Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1163844
19 LETTERS & EDITORIAL maltatoday | SUNDAY • 8 SEPTEMBER 2019 Mikiel Galea Letters & Clarifications Catastrophe in the Bahamas HAVE you seen video footage of the catastrophe wreaked by hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas? It was a scene of incredible devastation, with destruc- tion of property on a wide scale and flooding over the whole area. There was no evidence whatsoever of benevolent "Providence" and of the "infinite" love and mercy of God that Christians are always bragging about. "Does history support a belief in God?" asked Will Durant in his book The Lessons of History. "If by God we mean not the creative vitality of nature but a supreme being intelligent and benevolent, the answer must be a reluctant negative... Add to the crimes, wars and cruelties of man the earthquakes, storms, tornadoes, pestilences, tidal waves and other 'acts of God' that periodically desolate hu- man and animal life, and the total evidence suggests either a blind or an impartial fatality..." John Guillaumier, St Julian's Christie's expert: Allegations against BOV REFERENCE is made to your feature 'Christie's expert's hunt for millions brought to Malta' which featured on MaltaToday on Sunday 1 September and 'Christie's expert hunts for stolen millions in lawsuit against Bank of Val- letta' which featured on www.maltato- day.com.mt on Tuesday 3 September 2019. Banking secrecy regulation prevents the Bank from commenting in detail about customer affairs. Suffice it to say, however, that the article is riddled with factual inaccuracies, and that the amounts mentioned are ludicrous. The Bank reiterates that it operates in accordance with all local and Euro- pean anti-money laundering laws and regulations, and observes sanctions issued by local and international bod- ies, including sanctions issued by US authorities. Unfortunately, sensationalist articles such as this serve only to undermine the efforts of the local banking sector and the regulatory authorities to shore up the reputation and attractiveness of Malta as an international financial centre. Charles Azzopardi, Executive PR & Marketing, Bank of Valletta UK dilemma NOW that a UK election seems cer- tainly on the horizon, we can be sure that this political crisis is truly escalat- ing. Should we hope that the next elec- tion gives voters the stark choice be- tween Boris Johnson's no-deal Brexit, which would certainly negatively impact the UK economy for several years, or Jeremy Corbyn's Labour party – whom critics claim is running a party of anti-business, high-tax, low-profit policies? The fact of the matter is that these extreme positions are the net result of years of centrist inadequacy, immigra- tion levels that are left to escalate in the name of the free market, as well as the problem of joblessness, austerity and corresponding problems of crime which break down the social fabric. This is the image of 'broken Britain'. Yet it will not be stopped by shutting the door to immigrants, although fair- ness in asylum policies should come first; it will not be stopped by refusing EU money, but job creation should be the utmost concern of the government; and it will not be stopped by wishy- washy political positions that only ca- ter for the whims of the business class. It is clear a no-deal option is deeply unpopular in parliament. But a Re- mainer future should take into con- sideration the reasons why we set ball rolling for Brexit. John Billings, Hants., UK