Not my bar but the Labour bar.

I believe that is not THE issue. It is being used as a diversionary smokescreen as to the real nature of the Żonqor project.

The real argument should be: how will the new ‘American University’ offer an alternative to MALTESE students?

We know that the new ‘university’ will be targeting fee-paying students from the Gulf states. How will this affect Maltese students who don’t wish to go to the University of Malta or any other tertiary educational institution except by paying a large sum of money to Sadeen Education Investment Ltd?

Is it cost-effective to give such a large tract of land for the few (if any) Maltese students wishing the ‘luxury’ of an alternative university to UoM?

Some may argue that the Żonqor Foreign investor is offering the huge “dree perzent scholarships” to Maltese. Again I say, is it worth the country’s sacrifice of the whole Żonqor area (or any other area in Malta) for a potential 120 students who could equally be catered for by UoM?

Being a private university, Maltese students not winning a scholarship will have to pay for a course there. Is this what people supporting the project in the name of breaking UoM’s perceived monopoly want? That our children start paying the large sums of money being mentioned to a Jordanian construction investor for their university education?

There is no comparison between UoM and the proposed AUM in terms of accessibility to MALTESE STUDENTS – not to mention the credibility of both. Isn’t it clear enough that Labour governments’ educational policies and decisions (particularly at tertiary level) have been disastrous.

Those in the area who couldn’t give a toss about academic matters and who think they will get rich from the spillover effect should take note that accommodation (and naturally other amenities) is being provided in situ.

One wonders who will be the main beneficiaries of the projected €70m. Then again, as you rightly say, the main attraction is going to be the visa which students will obtain for the entire Schengen zone.

Seen from this (and several other) perspective the project cannot but be a scam, riddled with signs of corruption both from inside and outside the country.

British Hotel. I know exactly where it is. I’m half ‘Valletta’.

Daphne: would you mind carrying out a similarly punitive raid in Valletta on the Hotel British? It’s down Triq il-Batterija.

One of Prime Minister Mintoff’s more notorious pieces of legislation was the ban on the use of the words NATIONAL, MALTA and MALTESE for anything other than state or government purposes.

As a result of that, the National Pharmacy became the Nashinal Pharmacy, the newspaper In-Nazzjon Taghna became In-BLANK Taghna, The Times of Malta became The Times and Malta was dropped from names of organisations and associations, clubs, bars and what have you.

That tells you all you need to know about whether democracies legislate to retain rights of use to the name of the country.

OF COURSE THEY DON’T.

Dawn bis-serjetà?

P.S. Shame about Silvio Parnis. Can’t use his own public garden.

It’s so obvious people read on a flat wooden bench strategically placed just beside the shade.

Calling it ‘Gnien il-qari’ is so ma taghmlu xejn.