Politics – The Malting Pot

Imagine if Deborah Schembri starts chairing the House Environment Committee?

·November 19, 2015
·Antoine Borg Micallef
·0 Comments

Dr Marlene Farrugia resigned from the Labour Party Parliamentary Group last Monday, and also gave up her Chairmanship of the House Environmental Committee. Since this new Chair is up for grabs, I am wondering whether the government will use this opportunity to give it to someone that will benefit its…

Mario De Marco and the PN “have a green conscience”, yet they support Spring Hunting

·June 11, 2015
·Antoine Borg Micallef
·1 Comment

Mario de Marco, PN deputy leader for parliamentary affairs, has appealed to his party to avoid repeating past ODZ development mistakes and to acknowledge that times have changed and there was a growing green conscience. Yet Mario de Marco and his PN buddies all publicly declared that they would support…

Malta, the democratic land of Environmental Communism

·July 6, 2014
·Antoine Borg Micallef
·2 Comments

When one thinks of 'communism' or 'communist state', the mind instantly wanders into fields of infringed human rights, censorship and untold horrors and deaths of citizens residing in these countries. Very few consider the effects communism has had on the environment in these areas. Rationally, we can arrive at the…

The hunting community prepares a petition that excludes itself

·June 2, 2014
·Antoine Borg Micallef
·0 Comments

Hunters' Associations in Malta have gathered over 100,000 signatures to petition the government to amend the Referenda Act so as to safeguard the rights of minority groups in Malta. In essence, such an amendment is a positive thing as minority groups in any country need to be safeguarded. Pity that…

The rise of the eurosceptics: Farage, Le Pen and Alfred Sant

·May 27, 2014
·Antoine Borg Micallef
·0 Comments

The 2014 European Parliament elections have been characterised by an alarming surge in populists groups, with the British UKIP and French Front National dominating national elections and increasing their presence in the EP by 31 seats. The public flocked to vote for anti-European parties across several EU member states and…

Exiting the EU: an upcoming British environmental disaster

·May 15, 2013
·Antoine Borg Micallef
·1 Comment

The past couple of months have seen a surge in fresh anti-EU discussions across British media. While the seemingly strained relationship between the UK and the EU is relatively mainstream news, the recent vociferous hatred spewed by some British MPs towards the EU is overshadowing some valid points: should Britain…

ORNIS Committee 2013 – do we need to read between the lines?

·April 2, 2013
·Antoine Borg Micallef
·1 Comment

In 2006, the Maltese government set up the so-called ‘ORNIS Committee’ in the soon to be defunct Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA). This committee was set up in order to: “decide on issues such as the study on trapping, licensing and registration. It also co-ordinates the collation of the…

Hunting in Malta: is the obsession justified?

·March 28, 2013
·Antoine Borg Micallef
·1 Comment

On Monday 25th of March, the newly elected Maltese Government announced the opening of a spring hunting season between the 10th and 30th April. The conditions have actually deteriorated from the previous year, with an increase of 2 hunting days, and the waiving of a €50 licence fee. While the…

Maltese political culture: A short review

·March 6, 2013
·Antoine Borg Micallef
·0 Comments

I have never been particularly over fascinated with politics, but exposure to this aspect is quite frankly unavoidable if you are Maltese! With a looming general election, I thought it would be an ideal time to pen this short post about my perception of the culture of politics in Malta.…