Għalija it-test ta’ kemm l-Ewropa se tkun waħda soċjali fis-snin li ġejja hu kif se tittratta l-kwistjoni tal-paga minima. Il-verità hi li fil-qasam soċjali, il-ħaddiema, l-impjegati, is-self employed iż-żgħar u dawk kollha li jinsabu bħalhom tilfu mis-saħħa li kellhom biex iħarsu l-interessi tagħhom.

Veru li ħafna minn dawk li spiċċaw minn taħt ma jafux b’li tilfu jew jgħidu li ma jimportahomx. Imma dik hi r-realtà.

U l-mudell neo-liberali għat-tmexxija ekonomika li ġie segwit fl-aħħar snin għadu f’postu. Ċentru lemin u ċentru xellug baqgħu jduru lejh biex iżommu soda ż-żona tal-ewro.

Dan iċ-ċirku vizzjuż jeħtieġ li jinqata’. Mod kif dan isir hu billi tiżdied il-paga minima mal-Ewropa, bl-istess perċentwal mal-pajjiżi kollha u mil-livell miżmum f’kull pajjiż, skont iċ-ċirkostanzi tiegħu.

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ĠONNA

Il-wegħda ta’ aktar ġonna u ta’ isbaħ ġonna dejjem issir fi spazji urbani li jiżviluppaw b’mod li jħallu fgati lil min ikun qed jgħix fihom. Issir minn diriġenti li jifhmu kif baqa’ jitħassar il-bilanċ bejn il-mibni u n-naturali.

Nimmaġina li xi ħaġa hekk wasslet biex f’Babilonja jinbnew il-“ġonna mdendla” li kienu jitqiesu bħala waħda mill-meravilji tal-Antikità. U l-istess jiġri fi żminijietna.

Tgħid qatt kien hemm żmien meta l-ispazji mibnija ntużaw biex iseddqu l-ġonna, u mhux il-ġonna jinbnew biex jagħtu ħajja lill-ispazji mibnija?

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FEJN SEJRA L-EWROPA?

Ir-riżultati tal-elezzjonijiet għall-Parlament Ewropew jridu jiġu interpretati pajjiż b’pajjiż. Niddubita kemm hemm konklużjoni waħda li tapplika għall-pajjiżi kollha.

Dażgur, kien hemm avvanz tal-populiżmu/“estremiżmu”. Imma ma avvanzax kullimkien u fejn ma avvanzax, mhux għall-istess raġuni. Fejn avvanza, ukoll, mhux għall-istess raġuni.

Il-faxxinu tal-Ewropa jinsab f’dan: li fiha daqstant diversità. L-isfida kienet u għadha kif did-diversità ma tispiċċax f’antagoniżmu imma f’koperazzjoni bejn il-ġnus. Fil-livell tal-Parlament did-darba se tkun problema akbar minn qabel biex tinħoloq koperazzjoni li tressaq lejn deċiżjonijiet komuni. Bit-telfa tal-maġġoranza li qabel kellhom bejniethom, il-gruppi tal-“popolari” u tas-“soċjalisti u d-demokratiċi” (l-S&D) ma jistgħux jekk ikunu qablu bejniethom, waħidhom iġibuha żewġ fil-Parlament.

Dan se jagħti aktar nifs lill-gruppi tal-“liberali” u tal-“ħodor” biex jinsistu fuq il-kundizzjonijiet tagħhom jekk se jaqblu ma’ xi proposta mressqa. U dawn huma gruppi li mhumiex mill-ħelwin meta jkunu jridu jilħqu l-għanijiet tagħhom.

Sa issa, kemm il-“popolari” u kemm tal-S&D żammew ’il bogħod mill-“populisti” u l-“estremisti”. Nimmaġina li għal li ġej, se jagħmlu minn kollox biex jibqgħu hekk. Effettivament, ta’ spiss issib li l-“populisti” nfushom meta jiġu biex jiddeċiedu dwar kwistjonijiet jaħarqu ftit ikunu jistgħu jaqblu bejniethom… ħlief biex jgħidu le.

English Version – Minimum wage

For me the test of the extent to which Europe will run on progresive social lines in coming years will be the way by which minimum wage issues are going to be dealt with. The truth is that in the social sphere, workers, employees, self employed people as well as all those who share their status, have lost the traction they used to possess when defending their interests.

Indeed, many of those who ended up as underdogs do not know what has been lost or claim not to care about it. But that loss is the reality.

Meanwhile, the neo-liberal model for economic management that was adopted in recent years is still operative. Centre-right and centre-left still turn to it to keep the eurozone on track.

The vicious circle needs to be unblocked. One way to achieve this would be to increase the minimum wage throughout Europe, applying the same percentage rise across member states, on the basis of the level set for it in each country according to local circumstances.

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Gardens

Promises to create more gardens and more beautiful gardens are always being made for urban spaces that have been allowed to develop in ways which generate overcrowding. They are made by people in charge who comprehend how the equilibrium that should exist between the built and the natural has been disrupted further.

I imagine it was an initative of this kind that led to the construction in Babylon of hanging gardens. They became one of the wonders of Antiquity. And the same happens today.

Possibly, there never was a time when built spaces were promoted in order to upgrade gardens. Contrast that with the creation of gardens in order to give life to built spaces.

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Whereto Europe?

The results of the elections to the European Parliament need to be interpreted country by country. I doubt whether a general conclusion could apply to all countries.

Certainly, populism/“extremism” registered advances. But this did not happen everywhere and where it stalled, the causes were not the same. Where it progressed too, that happened for various and different reasons.

Which is what makes Europe so fascinating: it is all diversity. The challenge has been and remains to ensure that the diversity does not get embroiled in antagonism but morphs into cooperation between nations. At the level of the Parliament, this time round it will be a bigger problem than ever before to establish a cooperation that could lead to some common decisions. With the loss of the majority that till now, they had together, the “Popular” and the “Socialist and Democratic” (S&D) political groups cannot if they come to a joint agreement, still swing an EP vote their way.

This will give more leverage to the “Liberal” and “Green” groupings to insist that their conditions are met if they are to vote for a proposal that is on the table. Both of them are political “families” that can be anything but sweet when they’re all out to achieve their set aims.

Up to now both the “Populars” and the S&D have kep away from any agreement with “populists” and “extremists”. I believe that in the future, they will do their best to keep it that way. For effectively, one soon finds that the “populists” mostly fail to agree among themselves on issues that have a major impact… unless it is to say no.

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