Let’s start with a gracious comment as all losers should.
The hunters have won, the hunting lobby has got stronger, and the birds have lost. Congrats to the winners, hurrah to democracy and it is yes to spring hunting.
Welcome 21st Century Malta diving straight back a few centuries.
That done, I can now gripe, moan and whine. Like all losers I, and many others who wanted spring hunting banned, feel battered. The heavies won—the worst scenario happened.
But let’s analyse a few salient points.
The two political leaders should be ashamed of themselves—they are worse than asses. They had a chance to shine by showing us, and the world, that we have moved on and that we are not cavemen who do not care about the need of birds to breed.
Instead the political leaders outshone each other in their rush to pander to a bunch of hunters, leading by terrible example. It’s back to the dark ages where man felt superior to anything that moved or flew, where machismo ruled, where brawn beat brains.
To be fair on the birds they did quite well. They were alone, with no politicians pushing their agenda. Oh yes, AD did, but those hardly make an impact and garner less than a handful of votes in normal elections.
Ironically the independent media—and Malta Today—supported the NO vote, which says a few things about the power—or lack of—the media. It might affect a small percentage but it surely does not sway the majority.
Polls came a cropper too. To have the polls showing a 7% lead for the No camp a week before the referendum and then losing is a great slap in the polling domain.
But the worst off are not the birds, which are used to being pelted with lead that maims and destroys them, writing off their prospective multiplying and helping to save our environment.
The true losers are the Maltese people who could have seen the politicians lose their grip on us voters. Had the No vote been successful the whole of society would have celebrated.
Had the No vote triumphed the hunters, with their camouflage and rifles, would have learnt that they could no longer hold political parties at ransom. And maybe other minorities would have learnt this too. I respect minorities in all they do and say but holding a metaphorical rifle to the temple of politicians is just not on.
The Yes vote was a sad point in our life. A day that will send—and has already sent—horrid messages to the world.
It is rather silly of the Prime Minister to threaten hunters. Now they know they can do all they want without anyone daring to stop them.
The hunters are much stronger, and have more voting power, than a bunch of birds.