since 2005: blogging about law & politics
-
Maduro, Gaza and Black & White Politics
Public debate is losing its ability to handle complexity. Arguments are increasingly forced into tribal binaries: for or against, pure or condemned. The invasion of Venezuela, the Gaza tragedy, and the EU dispute over using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine all reveal the same reflex. It is now difficult to say two true things at…
-
GRECO, Galdes and Non-Regression
Malta’s latest GRECO compliance report again highlights systemic failures in three core areas: integrity standards for persons holding top executive functions, an effective and transparent asset-declaration regime, and the absence of a comprehensive anti-corruption strategy. GRECO’s conclusion is blunt: Malta remains in a state of insufficient compliance, with several recommendations untouched and others only partially…
-
Is the President right to refuse the Binance pledge?
An analysis of the legislative and regulatory scenario concludes that given the current record and supervisory posture, the legal and governance case for refusal is robust. Malta’s Community Chest Fund (MCCF) has declined a long-pending Binance crypto pledge – originally around € 200k in 2018 BNB and now quoted around € 39m – citing reputational…
-
Finch Trapping: A meeting is not an endorsement
The Times of Malta recently reported that Minister Clint Camilleri met the European Environment Commissioner to discuss Malta’s latest “finch research” season. The article’s headline — “All above board for finch research season” — suggests that Brussels has given Malta’s new trapping rules a clean bill of health. Yet on closer reading, there is no…
-
Cultural Heritage and Tradition in the Constitutional Orders of Italy and Malta
Across Europe, the protection of cultural traditions and pastimes sits at the crossroads between constitutional identity and legislative policy. While all Member States acknowledge culture as a public good, few have given it explicit constitutional status. Italy stands out as a state where culture is embedded in the constitutional text as a foundational value. Malta,…
-
Alex Borg’s PN: The Party as an End in Itself?
The first days of Alex Borg’s leadership of the Partit Nazzjonalista leave me with more questions than answers. He has stepped into a role that carries the weight of history—but also of failure, stagnation, and disillusionment. The PN isn’t just in opposition; it’s in crisis. And yet, if you listened only to Borg’s early speeches,…
servis legis summus ut liberi esse possimus