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.

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

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.

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.

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”

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.

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.

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.]