TT(O)M

Why is it that a bunch of septuagenarians are coming forward to lead the US?   On the Republican side we have 73 year old Donald Trump while on the Democratic ticket, three of the top 5 candidates will be their 70s on inauguration day. These individuals are, at least, 3 years older than the revised retirement age in the US. Looking at it from another angle, all of them were born before 1950.   Are these the top people the United States of America can put forward to take the country towards the challenges that it faces and are they the best choice we have to navigate and identify the landscape of opportunities that present themselves?   I don’t think so. Some might debate that age is like fine wine; it gets better with time. But in the world we live in, we don’t need people to gain value by sitting on their side on a shelf; we want people who are dynamic and vibrant in both mind and body. Those of us who are lucky to have a parent or grandparent in their 70s can re...

The road to an early election after the October 31st Brexit deadline was missed reminds me of the “ I have a cunning plan ” by Baldrick from the UK series Blackadder. For anyone who has not watched the series my only comment is that you don’t know what you’re missing. The Baldrick character was a run down sidekick who was downright stupid and naive. After parliament forced the hand of Boris Johnson, the UK’s prime minister, to seek [yet another] extension from the EU, Mr Johnson decided to call an election. Labour, out of a desperate desire to have its leader, Jeremy Corbyn, lead the country supported the bid to go to the polls. Is Johnson’s “ cunning plan ” going to result in the desired result? The United Kingdom is not interested in whether the Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, UKIP, SDP or any other group should be the ones forming the next government but a solution that will allow them to put this saga behind them and get on with their lives. An election will j...

Introduction Concern and awareness about the environment has gained considerable momentum in recent years.   In many countries it is frequently on the national agenda.   Climate activists such as Greta Thunberg are helping to push the topic on the global agenda. With the exception of a few, everyone understands that we need to protect our environment and be active in its recovery as this directly affects the well-being and the quality of life of every organism. Environmental topics must coexist with other subject matter such as happiness, comfort, convenience and financial wellbeing. Hypocrites and masochists (a very large number of the first, a small number of the second) may disagree but when the dust settles the majority want to be better off in terms of quality of life, life offerings, life opportunities and disposable income. Maltese Political Scene Malta is a country dominated by two political parties, the Malta Labour Party (MLP) and the Nationalist Part...