L-irziezet tal-ħut

It-tniġġis fil-baħar li qed joħolqu l-irziezet tal-ħut mhux aċċettabbli. Aktar u aktar għax – kif kien jaf kulħadd – qed joperaw fi ksur lampanti tar-regolamenti viġġenti.
Il-kalkolu tal-awtoritajiet kien bla dubju – mingħajr ma ġie mistqarr fil-beraħ – li attività li sejra tajjeb u qed trendi, tħalliha tiffjorixxi.
Biss min iħares minn barra lejn is-settur tat-trobbija tal-ħut fil-pajjiż żgur fehem xinhu għaddej. U messha dehret ħaġa ċara li l-illaxkar fil-kontrolli se jwassal biex il-ħmieġ ġenerat mill-irziezet jasal sax-xtajtiet.
Fuq dal-punt imbagħad, meta tkun trid tittieħed azzjoni biex l-abbużi jitrażżnu, wieħed jistenna li jqumu l-argumenti dwar kemm dan hu qasam li qed jimpjiega nies u xi flus qed iqalla’ lill-pajjiż.
Mhux darba jew tnejn, l-argumenti jirnexxielhom ibenġlu l-effett tal-miżuri li jkunu se jittieħdu. Isir ċaqliq amministrattiv biex jiġi żgurat li r-regolamenti qed jiġu osservati.
Malli l-qagħda tikkalma, kollox jerġa’ lura għal li kien qabel.
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SPANJA INGOVERNABBLI?
Dawn l-aħħar xhur fi Spanja, il-qagħda politika baqgħet staġnata, minkejja li nżammu żewġ elezzjonijiet ġenerali. Minn dominanza ta’ żewġ partiti – il-popolari u s-soċjalisti, ix-xenarju politiku nfetaħ għal erba’. Ħadd minnhom ma ngħata maġġoranza; mingħajr koalizzjoni, ma jistax jitwaqqaf gvern.
Fir-rebbiegħa, is-soċjalisti ipprovaw jifformaw koalizzjoni; u issa l-akbar partit fil-Parlament, il-Popolari mmexxija mill-Prim Ministru Rajoy. It-tnejn ma sabux maġġoranza tivvota favurihom.
L-imblokk parlamentari donnu juru l-problemi li jinqalgħu meta minn waħda ta’ żewġ partiti, is-sistema parlamentari tinbidel bil-wasla ta’ partiti “żgħar”. Iqumu żewġ problemi: il-politikanti l-“qodma” ftit ikunu mdorrija jaqilbu minn qagħda ta’ konfrontazzjoni għal waħda li biha tibni koalizzjoni; il-kalkoli tal-partiti isiru aktar kumplessi – biż-żgħar attenti kif iżommu posthom il-ġdid u jilħqu lill-kbar; u tal-aħħar jimmanvraw biex ifixklu liż-“żgħar”.
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BANKINI
Ċemplitli mara anzjana minn San Pawl il-Baħar biex tilmenta dwar kif saru jinbnew il-bankini biex jifformaw rampi kull fejn hemm daħla għal garaxx privat. Peress li n-numru ta’ garaxxijiet li jiftħu fuq it-triq dejjem jiżdied, il-wiċċ tal-bankini ma jibqax ċatt imma jimtela b’tundjaturi.
Tidher kwistjoni ta’ bla importanza. Mhijiex frivola għal min hu anzjan imma għax malajr tista’ titfixkel u taqa’ fuq bankini miġbuda b’dal-mod.
Anzjani li jaqgħu minħabba f’hekk jistgħu jiksru xi għadma jew oħra, b’konsegwenzi diżastrużi. Il-mara qaltli kif ipprovat titkellem ma’ kulħadd, minn Kastilja, sal-kunsill lokali sa Trasport Malta u ħadd ma ta kas.
Mhux sew. Daqskemm qed jiżdiedu l-garaxxijiet qed jiżdiedu l-anzjani. Żgur li l-bankini jistgħu jitfasslu mod ieħor biex jakkomodaw lil min għandu garaxx.

English Version – Fish farms

The sea pollution that is being caused by fish farms is unacceptable by any standards. It is even more so because, as was common knowledge, many were operating in flagrant violation of established regulations.

The authorities were no doubt working on the assumption, which they will not openly acknowledge, that an activity which is doing well and running profitably, should be allowed to flourish.
However any outside observer would have been able to understand what was happening in fish farming. And it should have been clear that the relaxation of controls was creating a situation in which the waste being generated by farms would eventually be reaching the shore.

On such a matter then, as action to control the abuses is about to be taken, one could expect claims to arise about how this is a sector that employs people and earns good money for the country as a whole.

Not infrequently such claims succeed to dampen the effect of the control measures that need to be taken. Administrative steps are followed to ensure that eventually regulations are observed.

As soon as the hubbub calms down, we then go back to the status quo ante.

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Is Spain ungovernable?

During past months, stalemate remained the order of the day in Spanish politics, even though two general elections were held. Formerly dominated by two parties – the popular and the socialist – the political landscape now features four. None of them enjoys a majority; without a coalition, a government cannot be set up.

In the spring, the socialists tried to form one; and now the Popular Party, led by Prime Minister Rajoy, which has the greatest number of deputies in the Parliament, took its turn. Both failed to The parliamentary blockage seems to illustrate the problems that could arise when a parliamentary system based on the predominance of two parties, has to change and make room for the arrival of “small” parties. Two problems arise: the “old” politicians have little practice in shifting from a confrontational mode to a softer one, necessary when building a coalition; the calculations that parties must make, become more complex – with the new ones on the watch to sustain their new role and compete with the bigger formations; while the latter manoeuvre to put spokes in the wheels of the upstarts.

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Pavements

An elderly lady from St Paul’s Bay phoned to complain about the way that pavements are being built to accomodate the entrances to private garages abutting on the street. As the number of such garages increases, pavement surfaces instead of being flat are now being transformed into a series of ups and downs.

This could seem to be a matter of minor or zero interest. To an elderly person however it is certainly not a frivolous issue, since he/she could easily trip and fall on pavements drawn up in this way.

When the elderly suffer a fall and as a result break a bone or two, the consequences for them could be disastrous. The lady who phoned explained she had tried to contact lots of people, from Castille, to the local council to Transport Malta but nobody had anything to say.

This is wrong. The elderly are increasing in number as fast as, if not faster than, private garages. Pavements could surely be constructed differently to accomodate garage owners.