The prime minister might think of ringing Spain’s most important newspaper and telling it ‘Let’s move on’
Spain’s biggest and most influential national newspaper ran this long article last Sunday, headed ‘Become European for a million euros.’
Annoying, isn’t it, how people refuse to move on despite the Maltese prime minister and the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association telling them to do so?
The whole world should adhere to the Maltese government’s agenda.
And that reminds me: what on earth is this ‘the European Commission decided so now we can move on’ attitude? The European Commission is just one part of the equation. You have to be very autocratic indeed to think of it as the only part. The Maltese government is also accountable to the Maltese electorate, who did not vote for the sale of passports and who had a fast one pulled on them.
Our objections can and should be raised regardless of what the European Commission has said about the phantasmagoric one-year residency, especially if our objection is to the sale of citizenship in principle, and to the consequences of this scheme, which are being felt already in terms of damage to Malta’s good name.
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http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2014/01/31/actualidad/1391190231_523409.html
“The Maltese government is also accountable to the Maltese electorate, who did not vote for the sale of passports and who had a fast one pulled on them”
…
Our objections can and should be raised regardless of what the European Commission has said about the phantasmagoric one-year residency, especially if our objection is to the sale of citizenship in principle, and to the consequences of this scheme, which are being felt already in terms of damage to Malta’s good name.”
Brava.
Brava times a million. But I expect the Nationalist Party to declare its support for the “modified” scheme later today. Such is Malta.
I second that.
Brava, that’s right.
The EU Commission speaks in terms of EU law, and it is right to do so.
The Maltese public speaks in terms of its wishes and aspirations. Is Muscat now no longer arguing that our government is sovereign?
Not just El Pais:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/variety/2014/02/01/-1-55-million-passport-Malta-thinks-it-s-worth-it.html
http://kenyans.eu/malta-tightens-passport-sale-terms-under-eu-pressure/
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/article_xinhua.aspx?id=197214
http://thecairopost.com/news/82138/world/malta-agrees-to-curtail-plans-to-sell-eu-citizenship
http://www.europolitics.info/sectorial-policies/malta-changes-citizenship-scheme-art359407-16.html
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/1/30/malta-amends-controversialcitizenshipforsaleprogram.html
http://eedition.inyt.com/epaper/iphone/homepage.aspx#_article060d9c56-7412-4fcc-ac0e-4a099c38c01e
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/01/29/uk-eu-malta-idUKBREA0S1WD20140129
http://www.neurope.eu/article/malta-backs-down-citizenship
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-02-04/news/social-partners-turn-out-in-droves-for-meeting-with-pm-over-iip-funds-3868327937/
It’s a real shame the local social partners seem ready to move on. At least I’m sure the international press will keep doing its work.
The ‘local social partners’ are just being ‘sociable’. One never knows what crumbs could be tossed your way.
I hope the Opposition retain the higher moral ground and stop the government from pimping out our citizenship.
Citizenship should be bestowed not bought. It is a privilege to become Maltese, one which should be taken away should it be abused, lest it damage the international standing of those who are Maltese by birthright.
I don’t care how many years of residency they settle on with the European Commission. The EC was only interested in safeguarding the interests of the other member states, insofar as the IIP as originally proposed affected them. The negative consequences of this scheme on a national level should be addressed in Parliament, and they are by no means resolved.
El Pais is the leading socialist newspaper in Spain. It is not owned by any socialist or left-wing party but it is a very left-wing newspaper.
It isn’t the most influential in Spain, but I believe that it is the best known because it is the only one to also have an international English version, distributed with The International Herald Tribune.
The point here is that it is very pro-Socialist and it is knocking Muscat on the head all the time; this article is pretty acidic.
Malta taghna lkoll, minbarra l-passaport. Dak inbehhuh lil-min lest ihallas.