Bird's Eye View

Author: A Bird’s Eye View

  • A Precursor to Perestroika – Prague Spring

    Following the second world war, a number of Central and Eastern European countries fell under the Soviet Sphere of Influence. One by one, and over the span of a few years, communist regimes established themselves in Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Yugoslavia, Hungary and Czechoslovakia, and an iron curtain running from Stettin in the Baltic, to Trieste…

  • Our Fight Against Climate Change

    So the climate is changing, and that’s no secret at this point. The environmental and public health repercussions of this undeniable reality have become increasingly relevant in the realm of International relations over the past decade. If these challenges persist, climate change will continue to demand more of our attention and resources. The United Nations…

  • On Accountability – Thoughts and Reflections

    Around this time last year, I wrote a short article for this blog about what I thought were the dangers of cancel culture and negative comments on artistic works. I thought it unfair and unnecessary to draw out so much negativity and bad will towards something that someone poured so much of their heart and…

  • How to save Catalonia

    How to save Catalonia

    With the world in the grip of the Coronavirus, most previous squabbles and issues seem insignificant. One interesting issue Europe saw in recent years was a move for more autonomy, even as European countries moved closer together in the form of the EU. One example is Catalonia and its bid for independence.

  • Anti-SLAPP laws; what are they & why we need them

    SLAPP suits (Strategic lawsuits/litigation against public participation) are in fashion as the latest tool of choice used to drain the limited resources of activists and journalists and financially intimidate them into silence. There is a fine line between the right to free speech the right to reputation There is a genuine case to be made…

  • The abortion bogeyman rears its head

    The abortion bogeyman rears its head

    What is more prevalent on the Maltese islands than the belief that abortion is morally reprehensive in any shape or form? This writer can think of unhealthy eating and a compulsive love of cars as possible contenders. Scientific surveys consistently show that the vast majority of the Maltese population oppose the legalisation of abortion in…

  • ‘Anġlu’

    ‘Anġlu’

    ‘Anġlu‘ – “Spirtu immortali sopra-naturali” jew “protettur tal-bnedmin”. Hekk id-dizzjunarju jiddefinixxi anġlu. F’pajjiżna kien spiċċa f’ħoġorna anġlu, anġlu li ilhom jiddu dnubietu minn qabel l-elezzjoni tal-2013. Dak iż-żmien ma konniex nafu x’qed jgħid meta rrefera għall-‘fourth floor meetings’. Illum sirna nafu aħjar il-komplott li kien qed jiġi pjanat wara bibien magħluqa. Fetaħ ħalqu u l-anġlu spiċċa mibgħut minn…

  • Voter Dissatisfaction

    Voter Dissatisfaction

    For as long as I’ve been reading newspapers and following the news, I’ve heard of ‘voter dissatisfaction’. Depending on the source, this could be a case of sour grapes but it could also be a warning sign. I’d like to explain how governments should pay attention to this as they respond to the current pandemic.…

  • Bobby The Buffu

    Bobby The Buffu

    Bobby is one special person. Even though he has been Prime Minister for only a few months he enjoys one of the highest trust ratings among the Maltese ever recorded. Not even the man of the year for corruption, Joseph Muscat, had that privilege. Yet, despite his seeming popularity, Bobby has this special gift of being…

  • Hong Kong Protests: 1 country, 2 systems?

    Since 1997, The city of Hong Kong has enjoyed greater autonomy than the rest of mainland China due to its status as a Special Administrative Region (SAR). Through its status as a former British colony, and the Sino-British Joint Declaration, Hong Kong enjoys its own de facto constitution through Hong Kong Basic Law, a homogenous…