Paga minima

Għamlu tajjeb il-kapijiet tal-istati Mediterranei tal-Unjoni Ewropea meta ltqagħu f’Malta li poġġew l-emfażi fuq il-paga minima fl-Ewropa. Minn kif tkellmu dwarha, rawha bħala għodda qawwija biex fl-aħħar jiġu mwittija d-diżlivelli soċjali li tħallew jikbru fl-Unjoni Ewropea fl-aħħar snin. Bejn reġjuni fl-istess pajjiż, bejn reġjuni differenti fin-nord, sud u lvant tal-Ewropa.

Biss, forsi l-emfażi ma kellux jitpoġġa fuq li l-kunċett tal-paga minima jiddaħħal fl-Unjoni Ewropa. Wara kollox, ftit huma l-pajjiżi li għadhom mingħajrha.

Aħjar li l-emfażi jitpoġġa fuq il-ħtieġa li b’kordinament, kull pajjiż, fl-istess waqt, iżid il-paga minima tiegħu ngħidu aħna, b’5 fil-mija. Ċertament, m’għandhiex tiġi ffissata paga minima waħda għall-Ewropa kollha. Imma li kull pajjiż membru jkollu tiegħu u li din tiżdied bl-istess rata għal kulħadd, jagħmel sens, jekk tassew irridu li l-ġustizzja soċjali terġa’ ssaltan fl-Ewropa.

PROBLEMI BIL-KOMPJUTER

Milli nisma’, mhux jien biss niddejjaq u jitilgħuli meta għal kull ħaġa ta’ xejn is-sistema tal-kompjuter li nuża titlaq għal rasha, biex iddaħħal l-aħħar hekk imsejħa “updates”. Tkun miexja tajjeb, u xi ħadd… min jaf fejn jinsab… jiddeċiedi għalik u għaliha li għandha ttejjeb l-operat tagħha. B’telf ta’ żmien, u mhux rarament, b’taħwid.

Sadattant, ta’ spiss biex tikkordina x-xogħol li jkollok għaddej minn sistema għal oħra, issib li jkollok tinnaviga minn pletora ta’ “passwords”. Iridu jkunu komplikati, inkella ma jbastawx. Ħu żball f’xi wieħed minnhom, u l-problemi li jinqalgħu jibgħatuk fl-estremi tal-konfużjoni. Ma tibqax taf aktar ta’ min hi l-problema – tiegħek? tal-kompjuter innifsu? jew tad-direttivi li jirregolawh min eluf ta’ kolometri bogħod?

Hemm xi mod kif wieħed imur lura lejn żmien meta l-kompjuter “tiegħek” kien jitħalla jeqdiem fil-paċi, sakemm jibqa’ jagħti servizz aċċettabbli?

EĠEMONIJA AMERIKANA?

Fil-mod kif qed jiżviluppaw ir-relazzjonijiet internazzjonali kemm ilu li sar President tal-Istati Uniti Donald Trump, jidher li l-bqija tad-dinja trid tara kif se taċċetta sforz li qed isir minn dal-pajjiż biex jasserixxi eġemonija, jew kif se tilqa’ għalih.

Il-mod kif fost oħrajn, l-amministrazzjoni ta’ Trump ittrattat il-ftehimiet internazzjonali dwar il-klima u l-potenzjal nukleari tal-Iran juru sew kif l-Istati Uniti qed ikunu lesti li jiżguraw li tgħaddi tagħhom, anki kontra r-rieda tal-maġġoranza kbira tal-bqija tal-istati.

Hi sitwazzjoni li tista’ ssir perikoluża ħafna, mhux l-anqas għax l-ekonomija Amerikana mhijiex sejra ħażin – ħaġa li malajr isservi biex il-fiduċja tal-gvern Amerikana fil-qawwa tiegħu tikber tant li tipprovoka reazzjonijiet qliel. F’dil-klima ħaġa faċli jittieħdu deċiżjonijiet żbaljati bil-kbir, minn min iħossu qed jiġi provokat, u mill-Istati Uniti nfushom.

English Version – Minimum wage

The leaders of the EU’s Mediterranean states did well during their Malta meeting to focus on the minimum wage in Europe. Their discussion showed that they consider it as a powerful tool to at last start reducing the social divergences that have been allowed to increase in the EU during recent years. This has happened between regions in the same country, as well as between different areas in the north, south and east of the continent.

However perhaps the emphasis at the meeting did not need to be put on the introduction of the minimum wage concept in the EU. Actually, few are the countries which still do not have it.

It might have been better to focus on the need for all countries, in coordinated fashion and simultaneously, to raise their minimum wage by say, 5 per cent. Certainly, there should not be established one minimum wage covering all of Europe. But all member states should have an own minimum wage. Then it would make sense to have this increased at the same rate for all. That would truly go in the direction of giving priority to social justice in Europe.

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Computer problems

From what I hear, it seems like I am not the only one to get bothered and angry when for every little nothing, the computer system I use takes off on its own to introduce the most recent so called “updates”. It would have been doing well, but somebody… who knows where located… would decide for it and for you as the user, that it needs to improve performance. That implies a waste of one’s time and not infrequently, some mix-up or other.

Meanwhile, often in order to keep on track work that spans different computer systems, you find it imperative to navigate with a plethora of passwords. They need to be complex, otherwise they will not do. Just make one mistake as you deploy them, and the problems that arise will drive you to the extremities of confusion. One just cannot tell any longer who is actually causing the problem – yourself? the computer? or the directives that regulate how the latter operates as they issue from thousands of kilometres away?

Is there some way by which we can go back to the times when “your” computer was allowed to become obsolete in peace, so long as it continued to give an acceptable level of service?

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American hegemony?

In the manner by which international relations have been developing since Donald Trump became President of the US, it seems as if the rest of the world must decide whether to go along with the efforts of this country to assert global hegemony, or if not, how to respond.

Among others, the treatment accorded by the Trump administration to the international agreements on climate change and on Iran’s nuclear potential show clearly that the US are prepared to ensure that their word goes, even when a big majority of the world’s other states range against.

This situation can become extremely dangerous, not least because the US economy is hardly doing badly – which might fire further the confidence of the American government in its own power, in the end provoking tough responses. Given such a climate, it becomes easy for grossly mistaken decisions to be made, by those who feel provoked or by the US.