Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/429113
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 7 DECEMBER 2014 24 Classism Y ou may have read about Emily Thornberry: a British Labour politician who recently resigned after tweeting a now-infamous photo of a suburban house bedecked with English flags. Then again, you may not. After all it does not, at a glance, seem terribly relevant to anything that's going on here at the moment. Nor, for that matter, does a separate (and curiously similar) story about another political resignation across the Atlantic: this time featuring an aide for the Republican Party, who was made to step down after tweeting that the President's two daughters had embarrassed the nation by wearing what he described as 'classless' dress. Already we can see interesting parallels. Both resignations were indirectly caused by tweets, illustrating the almost pervasive (and invariably toxic) influence of social media on international politics. Another thing they have in common is that both resignations actually took place, even if public opinion was divided (more so in the British case than the American one)… and this can only once again draw attention to the stark cultural deficit that continues to separate Malta from the rest of the developed world in this respect. In Malta, politicians stolidly refuse to step down even when they are themselves the subject of criminal inquiries into allegations of attempting to cover up a crime. How, then, can they be expected to resign over such relatively harmless cock-ups like an inadvertently offensive Facebook status update? But the local relevance goes well beyond our home-grown lack of a culture of political accountability. Another, more interesting factor that unites these two stories is that both incidents revolve around the central concept of 'class'… a concept which changes in both meaning and cultural impact wherever it raises its ugly head. In fact there is a difference between the two scenarios. In the American case, the word 'class' actually featured in the offending tweet. Had it been a Maltese scenario, the local version of the Republican aide – and there is no shortage of these – would have tweeted or blogged that the President's daughters had dressed like 'hamalli'. By extension, this also means that the target of criticism was not so much the President's children, who become necessary civilian casualties of political warfare… but the President himself, and all he represents. It is just one other way out of many to subtly underscore the perceived social chasm that still unaccountably divides societies today: an 'us and them' mentality that is many centuries past its sell- by date. Does this ring any bells? It should. It was not that long ago that a very similar point was made locally about the Prime Minister's twin daughters, who had (if I remember correctly) 'dishonoured their school uniform' by actually wearing it. And that is but one of the many public expressions of active distaste for the local phenomenon of 'hamallagni': our own, semi-unique brand of 'classism', that on closer scrutiny has less to do with actual social differences than with a naked hunger for power. But more of that in a moment. Onto the British example now… and here, matters are less immediately clear-cut. Emily Thornberry merely tweeted the image without any commentary whatsoever. And on its own, that picture would not seem particularly offensive to anyone with no experience of living in the UK. It is just a very ordinary looking house, with three large flags of St George draped across the façade, complete with (important detail) a white van parked in the driveway. At a glance, I assumed it had been taken during last summer's World Cup… in which case it would only be the trees, the red bricks, and perhaps the absence of any Italian flags to distinguish it from a typical Malta street scene. In reality, it Opinion Raphael Vassallo COURT NOTICE_ The Registrar, Civil Courts and Tribunals notifies that the First Hall of the Civil Court ordered the sale by judicial auction of the following property to be held in the corridors of the Courts of Justice, Republic Street, Valletta. Date, Judicial Sale No. and Time Property 11 th December, 2014 77/13 – 12.00pm PP • Apartment internally marked number three (3), on the second floor including overlaying air space forming part of Block of Apartments' named 'Anvil Apartments', numbered four (4), in Triq il- Minfa!, Naxxar, free and unencumbered valued one hundred and ninety thousand Euros ("190,000) Included with the apartment there is the use of the common parts which include the outside stairs, outside door, entrance hall, the stairs to the roof, the lift and its shaft and water and drainage system. ! Six Garages under the block of apartments named 'Anvil Apartments', numbered four (4), in Triq il- Minfa!, Naxxar internally marked; ! Garage number two (2) of approx 73.47 meters squared valued forty five thousand Euros (" 45,000) ! Garage number three (3) of approx 13.71 meters squared valued twenty three thousand Euros (" 23,000) ! Garage number four (4) of approx 13.80 meters squared valued twenty three thousand Euros (" 23,000) ! Garage number five (5), of approx 11.78 meters squared valued twenty thousand Euros (" 20,000) ! Garage number six (6) of approx 15.74 meters squared valued twenty five thousand Euros (" 25,000) ! Garage number seven (7) of approx 44.43 meters squared valued forty thousand Euros (" 40,000) 16 th December, 2014 100/13 – 10.30am EM Apartment internally marked number four (4), on the second floor, forming part of a block of apartments consisting of basement and semi basement garages underlaying six floors. The apartment is overlaid and underlaid by property of third parties forming part of a block of apartments named 'Antonin', in Triq Sant Agatha , Sliema. The property is free and uncumbered valued at one hundred sixty seven thousand Euros ( "167,000) 16 th December, 2014 7/14 – 11.00am EGL • Property numbered thirty nine (39), in Triq il- Qawnara, corner with Triq il- #ut, Marsascala and overlaying airspace, free and unencumbered, with all its rights and appurtenances valued one million and two hundred thousand Euros (" 1,200,000). • Garage numbered sixty (60), in Triq il- Hut, Marsascala and overlaying airspace, free and unencumbered, with all its rights and appurtenances valued at one hundred thirty thousand Euros (" 130,000) 18 th December, 2014 101/13 – 10.30am PP The following undivided portions of land in Gozo,limits of G!ajnsielem forming part of a land known as 'Ta' San $wann', • Portion of land marked number three (3) measuring circa one hundred sixty eight metres squared (168m 2 ), bordering from the north with a projected private street, from the East with a property of Three Jays and from the west with plot number four (4) property of Small Properties Limited, the right of a passage over that portion of land measuring circa three hundred and forty two metres squared (342m 2 ) marked in blue, an undivided share of 1/37 of a land projected for a street marked in blue of circa seven hundred and thirty three metres squared (733m 2 ), an undivided share of 1/37 of a land projected for a street marked in pink of circa three hundred and seventy eight metres squared (378m 2 ), an undivided share of 1/37 of a land projected for a street marked in purple of circa thirteen metres squared (13m 2 ) and an undivided share of 1/37 of a lane marked in green, free and unencumbered valued at one hundred and fifty thousand euros ("150,000). • Portion of land marked number four (4) measuring circa one hundred sixty eight metres squared (168m 2 ), bordering from the north with a projected private street, from the East with plot number three (3) property of Small Properties Limited,from the South with plot number six (6), property of Three Jays Limited and from the other sides with properties of Mariella Mercieca right of a passage over that portion of land measuring circa three hundred and forty two metres squared (342m 2 ) marked in blue, an undivided share of 1/37 of a land projected for a street marked in blue of circa seven hundred and thirty three metres squared (733m 2 ), ), an undivided share of 1/37 of a land projected for a street marked in pink of circa three hundred and seventy eight metres squared (378m 2 ), an undivided share of 1/37 of a land projected for a street marked in purple of circa thirteen metres squared (13m 2 ) and an undivided share of 1/37 of a lane marked in green, free and unencumbered valued at one hundred and fifty thousand euros ("150,000). • Portion of land marked number twelve (12) measuring circa one hundred and sixty five metres squared (165m 2 ), bordering from the west with a projected private street, from the North with properties of Mariella Mercieca and from the South with property of Three Jays Limited, an undivided share of 1/37 of a land projected for a street marked in blue of circa seven hundred and thirty three metres squared (733m 2 ), an undivided share of 1/37 of a land projected for a street marked in pink of circa three hundred and seventy eight metres squared (378m 2 ) and an undivided share of 1/37 of a lane marked in green, free and unencumbered, valued at one hundred and ten thousand Euros( "110,000 ). • Portion of land marked number twenty seven (27) measuring circa one hundred sixty eight metres squared (168m 2 ), bordering from the East with a projected private street ,from the North with plot number twenty six (26) property of Three Jays. Ltd and from The South with plot number twenty eight (28) property of Small Properties Limited, an undivided share of 1/37 of a land projected for a street marked in blue of circa seven hundred and thirty three metres squared (733m 2 ), an undivided share of 1/37 of a land projected for a street marked in pink of circa three hundred and seventy eight metres squared (378m 2 ) and an undivided share of 1/37 of a lane marked in green, free and unencumbered, valued at one hundred and thirty five thousand Euros ( "135,000 ). • Portion of land marked number twenty eight (28) measuring circa one hundred sixty eight metres squared (168m 2 ), bordered from West and East with a projected private street,from the North with plot number twenty seven (27) property of Small Properties Limited an undivided share of 1/37 from every part of land projected for a street and an undivided share of 1/37 of a lane, free and ununcumbered and an undivided share of 1/37 of a land projected for a street marked in blue of circa seven hundred and thirty three metres squared (733m 2 ), an undivided share of 1/37 of a land projected for a street marked in pink of circa three hundred and seventy eight metres squared (378m 2 ) and an undivided share of 1/37 of a lane marked in green, free and unencumbered valued at one hundred and forty eight thousand Euros ("148,000). Further details can be obtained from the website: http://www.justiceservices.gov.mt/courtservices/JudicialSales/search.aspx The bidders taking part in the auction must present their identity card. Rudolph Marmara' For the Registrar of Civil Courts and Tribunals The whole point of the maltarightnow story was to elicit a reaction of prudish 'shock' at how low we have fallen, when even our Prime Minister utters words that are however distantly indicative of the male genitalia