WELCOME TO MALTA – PARTY TIME IS HERE – Happy Late Summer Holidays to Sophie in’t Veld, Josef Weiden

It’s Party Time and this coming week sees the arrival of a travelling MEP Delegation visiting Malta for a late summer holiday. The Party will be made up of Sophia in‘t Veld from Holland who will head the Delegation, Josef Weidenholzer, Monica Macovei (Romania) and Sven Giegold (Germany) and will be hosted by PN MEP Roberta Metsola who will no doubt ensure they are comfortable, they will get all the information they need and ensure they will be suitably entertained and made to feel “at home”.

Is it just my imagination they happen to be coming when Malta celebrates its so-called Independence Day on Friday, while a whole load of rubbish has once more been placed outside the Law Courts to commemorate Daphne Caruana Galizia? A coincidence perhaps?

The visit has been boosted by the great news that the European Parliament’s Vice-Presidents have blocked an attempt to ensure more transparency of MEPs’ expenses. The Euro Parliament narrowly rejected proposals to require MEPs to keep receipts and to employ professional paying agents to check their general expenditure allowance and return unused funds.

This is an allowance intended to fund office management costs, telephone and postal charges, as well as the operation and maintenance of equipment. In 2018, this allowance stood at just over €4,400 per month.

An investigation last year found at least 41 Euro Parliament Members who pay rent to their partisan national political parties or even to their own personal account. Investigations throughout the 28 Member States found 249 cases in which MEPs either said they have no offices, refused to reveal their addresses, or their locations could not otherwise be tracked.

So guys, make hay while the sun shines. It’s a good life to be thoroughly enjoyed with no worries because European tax-payers, including Maltese tax-payers, are paying all the bills for joy rides, investigations, entertainment and everything else that makes for a good life.

Just in case they are confused by all this rigmarole about expenses, I suggest they consult their colleagues David Casa and Roberta Metsola about employing family relatives as staff etc. I am sure they will be well-guided!

Just a few notes on the Members of this Delegation themselves. The Romanian woman Monica Macovei has been disowned by her own country Romania over a series of mysterious events while Sven Giegold of Germany has been described by the influential US finance magazine “Fortune” as being “an obnoxious busybody”.

Now then, what’s on the menu, the bill of fare? With the European Union falling apart and sinking faster than the Titanic, they are here to investigate why the Maltese authorities have not yet discovered who “ordered and paid” for the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia just ten months after her death, even though three accused men are undergoing compilation over accusations of her murder.

What can they possibly suggest to help speed up the investigations? Perhaps the three men accused should be put under water treatment shocks, or electric shock treatment to make them spill the beans? The Chinese had a good form of torture where they would tie a barrel around the stomach of a victim and pop in and enclose a hungry rat and the rat would start gnawing through the stomach of the victim.

A quick glance through a catalogue of tortures used by the Spanish Inquisition would help give them a lot of even further ideas.

They are also here to investigate the Rule of Law, the Attorney General and the Police Commissioner. Unfortunately the Egrant frame-up report does not appear to be on their agenda – but I guess that is not so important.

If they are stuck for further sources of information, may I suggest they pay a visit to Id-Dar Centrali in Pieta’ where they can obtain all the information they require from various Maltese traitors and people involved in frame-ups.

HOWEVER, I suggest they do so with great caution because Id-Dar Centrali at Pieta’ is in a state of civil war and has become like the western cowboy film “Gunfight at The OK Corral” with everybody shooting from the hip to gun down everybody else.

The situation at Pieta’ is like that described by Pope Francis on his visit to Palermo yesterday. Money and Power do not make a person happy – they make them desperate.

So, Euro MP Visitors, welcome to Malta and Happy Holidays! Enjoy your time here and enjoy all that Malta has to offer.

ALBERT JEROME FENECH