Once upon a time, this was called the abuse of power

James Debono is so right here. Malta is in a very bad way. The damage done to its reputation is, I would say, now irreversible. The island has proved that when it does veer onto the straight and narrow, the situation is only temporary and that the default position is corruption, the abuse of power, and Siculo-North African operative standards. In 1987 the Pause button was pressed, and in 2013 somebody pressed Resume. And that’s about it.

There will, however, be no 1987 again. In the late 1980s, half of Europe was under the Communist jackboot and Italy was completely controlled by the Mafia. Now, as we spiral out of control, we are on our own.