L-aħbar li l-qasam industrijali ta’ Bulebel se jkollu jitkabbar hi waħda tajba u ħażina fl-istess ħin. Tajba għax turi li fil-qasam tal-manifattura qed ikun hemm żieda fl-attività li jeħtiġilha aktar spazju biex titwettaq. Ħażina għax art agrikola għammiela mill-ftit li baqa’ fil-pajjiż se tiġi sagrifikata.
Għandu madankollu jiġi żgurat li l-ispazji li huma diġà dedikati għall-industrija tassew qed jintużaw għal hekk. Fl-imgħoddi ta’ spiss kien jiġri li meta fabrika tagħlaq, is-sidien iżommu d-dritt fuqha u jużawha biex jaħżnu fiha inġenji u materjali oħra jew għal skopijiet kummerċjali. Kien hemm anke min baqa’ juża l-fabrika bħala garaġ għall-ispeeedboat (jew tnejn) tiegħu.
Il-problema dak iż-żmien kienet li biex taqla’ lil min mhux juża kif suppost l-ispazju mogħti lilu, kellek issegwi triq legali u burokratika twila ħafna.
Nittama li mhux qed jiġri l-istess illum.
KUNSILLI
F’għeluq il-kwart ta’ seklu mit-twaqqif tal-kunsilli lokali, hu għaqli li l-operat tagħhom jingħata eżami kritiku. Matulu kemm it-tajjeb u kemm il-ħażin għandu jitqies bil-galbu.
Fil-pożittiv, hemm il-fatt li f’numru sostanzjali ta’ inħawi l-kura lokali wasslet għal titjib fit-tmexxija ta’ servizzi u tad-dehra tal-post. Fin-negattiv, hemm il-pettikolezzi jew l-intenzjonijiet ħżiena li xekklu f’ċerti każi, it-tmexxija trasparenti u ġusta tal-finanzi u s-servizzi lokali.
L-argument dwar jekk il-politika “partiġġjana” kellhiex titħalla fis-sistema lokali għadu ħaj. Veru li permezz tagħha, l-interess u l-parteċipazzjoni tal-votanti baqa’ qawwi. Il-kunsilli servew ukoll ta’ introduzzjoni għal diversi żgħażagħ u oħrajn fl-attività politika nazzjonali. Biss minħabba l-politika, parti sostanzjali mit-tmexxija lokali baqgħet soġġetta għal maniġġi u kalkoli okkulti.
NRA
Għal min mhuwiex Amerikan, ma tiftiehemx il-ħeġġa ta’ daqstant miljuni fl-Istati Uniti biex akkost ta’ kollox iħallu ħelsien liema bħalu fil-bejgħ u fix-xiri tal-armi. F’massakru wara l-ieħor, mhux l-anqas f’universitajiet u fi skejjel, intwera kif dal-ħelsien qed jippermetti straġijiet li setgħu jkunu evitati b’aktar kontrolli.
Wieħed mill-fallimenti tal-President Obama ġara meta pprova jdaħħalhom.
Jintqal li kollu tort tan-National Rifle Association, l-aktar “lobby” qawwi fl-Istati Uniti wara dak ta’ Iżrael. Imma l-NRA hi qawwija, preċiżament għax għandha warajha dawk il-miljuni li jemmnu li l-ħelsien fin-negozju tal-armi hu t-timbru tal-ħelsien li l-kostituzzjoni Amerikana tiggarantixxi liċ-ċittadini.
Hu inkoraġġanti li wara l-aħħar massakru ta’ Florida kienu ż-żgħażagħ li donnhom ħadu l-inizjattiva biex jimmobilizzaw kontra dil-fehma. Donnu li rnexxielhom anki jċaqalqu lid-ditti li kienu għar-raġunijiet kummerċjali tagħhom, jappoġġjaw lill-NRA f’ħidmietha.
Wieħed jixtieq li l-attivisti żgħażagħ jirnexxu sal-aħħar f’għanijiethom. Sa issa, l-istorja tal-NRA turi li din dejjemirnexxielha tibqa’ minn fuq.
English Version – Bulebel
The news that the Bulebel industrial estate needs extending is both good and bad news. Good because it shows that manufacturing activity is increasing and more space needs to be provided for it. Bad because productive farmland from a shrinking stock must be given up.
However it should be ensured that land and buildings already allocated to industry are really serving this purpose. Frequently in the past it used to happen that after a factory closed down, owners would retain their rights to it and use the place to store machinery and materials or for commercial purposes. There were also those who would use the factory as a garage for their speedboat and more.
In those days, the problem was that a very long legal and bureaucratic process needed to be followed in order to evict whoever was not employing factory space given him/her for industrial purposes as intended.
I hope that the same is not occurring today.
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Local councils
Twenty five years after the establishment of local councils, it is worthwhile to carry out a critical examination of their outturn. It should aim to evaluate carefully both the upside and the downside of their performance.
On the positive side, there is the fact that in a substantial number of communities, local management has improved the delivery of services and the appearance of the locality. Negative aspects have included the small mindedness and bad faith that in some cases, obstructed a transparent and fair management of funds and local services.
The argument about whether “partisan” politics should have been allowed into local affairs is still with us. True, because of it, the interest and participation of voters have remained high. Councils have also provided an introduction to national political activity for young people and others. Still, because of politics, a substantial percentage of local affairs has remained subject to occult manoeuvres and calculations.
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NRA
Non-Americans do not understand the commitment of so many millions in the US to endorse at all costs full freedom in the sale and purchase of arms. In massacre after massacre, not least thosewhich happened in universities and schools, it was shown how this liberty is making possible tragedies which better controls would have avoided.
Indeed, one of President Obama’s failures happened when he tried to introduce gun controls.
The blame for this is laid at the door of the National Rifle Association, the most powerful lobby in the US after the pro-Israel one. But the NRA is powerful precisely because it has behind it all those millions who believe that the freedom from controls enjoyed by the arms trade underwrites the liberty of citizens as guaranteed by the constitution.
It is encouraging that following the latest massacre in Florida, young people seem to have taken the initiative to mobilise against this point of view. They also seem to have made firms which for commercial reasons were supporting the NRA’s activities, back away.
One can only hope that the young militants succeed right down the line in their endeavours. As of now, the record shows that the NRA has always managed to remain on top.
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