not done well, but you are astounded to see it done at all. In other words, you expect Malta to be like Lampedusa, but because it is not, anything found here is amazing. But it is not really amazing in and of itself. Believing your own myths is called self-delusion. Through a process of deliberate brainwashing in national-identity-building, we came to believe one set of myths. Now we have come to believe our own tourism marketing legends, too. You need to get out more, read more and open your eyes.]

    • Lestrade says:

      “read more” : Not the “Concise Maltese History” by Mgr. Laspina, though.

    • Jozef says:

      What gets to me is how they’ll mention the ‘historical richness’ undoubtedly waxing lyrical about the cosmopolitan era of the knights to then freeze in their tracks faced by different skin colour.

      Then there’s the token offence at the language, its abstractive limits and, frankly speaking, the inherent cacophonic confusion in its phonetics.

      Maltese is, to all intents and purposes, a flawed interface. Illegible, restrictive and poor.

      Translate that, see?

      • vic says:

        You must know very little about the Maltese language.

        [Daphne – I can answer that for you, because I know him. Jozef knows rather a lot. He’s also trilingual. It’s generally those who are completely fluent in another language besides Maltese who are most aware of the limitations of Maltese. My frustration with the inadequacies of Maltese as a medium of expression is a direct result of my fluency in English. It has nothing to do with ‘snobbery’. I was raised a native speaker of both languages. Indeed, the dominant language in our family was Maltese.]

      • Jozef says:

        I have to admit, at the rate it’s going, yes.

        The latest; Imejl.

        So, when someone sends an email is it imejjel or jitmejjel?

      • Ta'Sapienza says:

        The ignorant bleating about the Renzo Piano project says it all.

    • Dgatt says:

      That’s sheer stupidity. Coming from you, it is astounding! This is not brainwashing. Malta’s historical richness is amazing in its own right, not because it is a small island, though that makes it all the more special. Our history is beaten by practically every other country in Europe, you say? That is plain wrong. I mean wrong bordering on the absurd! It is pointless to give you a list of our historical artifacts, temples and sights. But let me just state that in our midst we have the oldest free standing structures in the world.

      [Daphne – You are once more repeating the myths and legends straight out of an old school textbook and an MTA brochure. ‘Coming from you, it is astounding!’ Not quite. I actually know what I’m talking about, academically and in terms of real experience. “It is pointless to give you a list of our historical artifacts, temples and sights. But let me just state that in our midst we have the oldest free standing structures in the world.” Yes, it would indeed be pointless. My academic background is in archaeology. Does this sound at all familiar? They even have similar temples in the Balearic islands: http://majorca-mallorca.org.uk/history-of-majorca You shouldn’t even be comparing Malta’s historical interest to that of ‘the rest of Europe’, which is majorly unfair (to Malta). Any comparisons to be made are with our neighbours: Sicily and the outlying islands. We compare magnificently well with the outlying islands, for many reasons, but we fade into total insignificance next to what can be seen and experienced in Sicily.]

      • Dgatt says:

        Oh come off it! As if reading for a B.A.(General) in Classics and Archaeology, studying Latin and Greek, makes you an expert in Maltese history!

        [Daphne – Honours, not general. Four years, not three, in a course with possibly the most stringent requirements and standards at the University of Malta, outside the sciences/engineering/architecture/medicine. And I was on the Dean’s list, not that this would mean anything to you. Archaeology, not classics. And yes, Maltese history was – for obvious reasons – an integral part of it. And that is quite apart from the fact that I had a prior interest in the subject, which I why I chose it in the first place, still do, and I read widely and have done so all my life. Also, I do not travel for shopping. You are out of your depth on this one. At least have the good sense to acknowledge it.]

      • Jozef says:

        Recent digs in Turkey have unearthed structures dating to ca.8700 BC

        Get a grip.

      • bryan says:

        the link you posted in respect of Mallorca is not very impressive. ‘traces of habitation from the Paleolithic Period found in caves’ is not in the same league as Hagar Qim and the other temples….or is it?

        [Daphne – Do you actually need ME to give you the information you clearly need? Given that you appear incapable of using the internet yourself, here’s a little something to get you started: http://www.bugbog.com/images/main/spain/menorca-taula-balearics.jpg The Balearic islands have temples virtually identical to Malta’s, and they take them for granted. Nobody cites them as a reason to visit.]

        but we digress. if for the sake of argument 300 poor destitute souls are taken advantage of and promised safe passage ,put on a decrepit dinghy or small vessel with an agreement already in place with a coaster which picks them up close to Libyan shores and carries them on to Malta or wherever, are we obliged to allow them entry or not?

        [Daphne – Yes, we are. Refugees BY DEFINITION use ‘illegal’ means to escape. Let’s take all those thousands of people who fled across the Hungarian border in the 1950s (use the internet, because I am tired of spoonfeeding people here). It was illegal for them to leave Hungary and it was illegal for them to enter a neighbouring country without a passport. But what was their alternative? Besides which, you cannot ascertain whether a person is a genuine refugee or not until you have examined their application.]

        if you think that we should, this would present a whole new problem. where would one stop? at 50, at 60 at 600? Do you not agree that Europe should stop talking and start acting?

        [Daphne – The small numbers you mention indicate not just your mentality but your perception of the scale of the problem. You are also acutely unaware that numbers do not come into human rights issues.]

    • dutchie says:

      I’ve never understood the reason why Anchor Bay was never brought back to the pre-Popeye state. That cow has been milked dry long ago.

      I personally think it is a completely unfit exploitation of what once was a simple quiet swimming area.

      So I agree 100% with Mr Stefano’s Popeye comment. As for the mythical cave in Gozo, all that’s great is the fantastic view of the beach and valley below.

      We deserve such comments now. I’m embarrassed (and I saw it coming).

      • Ta'Sapienza says:

        If you want to see a real cave visit Cuevas de Nerja near Malaga. Truly mind blowing .

        [Daphne – To get the Maltese there, you’ll have to blow something other than their mind.]

    • Marlowe says:

      Dgatt, Sicily is the very land where the myths of Persephone, Demeter, Cyclops were created by the colonizing Greeks.

      I suggest an excursion to Valle dei Templi; it’s very close by.

      I could never for the life of me understand why Maltese schoolchildren don’t go on outings there. What you will find there, in the town of Agrigento alone, one short catamaran ride away, will vastly outshine the whole of these Maltese islands.

      Somewhere along the way, the Maltese seem to have forgotten that Malta was a sunny rock where Britons could come for a prolonged dirty weekend, and began thinking we have some unique legacy.

      Even more baffling is that this ‘unique legacy’ (which it isn’t, the whole Mediterranean basin can claim it) is the direct result of multiculturalism. It’s this very thing that Lowell and his followers claim to have an issue with.

      So multiculturalism will destroy a culture that is an amalgamation of what I count are at least seven direct influences? Talk about a non sequitur.

      • Jozef says:

        You couldn’t put it better. There they go, Melita bla bla and two sentences later it’s Thor and Valhalla.

        Go figure.

  25. NGT says:

    Why do our right-wingers glorify the Knights of Malta so much? They didn’t exactly think highly of the locals did they?

    • Rumplestiltskin says:

      Maybe because the eight-pointed cross is a good substitute for the swastika on their flag.

    • Jar Jar says:

      Because they beat off the Turks ( = Muslims)? I wonder how much the Turkish attack was motivated by the pesky pirate raids coming out of Malta by the knights.

      The Turks had already been beaten back at Vienna and they then turned their attention to Malta and the knights – who treated the Maltese as slightly better than slaves.

    • etil says:

      The Knights of Malta may not have thought highly of the locals but they sure built majestic auberges and fortifications in Malta. Please give credit where credit is due. Also it is not nice to rubbish one’s country. Admittedly we do have failings but then what country or people in the world is perfect.

      [Daphne – This has absolutely nothing to do with rubbishing one’s country. Those who do not have an inferiority complex, and who do not have jingoistic feelings about ‘national pride’, are realistic. Yes, this man is right. And we have to acknowledge the fact that his harshness is a direct response to the crude vulgarity of hundreds of Maltese people posting really ignorant remarks on that page. He would have said nothing otherwise. He would have had no reason to do so.]

      • H.P. Baxxter says:

        Are you perchance following “Kitten” Zammit Tabona’s guidelines on the definition of “majestic”?

        Our Maltese hearts sure burst with pride and love for those majestic auberges and fortifications. We built public latrines and hideous kiosks right up to Valletta’s fortified entrance, and stuck a great big bus station in front of the main gate.

        And when some auberges were destroyed during the Second World War, what did we replace them with? The obscenely ugly Workers’ Memorial Building and the tacky Law Courts.

        All very majestic.

      • etil says:

        I had a gut feeling you would bring ‘inferiority complex’ into the picture Daphne. I do not wish to have an argument with you on when one is considered to have an inferiority complex because we seem to be on different wavelengths on this issue. Of course I do respect your opinion just as I hope you respect mine.

        As for Mr. Stefano he is right in being harsh in his reply regarding the vulgar and obscene comments placed by illiterate and yes, now is the time to say people who suffer from a severe inferiority complex. Having said this however, I think Mr. Stefano should not have replied to insults by insults. Insults do not win an argument and besides he should know that not all the Maltese are such lowlife. It could be that he had a bad experience whilst in Malta which made him say what he said as he had been hurt. Having said this I say ‘win an argument by the power of persuasion’ and not by going down nearly the same level as those idiots who posted the horrible comments and caused so much harm to Malta and the Maltese. I have seen comments in the Italian press that were not all derogatory of Malta and its people and some did in fact point out that Malta and the Maltese are not all of the likes who posted those comments. I believe there are polite ways of telling a person to go to hell without actually insulting him/her. This, I understand, is what diplomats are trained to do.

        In conclusion I feel that the Prime Minister also slipped very badly when he said he disassociates himself from these comments – he should have said I condemn these comments. Unfortunately he is a lost case now and poor Malta, the future does not look at all bright.

      • etil says:

        Baxxter I am no sheep and do not need to follow anyone’s. guidelines. I spoke in all sincerity. I am fully aware of damage done to historical buildings and also of what Mintoff ruined. I have already said that Malta did have failings so why are you being sarcastic. I do not find you at all amusing. I am just as frustrated as you at what has been and is being done in Malta.

      • H.P. Baxxter says:

        I wasn’t trying to be amusing. Your comment irked me on two levels.

        Firstly, it annoys me that my countrymen cannot use their official language correctly. Majestic would be Versailles or the Winter Palace. The auberges in Valletta are small, plain and functional. The fortifications may have been imposing two hundred years ago. Today, most of them have gone. In any case they were never majestic. That’s not the right adjective for bastioned fortifications.

        Secondly, it annoys me that our historiography and sense of cultural analysis has been warped beyond all hope. We live on the myth, which has supplanted the appreciation of the thing itself. That’s the most dangerous state of affairs for any country. It means we’re happy to destroy historical heritage, or commit gross errors of anachronism, because the myth remains.

        I’ll give you two examples.

        We go on about “baroque Valletta”. Valletta isn’t baroque. There is nothing baroque about the street plan, with its total absence or large, wide, majestic (ah) spaces. There is very little that is baroque about the buildings either. Cities far more baroque than Valletta, such as Rome (or Palmanova if you want something built ex nihilo), are careful not to assign meaningless adjectives to themselves.

        Mdina is the other example. “Medieval city”, say all the brochures and the pundits. Then we build a “medieval garden” in the ditch and the result is a total horror. Even a dilettante like me could have designed a real medieval garden for them. And it would have been historically accurate. And I’d have done it free of charge.

        Right now it is very fashionable to post Rationalist memes on Facebook. Good. But let’s do it for cultural heritage too. When we do not constantly challenge our views by examining the real thing, we’ll wake up one day to find the auberges and the fortifications gone. Fat lot of good will the brochures do then.

  26. Osservatore says:

    @OsservatoreMT

    “PM Muscat – your push back policy & any suffering inflicted on refugee women & children are NOT being done in my name as a Maltese citizen.”

    Let’s be heard here, and let’s be heard on twitter too. Please support!

  27. Joe Dayney says:

    I am thinking that Farsons should start putting Prozac in San Michel and laxatives in the pastizzi …

  28. Claude Sciberras says:

    Two wrongs never make it right. Whilst the ignorant comments of the Maltese are deplorable this one is too. The person clearly has no clue what he is talking about and in rubbishing our island to prove his point is showing what an idiot he is.

    People are obviously mixing up issues some because of ignorance, some because of their racist feelings and others because they know no better. The recent two issues ie when Muscat was threatening to send the immigrants back and the more recent issue of the ship which saved over 100 immigrants are very different. The former was a case where the prime minister was trying to show he’s got the balls by as he put it “stamping his feet” but ended up being smacked on the hand and told not to do it again. The latter was a case of grey area within the law as i understand it. The vessle was told to take the immigrants to the nearest port of call and decided to go to Malta instead. I do not think that the immigrants should have been left out at sea but it is clear that laws need to be obeyed and that one cannot decide to do whatever he likes and expect others to face the consequences. Immigration is a very sensitive issue and EVERYONE needs to take things seriously and with utmost care.

    Returning to Mr Stefano’s inane comment. He says that Malta is heartless and egoist. He has no clue what he is talking about. If he based his remark solely on the barrage of stupid comments that Mrs Malstrom received then we could forgive him because when i saw the endless list i was impressed, but if he took 5 mins to read up he would realise that the burden that Malta is carrying is quite large and that for many years we have done so with a lot of heart and selflessnes, We have also proven ourselves during the Libyan crisis. Whilst many of us are egoist and heartless (every country has its racists) we are not all the same. Our government, till a few months ago was also reflecting the Maltese values of hospitality and care. Now we have a different government with different ideas lets hope we do not lose our values and our altruism but we must remember that we reap what we sow. Again the point is not that we do not want to help out as we have been helping out a lot and continue to do so, the point is that Malta is carrying a very heavy burden and there are many european countries who can easily help us out but for some reason are keeping back. We need to continue working to find a solution which alleviates this problem in the interest of the immigrants themselves (each time i pass bu Hal far or Marsa i realise that we have created a third world country within our country).

    And a last point, when you resort to the type or offensive words used by Mr Stefano, it only proves that you have no point to make. he rants about tourism and us not being european etc. Bil-Malti “Paroli Vojt”

  29. CGrech says:

    This is how most of Europe see us. Happy now, Mr. Prime Minister? I am ashamed to be called Maltese.

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