Valur miżjud

Jeħtieġ li ninkuraġġixxu attività li tassew tħalli valur qawwi u miżjud fl-ekonomija Maltija. Mill-aħħar tas-snin tmenin u mis-snin disgħin tas-seklu l-ieħor, il-gvernijiet ta’ Fenech Adami imbuttaw bil-kbir lill-ekonomija Maltija lejn waħda li tispeċjalizza fil-provista ta’ servizzi.

Qabel, l-emfażi kien biex l-industrija tingħata kull inkoraġġiment. Biżżejjed taqra l-pjani ta’ żvilupp tas-snin ta’ qabel biex tifhem dil-ħaġa.

Illum jidher ċar li l-miri tal-amministrazzjonijiet Nazzjonalista ta’ wara l-1987 intlaħqu. L-ekonomija Maltija tiddependi bil-kbir mis-servizzi. Kulħadd jaċċetta dan, inkluża l-amministrazzjoni preżenti.

Biss naħseb li rridu nirriflettu aktar dwar x’inhu tal-akbar ġid għall-pajjiż, mhux f’perspettiva “qasira” daqskemm fuq waħda tat-tul. Apparti t-turiżmu, is-servizzi jħallu valur miżjud qawwi biżżejjed? – wieħed samm u mhux spekulattiv?

Effettivament, bis-servizzi, Malta qed taġixxi bħala sensar. M’hemm xejn ħażin f’hekk. Biss, sensar ma tantx jista’ jżid valur għal dak li jgħaddi minn taħt idejh, u jrid ikollu dejjem min jiġi għandu biex jinnegozja.

***

LAQGĦA F’GĦAWDEX

F’laqgħa għal Għawdex dwar Għawdex li l-uffiċċju tiegħi organizza ftit ilu fil-lukanda li għadha inkredibbilment sabiħa f’Ta’ Ċenċ, kellna diskussjoni interessanti dwar kif Għawdex jista’ jibbenefika mill-fondi tal-Unjoni Ewropea għal proġetti ta’ żvilupp.

Inħallu fil-ġenb il-froġa li l-gvern Nazzjonalistga wettaq fir-rigward ta’ kif innegozja t-trattament ta’ Għawdex meta Malta saret membru tal-Unjoni…

Biss matul is-snin, sar sforz biex Għawdex igawdi daqs Malta minn fondi Ewropej. Jekk il-biċċa ma tantx irnexxiet… jew irnexxiet ħafna anqas milli mixtieq… hemm bżonn nirriflettu għaliex.

Il-laqgħa tatni ċans nagħmel dir-riflessjoni. Il-kummenti li saruli publikament u privatament wara l-laqgħa kienu mill-aktar produttivi.

***

CANAGLIA

Hemm lott ta’ films Taljani (u nimmaġina oħrajn mill-Ewropa) ta’ żmien l-iswed u l-abjad (anke mis-snin 40 u 50 tas-seklu l-ieħor) li nsejnihom u li jistħoqqilhom jerġgħu jintwerew.

Bħal “Peccato che sia una canaglia”: film li ħareġ fl-1955, dirett minn Alessandro Blasetti, ibbażat fuq rakkont qasir ta’ Alberto Moravia, b’Vittorio de Sica, Sophia Loren u Marcello Mastroianni (it-tnejn tal-aħħar żgħażagħ li ma ngħidlekx). Hu farsa dinamika (rajtu f’you tube). Mastroianni, bħal

a żagħżugħ bit-taksi ġdida tiegħu, jipprova jaqbad liż-żgħażagħ xellerati li pprovaw jisirquhielu. Loren, kompliċi magħhom, tindiehes qrib is-sewwieq tat-taksi mingħajr ma tiċħad il-“professjoni” tagħha.

L-istess jista’ jingħad għal familtha kollha, immexxija minn de Sica, missier li joħloq filosofija madwar il-mestier tas-serq.Interessanti x-xeni ta’ konfużjoni fit-traffiku ta’ Ruma. Tqabbilhom ma’ tal-lum, mhuma xejn. Xorta l-film joħloq sitwazzjonijiet ta’ taħwid sħiħ meta Mastroianni jwaqqaf il-karozza tiegħu f’nofs pjazza biex isegwi lil dawk li riedu jisirqulu l-paqqa.

English Version – Value added

We really need to promote economic activity that does leave strong added value in the Maltese economy. As of the end of the 1980’s and during the 1990’s, the Fenech Adami administrations prodded the Maltese economy in a big way towards a direction that would make it specialise in the provision of services.

Before that, the emphasis had been on giving full encouragement to industry. To understand this, one simply needs to read the development plans published in previous years.

Today, it seems like the aims of the Nationalist administrations post-1987 have been reached. The Maltese economy is largely based on services. This has general acceptance, including within the present administration.

Still I think we need to reflect more deeply about what would be of greater benefit to the country, not in a “short” term perspective, as much as longer term. Apart from tourism, do services leave a value added that is sufficiently high and secure, one that is non-speculative?

Effectively, with its services sector, Malta’s role is that of a middleman. There’s nothing wrong with that. Yet middlemen can affect minimally the value of what they carry forward, and are always at the beck and call of whoever wishes to come along (or not) to trade via them.

***

Meeting in Gozo

During a meeting about Gozo organised in Gozo by my office there, in the still incredibly beautiful hotel at Ta’ Ċenċ, we had an interesting discussion about how that island could benefit from EU funds for development projects.

Let’s put a bracket around the disastrous way by which the PN government negotiated the approach to be followed regarding Gozo, when Malta joined the EU…

Even so, over the years, efforts were made to get Gozo to benefit as much as Malta from European funds. If they were hardly successful… or if they succeeded much less than was desired … we need to reflect on why this happened.

During our meeting, we had the opportunity to consider this point. The comments that were made both publicly and later to me privately, were most instructive.

***

“Canaglia”

From the 1940s and the 1950s, when movies were made in black and white, a good number of films from Italy (and I assume other European countries) have been forgotten, even if they really deserve being shown and seen again.

Like “Peccato che sia una canaglia” (“What a pity you’re a thug” – though I doubt wheter the English title was like so on release): the film was issued in 1955, directed by Alessandro Blasetti, based on an Alberto Moravia short story, with Vittorio de Sica, Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni (the last two looking unbelievably junior).

It’s a dynamic farce (I saw it on you tube). Mastroaianni is a young taxi driver who attempts to capture and bring to justice two hooligans who tried to steal his car. Loren, who is their accomplice, gets close to the taxi driver without in any way giving up on her “profession”. The same could be said for all her family, with de Sica as the father who propounds a whole philosophy in justification of thieving.

Scenes which focus on traffic congestion in Rome are quaint. Compared to today’s jams, they look puny. Still, the film creates situations of utter confusion when Mastroianni abandons his taxi in mid-square to rush after those who had tried to rob him of his good car.Today, it seems like the aims of the Nationalist administrations post-1987 have been reached. The Maltese economy is largely based on services. This has general acceptance, including within the present administration.

Still I think we need to reflect more deeply about what would be of greater benefit to the country, not in a “short” term perspective, as much as longer term. Apart from tourism, do services leave a value added that is sufficiently high and secure, one that is non-speculative?

Effectively, with its services sector, Malta’s role is that of a middleman. There’s nothing wrong with that. Yet middlemen can affect minimally the value of what they carry forward, and are always at the beck and call of whoever wishes to come along (or not) to trade via them.

***

Meeting in Gozo

During a meeting about Gozo organised in Gozo by my office there, in the still incredibly beautiful hotel at Ta’ Ċenċ, we had an interesting discussion about how that island could benefit from EU funds for development projects.

Let’s put a bracket around the disastrous way by which the PN government negotiated the approach to be followed regarding Gozo, when Malta joined the EU…

Even so, over the years, efforts were made to get Gozo to benefit as much as Malta from European funds. If they were hardly successful… or if they succeeded much less than was desired … we need to reflect on why this happened.

During our meeting, we had the opportunity to consider this point. The comments that were made both publicly and later to me privately, were most instructive.

***

“Canaglia”

From the 1940s and the 1950s, when movies were made in black and white, a good number of films from Italy (and I assume other European countries) have been forgotten, even if they really deserve being shown and seen again.

Like “Peccato che sia una canaglia” (“What a pity you’re a thug” – though I doubt wheter the English title was like so on release): the film was issued in 1955, directed by Alessandro Blasetti, based on an Alberto Moravia short story, with Vittorio de Sica, Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni (the last two looking unbelievably junior).

It’s a dynamic farce (I saw it on you tube). Mastroaianni is a young taxi driver who attempts to capture and bring to justice two hooligans who tried to steal his car. Loren, who is their accomplice, gets close to the taxi driver without in any way giving up on her “profession”. The same could be said for all her family, with de Sica as the father who propounds a whole philosophy in justification of thieving.

Scenes which focus on traffic congestion in Rome are quaint. Compared to today’s jams, they look puny. Still, the film creates situations of utter confusion when Mastroianni abandons his taxi in mid-square to rush after those who had tried to rob him of his good car.Today, it seems like the aims of the Nationalist administrations post-1987 have been reached. The Maltese economy is largely based on services. This has general acceptance, including within the present administration.

Still I think we need to reflect more deeply about what would be of greater benefit to the country, not in a “short” term perspective, as much as longer term. Apart from tourism, do services leave a value added that is sufficiently high and secure, one that is non-speculative?

Effectively, with its services sector, Malta’s role is that of a middleman. There’s nothing wrong with that. Yet middlemen can affect minimally the value of what they carry forward, and are always at the beck and call of whoever wishes to come along (or not) to trade via them.

***

Meeting in Gozo

During a meeting about Gozo organised in Gozo by my office there, in the still incredibly beautiful hotel at Ta’ Ċenċ, we had an interesting discussion about how that island could benefit from EU funds for development projects.

Let’s put a bracket around the disastrous way by which the PN government negotiated the approach to be followed regarding Gozo, when Malta joined the EU…

Even so, over the years, efforts were made to get Gozo to benefit as much as Malta from European funds. If they were hardly successful… or if they succeeded much less than was desired … we need to reflect on why this happened.

During our meeting, we had the opportunity to consider this point. The comments that were made both publicly and later to me privately, were most instructive.

***

“Canaglia”

From the 1940s and the 1950s, when movies were made in black and white, a good number of films from Italy (and I assume other European countries) have been forgotten, even if they really deserve being shown and seen again.

Like “Peccato che sia una canaglia” (“What a pity you’re a thug” – though I doubt wheter the English title was like so on release): the film was issued in 1955, directed by Alessandro Blasetti, based on an Alberto Moravia short story, with Vittorio de Sica, Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni (the last two looking unbelievably junior).

It’s a dynamic farce (I saw it on you tube). Mastroaianni is a young taxi driver who attempts to capture and bring to justice two hooligans who tried to steal his car. Loren, who is their accomplice, gets close to the taxi driver without in any way giving up on her “profession”. The same could be said for all her family, with de Sica as the father who propounds a whole philosophy in justification of thieving.

Scenes which focus on traffic congestion in Rome are quaint. Compared to today’s jams, they look puny. Still, the film creates situations of utter confusion when Mastroianni abandons his taxi in mid-square to rush after those who had tried to rob him of his good car.Today, it seems like the aims of the Nationalist administrations post-1987 have been reached. The Maltese economy is largely based on services. This has general acceptance, including within the present administration.

Still I think we need to reflect more deeply about what would be of greater benefit to the country, not in a “short” term perspective, as much as longer term. Apart from tourism, do services leave a value added that is sufficiently high and secure, one that is non-speculative?

Effectively, with its services sector, Malta’s role is that of a middleman. There’s nothing wrong with that. Yet middlemen can affect minimally the value of what they carry forward, and are always at the beck and call of whoever wishes to come along (or not) to trade via them.

***

Meeting in Gozo

During a meeting about Gozo organised in Gozo by my office there, in the still incredibly beautiful hotel at Ta’ Ċenċ, we had an interesting discussion about how that island could benefit from EU funds for development projects.

Let’s put a bracket around the disastrous way by which the PN government negotiated the approach to be followed regarding Gozo, when Malta joined the EU…

Even so, over the years, efforts were made to get Gozo to benefit as much as Malta from European funds. If they were hardly successful… or if they succeeded much less than was desired … we need to reflect on why this happened.

During our meeting, we had the opportunity to consider this point. The comments that were made both publicly and later to me privately, were most instructive.

***

“Canaglia”

From the 1940s and the 1950s, when movies were made in black and white, a good number of films from Italy (and I assume other European countries) have been forgotten, even if they really deserve being shown and seen again.

Like “Peccato che sia una canaglia” (“What a pity you’re a thug” – though I doubt wheter the English title was like so on release): the film was issued in 1955, directed by Alessandro Blasetti, based on an Alberto Moravia short story, with Vittorio de Sica, Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni (the last two looking unbelievably junior).

It’s a dynamic farce (I saw it on you tube). Mastroaianni is a young taxi driver who attempts to capture and bring to justice two hooligans who tried to steal his car. Loren, who is their accomplice, gets close to the taxi driver without in any way giving up on her “profession”. The same could be said for all her family, with de Sica as the father who propounds a whole philosophy in justification of thieving.

Scenes which focus on traffic congestion in Rome are quaint. Compared to today’s jams, they look puny. Still, the film creates situations of utter confusion when Mastroianni abandons his taxi in mid-square to rush after those who had tried to rob him of his good car.Today, it seems like the aims of the Nationalist administrations post-1987 have been reached. The Maltese economy is largely based on services. This has general acceptance, including within the present administration.

Still I think we need to reflect more deeply about what would be of greater benefit to the country, not in a “short” term perspective, as much as longer term. Apart from tourism, do services leave a value added that is sufficiently high and secure, one that is non-speculative?

Effectively, with its services sector, Malta’s role is that of a middleman. There’s nothing wrong with that. Yet middlemen can affect minimally the value of what they carry forward, and are always at the beck and call of whoever wishes to come along (or not) to trade via them.

***

Meeting in Gozo

During a meeting about Gozo organised in Gozo by my office there, in the still incredibly beautiful hotel at Ta’ Ċenċ, we had an interesting discussion about how that island could benefit from EU funds for development projects.

Let’s put a bracket around the disastrous way by which the PN government negotiated the approach to be followed regarding Gozo, when Malta joined the EU…

Even so, over the years, efforts were made to get Gozo to benefit as much as Malta from European funds. If they were hardly successful… or if they succeeded much less than was desired … we need to reflect on why this happened.

During our meeting, we had the opportunity to consider this point. The comments that were made both publicly and later to me privately, were most instructive.

***

“Canaglia”

From the 1940s and the 1950s, when movies were made in black and white, a good number of films from Italy (and I assume other European countries) have been forgotten, even if they really deserve being shown and seen again.

Like “Peccato che sia una canaglia” (“What a pity you’re a thug” – though I doubt wheter the English title was like so on release): the film was issued in 1955, directed by Alessandro Blasetti, based on an Alberto Moravia short story, with Vittorio de Sica, Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni (the last two looking unbelievably junior).

It’s a dynamic farce (I saw it on you tube). Mastroaianni is a young taxi driver who attempts to capture and bring to justice two hooligans who tried to steal his car. Loren, who is their accomplice, gets close to the taxi driver without in any way giving up on her “profession”. The same could be said for all her family, with de Sica as the father who propounds a whole philosophy in justification of thieving.

Scenes which focus on traffic congestion in Rome are quaint. Compared to today’s jams, they look puny. Still, the film creates situations of utter confusion when Mastroianni abandons his taxi in mid-square to rush after those who had tried to rob him of his good car.Today, it seems like the aims of the Nationalist administrations post-1987 have been reached. The Maltese economy is largely based on services. This has general acceptance, including within the present administration.

Still I think we need to reflect more deeply about what would be of greater benefit to the country, not in a “short” term perspective, as much as longer term. Apart from tourism, do services leave a value added that is sufficiently high and secure, one that is non-speculative?

Effectively, with its services sector, Malta’s role is that of a middleman. There’s nothing wrong with that. Yet middlemen can affect minimally the value of what they carry forward, and are always at the beck and call of whoever wishes to come along (or not) to trade via them.

***

Meeting in Gozo

During a meeting about Gozo organised in Gozo by my office there, in the still incredibly beautiful hotel at Ta’ Ċenċ, we had an interesting discussion about how that island could benefit from EU funds for development projects.

Let’s put a bracket around the disastrous way by which the PN government negotiated the approach to be followed regarding Gozo, when Malta joined the EU…

Even so, over the years, efforts were made to get Gozo to benefit as much as Malta from European funds. If they were hardly successful… or if they succeeded much less than was desired … we need to reflect on why this happened.

During our meeting, we had the opportunity to consider this point. The comments that were made both publicly and later to me privately, were most instructive.

***

“Canaglia”

From the 1940s and the 1950s, when movies were made in black and white, a good number of films from Italy (and I assume other European countries) have been forgotten, even if they really deserve being shown and seen again.

Like “Peccato che sia una canaglia” (“What a pity you’re a thug” – though I doubt wheter the English title was like so on release): the film was issued in 1955, directed by Alessandro Blasetti, based on an Alberto Moravia short story, with Vittorio de Sica, Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni (the last two looking unbelievably junior).

It’s a dynamic farce (I saw it on you tube). Mastroaianni is a young taxi driver who attempts to capture and bring to justice two hooligans who tried to steal his car. Loren, who is their accomplice, gets close to the taxi driver without in any way giving up on her “profession”. The same could be said for all her family, with de Sica as the father who propounds a whole philosophy in justification of thieving.

Scenes which focus on traffic congestion in Rome are quaint. Compared to today’s jams, they look puny. Still, the film creates situations of utter confusion when Mastroianni abandons his taxi in mid-square to rush after those who had tried to rob him of his good car.Today, it seems like the aims of the Nationalist administrations post-1987 have been reached. The Maltese economy is largely based on services. This has general acceptance, including within the present administration.

Still I think we need to reflect more deeply about what would be of greater benefit to the country, not in a “short” term perspective, as much as longer term. Apart from tourism, do services leave a value added that is sufficiently high and secure, one that is non-speculative?

Effectively, with its services sector, Malta’s role is that of a middleman. There’s nothing wrong with that. Yet middlemen can affect minimally the value of what they carry forward, and are always at the beck and call of whoever wishes to come along (or not) to trade via them.

***

Meeting in Gozo

During a meeting about Gozo organised in Gozo by my office there, in the still incredibly beautiful hotel at Ta’ Ċenċ, we had an interesting discussion about how that island could benefit from EU funds for development projects.

Let’s put a bracket around the disastrous way by which the PN government negotiated the approach to be followed regarding Gozo, when Malta joined the EU…

Even so, over the years, efforts were made to get Gozo to benefit as much as Malta from European funds. If they were hardly successful… or if they succeeded much less than was desired … we need to reflect on why this happened.

During our meeting, we had the opportunity to consider this point. The comments that were made both publicly and later to me privately, were most instructive.

***

“Canaglia”

From the 1940s and the 1950s, when movies were made in black and white, a good number of films from Italy (and I assume other European countries) have been forgotten, even if they really deserve being shown and seen again.

Like “Peccato che sia una canaglia” (“What a pity you’re a thug” – though I doubt wheter the English title was like so on release): the film was issued in 1955, directed by Alessandro Blasetti, based on an Alberto Moravia short story, with Vittorio de Sica, Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni (the last two looking unbelievably junior).

It’s a dynamic farce (I saw it on you tube). Mastroaianni is a young taxi driver who attempts to capture and bring to justice two hooligans who tried to steal his car. Loren, who is their accomplice, gets close to the taxi driver without in any way giving up on her “profession”. The same could be said for all her family, with de Sica as the father who propounds a whole philosophy in justification of thieving.

Scenes which focus on traffic congestion in Rome are quaint. Compared to today’s jams, they look puny. Still, the film creates situations of utter confusion when Mastroianni abandons his taxi in mid-square to rush after those who had tried to rob him of his good car.Today, it seems like the aims of the Nationalist administrations post-1987 have been reached. The Maltese economy is largely based on services. This has general acceptance, including within the present administration.

Still I think we need to reflect more deeply about what would be of greater benefit to the country, not in a “short” term perspective, as much as longer term. Apart from tourism, do services leave a value added that is sufficiently high and secure, one that is non-speculative?

Effectively, with its services sector, Malta’s role is that of a middleman. There’s nothing wrong with that. Yet middlemen can affect minimally the value of what they carry forward, and are always at the beck and call of whoever wishes to come along (or not) to trade via them.

***

Meeting in Gozo

During a meeting about Gozo organised in Gozo by my office there, in the still incredibly beautiful hotel at Ta’ Ċenċ, we had an interesting discussion about how that island could benefit from EU funds for development projects.

Let’s put a bracket around the disastrous way by which the PN government negotiated the approach to be followed regarding Gozo, when Malta joined the EU…

Even so, over the years, efforts were made to get Gozo to benefit as much as Malta from European funds. If they were hardly successful… or if they succeeded much less than was desired … we need to reflect on why this happened.

During our meeting, we had the opportunity to consider this point. The comments that were made both publicly and later to me privately, were most instructive.

***

“Canaglia”

From the 1940s and the 1950s, when movies were made in black and white, a good number of films from Italy (and I assume other European countries) have been forgotten, even if they really deserve being shown and seen again.

Like “Peccato che sia una canaglia” (“What a pity you’re a thug” – though I doubt wheter the English title was like so on release): the film was issued in 1955, directed by Alessandro Blasetti, based on an Alberto Moravia short story, with Vittorio de Sica, Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni (the last two looking unbelievably junior).

It’s a dynamic farce (I saw it on you tube). Mastroaianni is a young taxi driver who attempts to capture and bring to justice two hooligans who tried to steal his car. Loren, who is their accomplice, gets close to the taxi driver without in any way giving up on her “profession”. The same could be said for all her family, with de Sica as the father who propounds a whole philosophy in justification of thieving.

Scenes which focus on traffic congestion in Rome are quaint. Compared to today’s jams, they look puny. Still, the film creates situations of utter confusion when Mastroianni abandons his taxi in mid-square to rush after those who had tried to rob him of his good car.Today, it seems like the aims of the Nationalist administrations post-1987 have been reached. The Maltese economy is largely based on services. This has general acceptance, including within the present administration.

Still I think we need to reflect more deeply about what would be of greater benefit to the country, not in a “short” term perspective, as much as longer term. Apart from tourism, do services leave a value added that is sufficiently high and secure, one that is non-speculative?

Effectively, with its services sector, Malta’s role is that of a middleman. There’s nothing wrong with that. Yet middlemen can affect minimally the value of what they carry forward, and are always at the beck and call of whoever wishes to come along (or not) to trade via them.

***

Meeting in Gozo

During a meeting about Gozo organised in Gozo by my office there, in the still incredibly beautiful hotel at Ta’ Ċenċ, we had an interesting discussion about how that island could benefit from EU funds for development projects.

Let’s put a bracket around the disastrous way by which the PN government negotiated the approach to be followed regarding Gozo, when Malta joined the EU…

Even so, over the years, efforts were made to get Gozo to benefit as much as Malta from European funds. If they were hardly successful… or if they succeeded much less than was desired … we need to reflect on why this happened.

During our meeting, we had the opportunity to consider this point. The comments that were made both publicly and later to me privately, were most instructive.

***

“Canaglia”

From the 1940s and the 1950s, when movies were made in black and white, a good number of films from Italy (and I assume other European countries) have been forgotten, even if they really deserve being shown and seen again.

Like “Peccato che sia una canaglia” (“What a pity you’re a thug” – though I doubt wheter the English title was like so on release): the film was issued in 1955, directed by Alessandro Blasetti, based on an Alberto Moravia short story, with Vittorio de Sica, Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni (the last two looking unbelievably junior).

It’s a dynamic farce (I saw it on you tube). Mastroaianni is a young taxi driver who attempts to capture and bring to justice two hooligans who tried to steal his car. Loren, who is their accomplice, gets close to the taxi driver without in any way giving up on her “profession”. The same could be said for all her family, with de Sica as the father who propounds a whole philosophy in justification of thieving.

Scenes which focus on traffic congestion in Rome are quaint. Compared to today’s jams, they look puny. Still, the film creates situations of utter confusion when Mastroianni abandons his taxi in mid-square to rush after those who had tried to rob him of his good car.