The Bike Island

Expanding cycle lanes vital to build Taiwan into ‘bike island’

 

 

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The government was urged yesterday to expand the number of cycle-only lanes around the country so as to help turn Taiwan into a “bike island.”

Liu Chin-piao, chairman of Taiwan’s flagship bicycle maker Giant, said that despite government efforts to promote cycling as part of the efforts to save energy and cut carbon dioxide emissions, Taiwan cyclists’ safety on the roads is not secured and their “rights to use the roads” are not protected at all.

Citing Denmark’s capital of Copenhagen as an example, Liu said that about one third of the city’s office workers go to work by bicycle — one of the highest percentages of cycle commuters in the world.

Liu attributed Copenhagen’s high percentage of cyclists to the government’s sound plans, investment and relevant laws, including building bike routes alongside every major road in the municipality.

Taking the Netherlands as another example, Liu said the Dutch government and public have followed a culture of “replacing cars with bikes” over the past century, as environmental protection has always been a major and sensitive issue in the low-lying country with few hills.

Liu said there are bike routes on every major road in Amsterdam and Rotterdam and parking lots in the Netherlands’ two largest cities exclusively for bicycles.

He quoted statistics from the Netherlands as indicating that each Dutch person owns an average of three bicycles, representing the highest bicycle density in the world.

Moreover, he went on, both the Netherlands and Denmark maintain a “City Bike” service system, allowing people to use bikes free of charge.

Liu said Giant has played a strenuous role as a pusher and a bridge between the government and the public in an effort to make Taiwan’s road conditions more conducive to cycling since its Cycling Lifestyle Foundation was established 18 years ago.

Believing that high fuel prices will result in less frequent automobile use and more widespread use of bikes and electric scooters, Liu said Giant has continued to make efforts in an attempt to turn Taiwan into a “bike island.”

Among the various programs Giant has launched is a service that allows cyclists to “rent a bike at place A and return it at place B” across Taipei city and county.

“A total of 2.65 million people have used the service over the past six years,” Liu said.

In addition, he said, by cooperating with Giant, the Cabinet-level Sports Affairs Council has since 2007 designated May as the “month of cycling” and one of the first days in May as “the day of cycling.”

Meanwhile, the Executive Yuan has been planning to develop bicycle routes alongside major roads in the country’s 25 cities and counties in an effort to save energy and cut carbon dioxide emissions.

(published China Post : 2008 July 29)

Politka tan-Ngħam

 

Il-politika tal-Gvern dwar l-attivita nukleari fil-Mediterran hi politika tajba għan-ngħam. Ta’ min ideffes rasu fir-ramel biex ma jismax u ma jarax.

 

Fi tmiem il-ġimgħa l-oħra kien ippubblikat artiklu fil-gazzetta Taljana  Il Sole 24 Ore iffirmat mill-ġurnalista Federico Rendina. L-artiklu ntitolat Il Governo rilancia sull’atomo. Berlusconi: contatti per costruire centrali nucleari nei Paesi vicini. jimplika li Berlusconi qed jipprova jħajjar pajjiżi bħal Malta, l-Montenegro u l-Albania biex fihom jinbena impjant nukleari.

 

Wara tlett ijiem ta’ skiet u biss wara li AD ġibdet l-attenzjoni għall-artiklu, d-DOI ħareġ ċaħda li l-materja qatt kienet diskussa. Kompla biex qal li l-AD kienet irresponsabbli talli fil-publiku ġibdet l-attenzjoni għal dan l-artiklu. Il-fehma tiegħi hi li huwa rresponsabbli l-politiku li bħan-nagħma jdaħħal rasu fir-ramel u jibda jemmen li dak li hu m’huwiex jara ma jeżistix.

 

X’ser jiġri iktar dwar il-proġett nukleari Taljan għad irridu naraw.

 

 

Imma llum hemm oħra fil-gazzetti. Kummenti dwar iż-żjara tal-President tar-Repubblika fil-Libja. Il-ġurnalisti huma interessati fil-kwistjoni tal-impjant nukleari tal-Libja, għax bdew jifhmu kemm huma gravi l-konsegwenzi fuq Malta “jekk” xi ħaġa tmur ħażin meta jibda jopera l-impjant nukleari Libjan.

 

Karl Schembri għall-Malta Today minn Tripli jirrapporta li uffiċjal Malti qallu li l-kwistjoni nukleari hi “a non-issue” li tinteressa biss lill-media!

 

Mark Micallef għal The Times minn Tripli ukoll jirrapporta li l-Gvern m’għandu l-ebda intenzjoni li jqajjem mal-Libja l-kwistjoni nukleari.

 

Il-politika tal-Gvern Malti dwar in-nukleari fil-Mediterran hi politika għan-ngħam. U l-Opposizzjoni ? Billi qed jiżviluppa consensus fuq il-politika barranija, l-Opposizzjoni baqgħet ħalqa magħluq hi ukoll !

Paroli biss

 

 

 

L-Iskozja ħabbret il-proġett tal-Clyde wind farm.

 

Bi spiża stmata ta’ £600 miljun (€866.50 miljun) il-proġett jinvolvi 152 turbina b’kapaċita ta’ 456MW. Biżżejjed għal 250,000 dar.

 

L-Iskozja qed tippjana li sal-2011 tiġġenera 31% tal-enerġija elettrika li għandha bżonn minn sorsi rinovibbli. Sal-2020 qed timmira għal 50%.

 

U aħna : għandna Gvern li jlablab ħafna u r-riżultati ma jidhru imkien !

Impjant Nuklejari f’Malta ?

Nirreferi għaż-żjara tal-Prim Ministru Malti Lawrence Gonzi fl-Italja l-ġimgħa l-oħra u għar-rappurtaġġ tal-Konferenza Stampa konġunta mal-Prim Ministru Taljan Silvio Berlusconi kif deher f’ xi gazzetti Taljani.

Interessanti b’mod partikolari l-artiklu fil-ġurnal Il Sole 24 Ore iffirmat mill-ġurnalista Federico Rendina, fejn l-awtur jikkwota lil Silvio Berlusconi jgħid li qiegħed f’kuntatti ma’ gvernijiet viċin l-Italja għall-bini ta’ impjanti nuklejari.  L-artiklu huwa ntitolat Il Governo rilancia sull’atomo. Berlusconi: contatti per costruire centrali nucleari nei Paesi vicini.

F’dan l-artiklu l-awtur qed jimplika li Berlusconi jista’ għandu f’moħħu lil Malta, flimkien ma’ l-Albania u l-Montenegro, biex fihom jinbena impjant nuklejari.

Fil-waqt li naħseb li dan hu kollu spekulazzjoni tal-awtur hu fl-interess ta’ kulħadd li l-Prim Ministru Malti jikkonferma jew jiċħad dak li ġie rappurtat immedjatament.

Biżżejjed għandna l-problemi tagħna minħabba proġetti ta’ kobor insostenibbli fil-pajjiż ċkejken tagħna. Xi ħolma bħal din tal-Prim Ministru Taljan jonqosna !     

Sadanittant il-Gvern ħareġ stqarrija li tgħid hekk :

“Mhux veru li saru xi diskussjonijiet biex f’Malta jkun hawn xi impjant nuklejari. 

L-Alternattiva Demokratika għażlet li tirrepeti u xxandar spekulazzjonijiet dwar impjanti nukleari.   

Ir-rapport stess li ġie kwotat mill-kelliem ta’ l-Alternattiva Demokratika jindika ċar li hu wieħed spekultattiv; għalhekk kien mistenni li l-Alternattiva timxi b’aktar responsabbilta’ .”

Kulħadd jista’ jiżen dak li ntqal u inkiteb u jasal għal konkluzjoni dwar min mexa b’responsabbilta.

 

Ġirien Nukleari

minn Carmel Cacopardo

ipubblikat 27 ta’ Lulju 2008

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Fi Franza fi spazju ta’ 16-il jum seħħew tliet inċidenti nukleari.

L-ewwel inċident seħħ fil-lejl bejn is-6 u s-7 ta’ Lulju fis-sit nukleari ta’ Tricastin. Skart likwidu, madwar 30,000 litru li kien fih l-uranju, b’mod aċċidentali waqa’ f’żewġ xmajjar. L-awtoritajiet Franċiżi ħarġu struzzjonijiet lir-residenti biex ħadd ma jistad, ħadd ma jixrob ilma mill-bjar, kif ukoll biex ħadd ma jgħum fix-xmajjar jew jieħu sehem fi sports fl-ilma. Lanqas ma kien possibbli li jintuża ilma mix-xmajjar għat-tisqija.

It-tieni inċident seħħ fl-impjant nukleari ta’ Romans-sur Isere meta nhar it-18 ta’ Lulju spetturi tas-sit indunaw b’pajp mifqugħ li minnu ħareġ likwidu radjuattiv. It-tielet inċident seħħ mill-ġdid fi Tricastin nhar it-23 ta’ Lulju. L-impjant kien magħluq imma partiċelli radjuattivi ħarġu minn pajp li nqasam fl-impjant nukleari u 97 impjegat spiċċaw l-isptar fejn instab li kienu esposti għal doża baxxa ta’ radjuattività.
Franza tipproduċi 80 fil-mija ta’ l-elettriku tagħha permezz ta’ enerġija nukleari f’59 impjant imxerrda mal-pajjiż kollu. Bħala riżultat ta’ din id-dipendenza fuq l-enerġija nukleari Franza għandha industrija organizzata u b’saħħitha. Il-Gvern Franċiż jgħinha biex tistabbilixxi swieq ġodda billi tesporta t-teknoloġija nukleari.

Fost l-aħħar swieq li qed ifittxu li jippenetraw hemm dak fl-Afrika ta’ Fuq. Franza iffirmat ftehim ta’ kooperazzjoni mal-Marokk, ma’ l-Alġerija u mal-Libja biex tgħinhom jiżviluppaw impjanti nukleari għal skopijiet ċivili. L-iktar li jinteressana hu l-ftehim mal-Libja li se jwasssal biex jinbena impjant nukleari li permezz tiegħu jkun prodott ilma tajjeb għax-xorb minn ilma baħar. Ovvjament, dan l-impjant se jinbena viċin il-kosta.

Inċident f’impjant nukleari jista’ jseħħ bħala riżultat ta’ waħda minn tliet affarijiet: żball uman, ħsara li tiżviluppa fil-makkinarju inkella bħala riżultat ta’ attività naturali bħal terremot.

Hemm żewġ konsiderazzjonijiet li rridu nagħmlu. L-ewwel li l-Libja għandha xemx kemm trid. Teżisti t-teknoloġija biex tipproduċi ilma tajjeb għax-xorb mill-baħar permezz ta’ enerġija solari. Din qed titħaddem f’pajjiżi bħall-Kuwajt. Qed isiru ukoll esperimenti għal titjib sostanzjali f’din it-teknoloġija fl-Iżrael u f’Kalifornja.

Xi ħtieġa hemm ta’ impjant nukleari meta hemm enerġija mix-xemx b’xejn?

It-tieni konsiderazzjoni hi dwar kif niġu affettwati aħna bħala Malta jekk ikun hemm inċident nukleari fl-impjant Libjan. L-effetti jkunu jiddependu mill-gravità ta’ l-inċident. Inċident li jikkontamina l-baħar jaffettwa kemm l-industrija tas-sajd kif ukoll il-produzzjoni ta’ l-ilma f’pajjiżna. Irridu niftakru li 60 fil-mija ta’ l-ilma li nużaw jiġi mill-baħar. Inċident f’impjant nukleari mal-kosta Libjana li jniġġes il-baħar jista’ jaffettwa dan l-ilma li f’Malta s’issa m’għandniex alternattiva għalih għax l-ilma tal-pjan qed jispiċċa wkoll. L-effetti fuq Malta jistgħu jkunu ta’ gravità kbira għax l-uniku sors ta’ l-ilma mbagħad ikun dak impurtat fit-tankers minn Sqallija jew minn x’imkien ieħor.

Il-makkinarju fl-impjanti għat-tisfija tad-drenaġġ li qed jinbnew bħalissa ma jistgħux iservu alternattiva minħabba li l-ilma wara li jsaffuh jitfgħuh il-baħar flok ma jipproduċu ilma tajjeb għax-xorb kif jagħmlu per eżempju f’Singapore.

Apparti dan imbagħad hemm l-effetti fuq l-industrija tat-turiżmu. Kull aħbar ta’ allarm ikollha effett negattiv u t-turiżmu jieħu daqqa kbira b’inċident nukleari daqstant qrib tagħna.

Fid-dawl ta’ dan kollu l-Gvern Malti ma lissen l-ebda kelma. L-anqas l-Oppożizzjoni.
Dan mhux kollox. Il-periklu mhux ġej biss min-nofsinhar għax fit-tramuntana fl-Italja, beda jinħema periklu ieħor.

Il-Gvern ta’ Berlusconi ddikjara li fi ħsiebu jibda l-proċess biex jibni numru ta’ impjanti nukleari. Il-periklu għalina mill-Italja hu l-istess għall-periklu mil-Libja. Bid-differenza li l-iktar li jaffettwawna jkunu dawk l-impjanti li jinbew fin-naħa t’isfel ta’ l-Italja jew fi Sqallija.

Fil-konfront ta’ l-Italja hemm fattur wieħed li jista’ jkun ta’ għajnuna. Bħala riżultat tat-tisħib ta’ Malta fl-Unjoni Ewropea tapplika għalina l-Konvenzjoni ta’ Espoo, iffirmata fil-Finlandja fl-1991. Din hi inkorporata fid-Direttiva tal-UE dwar l-EIA (assessjar tal-impatt ambjentali) u tipprovdi li fejn ikun hemm possibbiltà ta’ impatt ambjentali li jmur lil hinn mill-fruntieri ta’ pajjiż terz (transboundary impact) hemm l-obbligu li l-pajjiż affettwat ikun notifikat kif ukoll li jkollu l-possibbiltà li jinvolvi ruħu biex ikun assigurat li l-EIA jsir sew.

X’miżuri ħa l-Ministeru ta’ l-Affarijiet Barranin f’dan ir-rigward? Ħadd għadu ma qal xejn minkejja d-dikjarazzjoni ta’ Claudio Scajola, Ministru Taljan għall-Iżvilupp Ekonomiku favur l-enerġija nukleari.
Fid-dawl ta’ dan kollu u fid-dell ta’ theddid li jista’ jkun daqshekk kbir il-Gvern għandu l-obbligu li jinforma dwar x’qiegħed jagħmel. L-Oppożizzjoni wkoll għandha l-obbligu li tispjega għaliex baqgħet ħalqha magħluq.

 

ara ukoll : http://www.illum.com.mt/2008/07/27/t2.html

Kemm ser idumu jħawdu ?

 

Gordon Brown u Nicolas Sarkozy determinati u konvinti li m’hawnx aħjar mill-enerġija nukleari. Għax taqta’ d-dipendenza fuq iż-żejt u hi carbon free.  Ma jgħidux kemm hi kbira l-ispiża għall-ħażna tal-iskart nukleari u l-anqas ma jitkellmu dwar ir-riskju kontinwu ta’ inċident li jista’ joħloq ħerba għal distanza twila kif ġara bl-inċident ta’ Chernobyl 22 sena ilu.

Magħhom żdied Silvio Berlusconi li jrid iwarrab il-konklużjoni tar-referendum fl-Italja kontra l-użu tal-enerġija nukleari tat-8 ta’ Novembru 1987.

 

impjant fi Spanja li jiġġenera l-elettriku mix-xemx

 

 

 

Malta trid tingħaqad mal-grid Ewropew biex tassigura ruħha minn provista’ ta’ enerġija. Donnu l-Gvern Malti ma jafx x’inhu jiġri, għax filwaqt li l-Gvern Malti qed ihares lejn it-tramuntana għall-enerġija, l-Unjoni Ewropea qed tħares lejn in-nofsinnhar. Lejn enerġija ġġenerata mix-xemx fid-deżert Sahara li tista’ tissodisfa l-ħtieġijiet tal-enerġija tal-Ewropa kollha !

U aħna qegħdin fin-nofs u ma niċċaqalqux.

0.3% tad-dawl tax-xemx fuq id-deżert Sahara jista’ jissuplixxi l-enerġija kollha meħtieġa mill-Ewropa !

Pajjiżi oħra investew bil-kbir fil-ġenerazzjoni ta’ enerġija mix-xemx u l-Gvern ta’ Malta kull ma jaf jagħmel hu jeqred li din tiswa ħafna flus. Qatt ma qal kemm tiswa jekk jibqa’ ma jagħmel xejn, jew jekk jibqa’ jkaxkar saqajh !

Ara ukoll artiklu fil-Guardian tat-23 ta’ Lulju 2008 intitolat Solar power from Saharan Sun could provide Europe’s electricity, says EU .

Addressing Our Environmental Deficit

published on Sunday 27 July 2008

by Carmel Cacopardo

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 In his address to Parliament last May, the President had stated: “The government’s plans and actions are to be underpinned by the notion of sustainable development of the economy, of society and of the environment. When making decisions today, serious consideration will be given to the generations of tomorrow.”

In December 2006, the National Sustainability Commission had drawn up the National Sustainable Development Strategy. Having been approved by Cabinet, it is appropriate that the pre-budget document just published ignites the debate on its implementation. The strategy is a blueprint for action representing a holistic perspective as to how this country should be administered. Its eventual handling will in due course give a clear indication of the government’s real views on sustainable development.

Malta’s energy policy is undoubtedly up for an upheaval. Due to the absence of strategic planning over the years, Malta is one of the few countries without any significant alternative energy generated. Other countries identified their vulnerability because of fuel oil dependency years ago and took action. Denmark has since built up its wind energy industry from scratch since the oil crises in the 1970s and is now a world leader. In 2005 Denmark generated 18.5 per cent of its electrical energy needs through wind.

The pre-budget document identifies near shore wind technology as the next step forward, contributing 95MW of wind energy or seven per cent of Malta’s projected electricity demand in 2010. The shortfall in meeting the EU target of having 10 per cent of electricity demand met by alternative energy is planned to be met with wind turbines at other exposed land sites and industrial estates, including those to be identified within the framework of the eco-Gozo project.

The pre-budget document focuses on macro-generation and does not give sufficient weight to micro-generation of energy, both with small wind turbines as well as with photovoltaic panels. It must be borne in mind that micro-generation if adequately motivated could add up to a substantial amount of energy generated through alternative technology. In addition to residential application (not flats or maisonettes!), schools and public buildings could be ideal sites for the micro-generation of energy. Moreover, one can consider fitting micro-turbines to the structures of the hundreds of disused windmills (water pumps) that pepper the countryside. These windmills were strategically located by our ancestors in wind-prone areas and are now an integral part of the Maltese countryside.

The pre-budget document rightly refers to energy generated through waste. It speaks of the generation of electricity using animal waste through biogas in a facility to be constructed in the north of the island. This is a long overdue initiative. However, I believe that it is badly conceived. The lessons that should have been learnt following the Sant’ Antnin debacle seem to have been forgotten.

The point at issue is whether one facility covering the whole island is sufficient or desirable. Would it be a good idea to transport animal manure across the whole island to a facility in the north?

One point resulting from the public debate relative to the Sant’ Antnin waste recycling plant was the applicability of the proximity principle. The required plant should be sited as close as possible to the source of the waste being processed. This had led to the Sant ‘Antnin projected operation itself being scaled down to deal with one third of the islands’ waste. The rest, it was stated, should be processed on other sites (possibly two) that have not yet been identified! These other sites should be used for the production of biogas too and they should be identified in a location as close as possible to those areas that have the largest number of animal farms in order to minimise the movement of animal waste. Knowing that a number of these farms are sited very close to each other should make matters easier for our waste management planners.

Bad planning brings out another sore point, which was not discussed in the pre-budget document: namely the management of our water resources. Groundwater (a ‘free’ source of freshwater) still accounts for 40 per cent of our potable water supply. Groundwater accounts for the greater part of the water used by agriculture, the construction sector, landscaping activities and various other industrial and commercial concerns, including some hotels which are supplied by bowsers. However, as a result of over-extraction, the quality of the water in the aquifer is becoming saltier by the day and will become useless within our lifetime.

Yet, illegal extraction of ground water continues unabated and the authority responsible for the sustainable use of this precious resource (the Malta Resources Authority) persists in not taking any concrete action. The recent increase in the surcharge on mains water will inevitably result in a rush to drill more boreholes and extract more groundwater, with the consequence that our aquifer will die an earlier death.

Within this context, the construction of wastewater treatment plants treating urban wastewater and discharging it directly into the sea assumes an alarming relevance. A country whose natural water resources are not sufficient for its use ought to manage its water resources in a much better way. It certainly ought not to permit the illegal extraction of water or the discharge of treated water into the sea. The siting of the wastewater treatment plants in Malta and Gozo is such that discharging treated water into the sea is a foregone conclusion. This decision, undoubtedly arrived at based on the original siting of the sewage outfalls, ignores the possibilities to reuse the treated water, either as a second-class source or (with additional treatment) as potable water. Other developed countries, notably Singapore, produce an ever-increasing percentage of their potable water in this manner. This issue is ignored in the pre-budget report.

All this could easily have been prevented with a proper water management planning strategy, which, instead of large-scale plants for wastewater treatment, could have identified a number of smaller sites along the sewer route on the islands for the construction of small packaged wastewater treatment plants. These would have provided ample treated effluent where and when required for agricultural use, landscaping and other uses not requiring water of potable quality – at little or no distribution costs. The widespread availability of this water would have substituted the need to extract groundwater and facilitated the required enforcement action on its illegal extraction.

The total costs would have been substantially less. By costs I do not just mean economic ones but also the ecological cost of losing a strategic resource (the aquifer), which loss will have to be borne by future generations.

As indicated in the public hearings carried out by Minister Tonio Fenech, the pre-budget document deals with the sustainability of localities, rightly linking this issue to the proposed reform of local councils. It refers to the need for localities to draw up a Local Sustainable Development Strategy. In environmental management, we normally consider this within the Local Agenda 21 process currently espoused by thousands of localities around the globe: think global act local.

The sustainable localities proposal is undoubtedly well intentioned, and if adequately planned and applied can lead to positive results. The difficulty that will arise is that of economies of scale. Our localities vary substantially in size: from the largest – Birkirkara, to the smallest – San Lawrenz in Gozo. I believe that the best manner to apply Local Agenda 21 in Malta would be on a regional level. It would entail the setting up an additional level of local government that could be made up of all the local councils in the region. One possibility for the identification of regions would be to follow the boundaries of the seven local plans. These regions could be the channel for drawing up a Local Agenda 21 in conformity with national policy and strategies, which allow ample room for adequate planning. The proposed Conference on Local Sustainable Development would be a good start.

The basic point at issue in all deliberations is to view the economy as a tool at the service of the eco-system rather than as master of all. Adopting sustainable development as a policy instrument is no easy task. It entails taking a holistic view of public administration and its consequences. It signifies that national policy and administrative action need to have a continuous long-term view.

Economic policy generally takes on board social policy. It now needs to ensure that it is subservient to the eco-system because at the end of the day the eco-system is the source of our being. It is only at this point that we will be in a position to settle our country’s accumulated environmental deficit!

Il-Gżira Ekoloġika u l-Ħniżrijiet fid-Dwejra

 

 

 

  

Għaddew sitt xhur minn meta l-MEPA waqqfet il-ħniżrijiet li kienu qed jinbnew fid-Dwejra f’Marzu li għadda, lejliet l-elezzjoni.

 

Wara sitt xhur kollox għadu hemm.

 

Bħal xejn ma hemmx min irid jagħtina x’nifhmu li dan hu parti mill-inizjattiva eko-Għawdex.

 

Meta jkun hemm dan id-dewmien kollu bil-fors ikun hemm min jaħseb ħażin. Li l-awtoritajiet iridu jnessu.

 

Ovvjament b’par idejn sodi fit-tmun dak li tistenna. Li kieku ried jieħu passi ħadhom. Wara kollox par idejn sodi. Jekk trid tara iktar ara hawn.

 

Nuclear neighbours betrayed

 

In the aftermath of the Tricastin nuclear accidents, residents living very close to the nuclear plant are worried. They were made to believe that “nuclear was safe”. The only thing that is still unclear is the number of accidents that went unreported through the years. Thereby ensuring that the myth of nuclear safety would go on unchallenged. 

Just read what these nuclear neighbours felt and said in today’s Guardian . http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jul/25/nuclear.industry.france

Iċ-Ċajta dwar Dom Mintoff

 

Waqt iż-żjara li l-Prim Ministru Malti u l-Ministru tal-Affarijiet Barranin kellhom f’Ruma kellhom working lunch ma Silvio Berlusconi, Prim Ministru Taljan, li kien akkumpanjat minn Franco Frattini Ministru tal-Affarijiet Barranin.

Kif inhu xieraq f’okkazjonijiet bħal dawn tkellmu dwar diversi affarijiet.

Tkellmu dwar l-immigranti u l-kunċett ta’ “burden sharing“. Kien ikun iktar xieraq kieku tkellmu dwar “responsibility sharing” għax l-immigranti mhux “burden” izda responsabbilta li għandu jerfa’ kulħadd.

Tkellmu dwar il-kumnikazzjoni ta’ Malta mal-grid tal-elettriku fi Sqallija u Berlusconi kien entużjażmat ħafna dwar il-materja. Anke il-predeċessur tiegħu Romano Prodi kien jaqbel. Imma s’issa qatt ma waslu.

Ħadd ma qalilna jekk tkellmux dwar l-enerġija nukleari u jekk hiex l-intenzjoni tal-Gvern Taljan li wieħed mill-impjanti nukleari li Claudio Scaljola Ministru tal-Iżvilupp Ekonomiku ħabbar li jridu jinbnew nhar it-22 ta’ Mejju 2008 hux ser ikun fi Sqallija. F’każ bħal dan Malta għandha l-jedd li tkun involuta fil-proċess tal-EIA li jkun meħtieg li jsir. Iżda dwar dan ħadd ma qalilna xejn.

Imma minn flok qalulna dwar iċ-ċajta ta’ Tonio Borg fuq Dom Mintoff. Kif ukoll li Tonio Borg u Lawrence Gonzi jżommu mal-Inter u mhux mal-Milan !