The new medievalism

Universities are meant to be at the forefront of intellectual and literary freedom. Even in repressive states universities are expected to be the last bastion of resistance against censorship.News that the University of Malta has banned newspaper Ir-Realta presumably because of an article which breached the laws of Malta is proof that something is rotten at Tal-Qroqq.Unfortunately student politics has been hijacked by corporate sponsorships and the administration is blinded by a technocratic and utilitarian ideology (disguised as devotion for information technology) which ultimately serves capitalism rather than the pursuit of knowledge and critical thinking.The new careerist class which dominates the KSU and the University's administration seems bent on cleansing the university from uncomfortable ideas. The KSU decision to evict Graffitti and the rector's decision to ban ir-realta are a symptom of the Smart City syndrome.Dubai is a feudal despotic monarchy which co-exists with a consumerist religion promoted by a state run incestuous form of capitalism which even permits slavery.Dubai is corporate but not democratic. So is the University of Malta.For by banning a piece of literature the University of Malta risks opening a precedent. If Alex Vella Gera's writing is in breach of the law...what about equally "obscene" literary works of Charles Bukowski? What about Garcia Marquez's Memoria de mis putas tristes, a love story that follows the romance of a 90-year old man and a pubescent concubine? In the meantime Malta's top talk show-once regarded by myself as some experiment in popular democracy- spent two weeks discussing inconsequential survey driven devils and witchdoctors... As my good fried says we are still living in 1493.

Single mums and the anti condom brigade

Theology students are still raging against the condom 15 years after my friend Julian Manduca proposed a condom machine on campus. This time they were irked by a Vodafone publicity stunt. I would presume that Vodafone’s marketing plan predicted the theology students’ reaction as a way to attract more publicity.
Stunts apart, Malta remains one of the few countries in the world where the government shies away from promoting condoms and contraception as an integral part of its sexual health policies.
Rather then turning single mums in to a scape goat, the government should embark on an educational campaign to encourage the use of condoms among sexually active young people. Abstinence simply does not work.
Neither do probes to bring unknown fathers to face their responsibilities especially if these are also young careless people.
And is not making the morning after pill available a better solution than condemning young people to responsibilities they are not ready to face?
And by the way if we accept a 24 hour period between conception and the beginning of human life to make IVF possible, what is the fuss about a pill which acts within the same time frame?