In my last op-ed for 2022, I put forward a proposal related to Malta's 2050 sustainable development consultation process.
Best wishes for Christmas and New Year to all readers of this blog.
Link to article:
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| Picture: United Nations |
Friday, December 23, 2022
Thursday, December 01, 2022
Op-ed: Inflation and Malta’s political economy - Michael Briguglio
In today's Malta Independent I discuss current challenges related to inflation and Malta's political economy.
Link:
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| Picture: The Malta Independent |
Thursday, November 17, 2022
Op-ed: Multilevel Environmentalism - Michael Briguglio
In this article in the Malta Independent I discuss recent successes and challenges faced by Malta's environmental movement.
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| Photo: The Malta Independent |
Thursday, November 03, 2022
Op-Ed: Budgetary Logic- Michael Briguglio
In today's Malta Independent I share my views on Malta's budget for 2023.
Link:
https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2022-11-03/blogs-opinions/Budgetary-logic-6736247157
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| Image: The Malta Independent |
Thursday, October 20, 2022
Op-ed: Budgetary Season in a southern European island state - Michael Briguglio
In my article in today's Malta Independent, I contextualize Malta's budgetary challenges.
Link:
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Thursday, October 06, 2022
Book Review: Working Life and the Transformation of Malta 1960-2020 (Edited by Manwel Debono & Godfrey Baldacchino) - Michael Briguglio
In today's Malta Independent I review the book entitled Working Life and the Transformation of Malta 1960-2020, edited by Manwel Debono and Godfrey Baldacchino.
You can read the review here:
Thursday, September 22, 2022
Op-ed: Any funds for Malta's pavements? Michael Briguglio
My article in today's Malta Independent calls for a national fund for the modernization of Malta's pavements.
Link:
https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2022-09-22/blogs-opinions/Any-funds-for-pavements-6736246072
Tuesday, September 20, 2022
Sociological Publication on Malta's LGBTIQ movement
"Repoliticising
Movements: The Case of Pro-LGBTIQ Rights in Malta", co-authored by Michael Briguglio and Maria Brown, appears in this new peer-reviewed book:
Democratic Crisis Revisited The Dialectics of Politicisation and Depoliticisation. Edited by:
Meike Schmidt-Gleim, Ruzha Smilova & Claudia Wiesner, 2022, Nomos (Politics-Debates-Concepts. Politik-Debatten-Begriffe, Bd. 8). The Volume is informed by COST programme Action CA16211 RECAST (Reappraising Intellectual Debates on Civic Rights and Democracy in Europe)
Link:
www.nomos-shop.de/isbn/978-3-
Electronic Format:
https://www.nomos-elibrary.de/
Thursday, September 08, 2022
Op-ed: Treadmill of land development - Michael Briguglio
In my article in today's Malta Independent, I discuss what I believe is one of Malta's most glaring social contradictions, the treadmill of land development.
Link:
Tuesday, September 06, 2022
Loneliness, Social Interaction and Social Capital - Interview the Malta Independent
In an interview with The Malta Independent, Marc Galdes asked me about recent data on loneliness.
Thursday, August 25, 2022
Op-ed: A Climate Pact for Malta - Michael Briguglio
In my fortnightly article in The Malta Independent, I propose a Climate Pact for Malta.
Link:
Il-Maltin Irrabjati?
F'din l-intervista ma' Albert Gauci Cunningham, editur tal-gażżetta Illum, niddiskuti jekk il-Maltin humiex irrabjati.
Link:
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Monday, August 01, 2022
Live at the Farsons Beer Festival
This Wednesday 3 August I will be playing live at the Farsons Beer Festival with my brothers in Fire, namely Kenneth Calleja (Vocals), Robert Longo (Guitar), Pexja (Guitar) and Gino Micallef (Bass). This will be my first ever live performance with Fire. I joined the band during the final months of 2019, and then the pandemic hit us.
The last time I played drums in concert was precisely three years ago, when the latest edition of the Farsons Beer Festival took place. I played with Dripht, in what ended up being my last performance with the band after leaving it later on during the year, after almost two decades. I salute my brothers in Dripht and other former band Filletti & Friends. Cheers goes to my brothers in Norm Rejection, which is approaching its 30th year of existence...
Hope to see you on Wednesday. Fire will be playing at 11pm on the Alternative Stage. Viper Soup Complex and Mirage will playing before us on the same stage.
Let's Rock!
A word of thanks
I am no longer
involved in politics or activism, as I had decided to prioritise sociology and
drums in my public life. Perhaps this allows me to look at politics and civil
society in a more objective and measured way. In both pursuits I met all sorts
of people in a 25-year journey, from those whose friendship is not seasonal to
those whose dagger is ready to stab you if it suits their agenda, no matter how
'holy' or 'just'.
Robert Arrigo and David Agius, who relinquished their respective political posts as Deputy Leaders,
are gentlemen in my books. They are common mortals with no pretensions, and
above all they encourage and recognise the work of colleagues. Respect to both
and to others who practice this ethic.
Thursday, July 21, 2022
Op-ed: Heatwave - Michael Briguglio
In today's Malta Independent I discuss the political ecology of heatwaves.
Link:
https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2022-07-21/blogs-opinions/Heatwave-6736244616
Thursday, July 07, 2022
Op-ed: The electric scooter quandary - Michael Briguglio
My article in today's Malta Independent discuss the quandary concerning electric scooters. Link to article:
Thursday, June 23, 2022
Op-ed: Backstage and Frontstage Environmentalism - Michael Briguglio
In today's Malta Independent I discuss two dimensions of environmentalism in Malta.
Link:
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| Photo: The Malta Independent |
Thursday, June 09, 2022
Op-ed: My Octopus Teacher - Michael Briguglio
In my fortnightly column in the Malta Independent, I give my interpretation of the documentary film 'My Octopus Teacher'.
Link:
https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2022-06-09/blogs-opinions/My-Octopus-Teacher-6736243583
Thursday, May 26, 2022
Op-ed: The proposed Gozo rural airfield - Michael Briguglio
In my op-ed in today's Malta Independent, I discuss the proposed Gozo rural airfield development.
Link:
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| Image: The Malta Independent |
Thursday, May 12, 2022
Op-ed: Malta's new parliamentary season
In today's Malta Independent I propose some guidelines for Malta's new parliamentary season:
Link:
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| Image by User:EL3504 - Parliament diagram tool, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=117416910 |
Thursday, April 28, 2022
Op-ed: Transport, climate neutrality and everyday mobility - Michael Briguglio
In today's Malta Independent I engage with a recent article by Minister Miriam Dalli and discuss challenges related to transport, climate neutrality and everyday mobility.
Link:
Thursday, April 14, 2022
Op-ed: Climate Change 2022 - Michael Briguglio
In my op-ed in today's Malta Independent, I discuss the latest IPCC report and some policy implications for Malta as a small-island EU member state.
Link:
https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2022-04-14/blogs-opinions/Climate-Change-2022-6736242209
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| By Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2019, Attribution, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=91394814 |
Thursday, March 31, 2022
Op-ed: Malta’s 2022 election - Michael Briguglio
In my op-ed in today's Malta Independent, I give my interpretation to the results of Malta's national election. Link:
https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2022-03-31/blogs-opinions/Malta-s-2022-election-6736241892
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| Image by KingWither - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=116486800 |
Sunday, March 27, 2022
#Ħsibijiet (92): Kriżi PN
Meta klikka elitista ippruvat tirrovina kap elett demokratikament li ma nzertax magħżul minnhom, u meta għamlu l-istess ma' min iddefenda d-demokrazija, il-PN tilef mhux biss ir-rispett ta' bosta attivisti tiegħu stess, iżda ukoll ta messaġġ lil poplu li għalih hemm min hu 'magħżul' u min le. Minflok ma ppruvat tifhem lis-soċjetà Maltija u għalfejn il-PL baqa' jkabbar il-maġġoranzi , baqgħet tirrepeti narrativa sfiduċjata mill-poplu u tassumi li ħaddieħor bilfors injorant jew midneb. Min ippruva jtejjeb l-affarijiet bil-kelma t-tajba ingħata l-ġenb, u kultant anke stallett.
#Ħsibijiet (91): Verstehen
100 sena ilu, is-soċjoloġu Ġermaniż Max Weber ippreżenta il-kunċett ta' "Verstehen". Kien qed jirreferi għall-analiżi li tifhem l-motivazzjonijiet tan-nies fis-soċjetà. Dan jibqa' kunċett ta' importanza kbira: minflok ma tassumi li għandek il-monopolju tal-verità u li ħaddieħor huwa injorant, tkun saqajk ma' l-art. Is-soċjetà hija dinamika, magħmula minn nies riflessivi.
Thursday, March 17, 2022
Op-ed: The environment and Malta’s 2022 elections - Michael Briguglio
In my op-ed in today's Malta Independent I discuss the environment within the context of Malta's general elections next week. Link:
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| Picture: The Malta Independent |
Tuesday, March 08, 2022
#Ħsibijiet (90): The most boring election ever?
Various voices in Malta's media sphere are noting that the 2022 general election looks conspicuous by how boring it is. The frenzy which usually characterizes elections in Malta, also seems to be missing in the streets. Of course, these observations leave out what is possibly happening behind the scenes, for example in house visits and closed meetings. What makes the news headlines and the social media rounds are not necessarily what reflect public sentiment. The 2017 general election was a clear example of this.
I propose that the 'boring' hypothesis should be accompanied by other hypotheses, which, in turn, can intersect. For example, does a boring election reflect a maturing democracy? Does it reflect growing disenchantment, relative to the Maltese context? Is this due to what, according to surveys, looks like a clear victory for Labour? Is this due to external factors, most notably the Ukraine war and striving for 'normality' in this phase of the Pandemic?
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| By User:Cavewiki - Parliament diagram tool, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=91622354 |
Thursday, March 03, 2022
Op-ed: Media viewership and the elections - Michael Briguglio
My op-ed in today's Malta Independent reflects on some findings which struck me in a survey by Vince Marmara on media viewership in Malta. Link:
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| Picture: The Malta Independent |
Wednesday, March 02, 2022
Sociological publication on protests in Malta
'Protests in a Small Island State during the Year of Covid-19: The Case of Malta’ is my latest peer-reviewed publication, in international scholarly journal ‘Protest’ (Brill)
This paper relies on protest event analysis (pea) to study protests held in Malta during 2020 and analyses specific features of those protests, namely issues, organisations, coalitions, venues, and types of protest. The study verifies how Malta’s status as a small state impacts protest, especially in terms of networks of activism and in the context of the covid-19 pandemic.
Findings show the environment as the most prominent issue, followed by the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia and human rights, respectively. The most active actors were Repubblika and Occupy Justice on the Daphne Caruana Galizia issue; Movement Graffitti on the environment; and irregular migrants without organisational set-ups, who protested human rights violations. This study emphasizes the importance of considering the characteristics and opportunity structures of Malta as a small state. Such factors are not only reflected in the protest repertoire, but also in the way organisations and activists invest in social networks.
Despite certain trends regarding protest numbers, there was no correlation between covid-19 and the number of protests. Furthermore, the main issues characterising protests were similar to those of previous years.
The paper may be accessed at:
Individuals are eligible for free access to ‘Protest’ journal until 31 December 2022: Link:
Citation: Briguglio, M. (2022). Protests in a Small Island State during the Year of covid-19: The Case of Malta, Protest, 1(2), 299-328. doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/2667372X-01020005
Monday, February 28, 2022
#Ħsibijiet (89): Awtogowl
Id-diskors li jżeblaħ u li jqis lil persuni bħala 'inferjuri' minħabba l-għażliet politiċi tagħhom, m'huwiex biss xhieda tat-tribaliżmu li taħkem lil Malta, iżda huwa elitist u intitolat, bħall li kieku hemm xi persuni b'dritt divin fuq l-oħrajn. Awto-gowl kbir.
Thursday, February 24, 2022
#Ħsibijiet (88) Covid, Freedom, Votes
The political discourse of 'freedom' with respect to Covid19 undermines the common good to scrape votes. What this promotes is the survival of the fittest. With freedom comes responsibility, and most of Malta has so far practiced this.
Wednesday, February 23, 2022
#Ħsibijiet (87) Politiċi anzjani
L-atitudni li politiċi u kandidati anzjani huma inqas validi hi waħda diskriminatorja. Il-kwistjoni hi jekk dawn humiex kompetenti u ta' min jafdhom fil-poter, lil hinn mill-età etc... Il-votant għandu jagħżel dan, u mhux xi klikka wara l-kwinti.
Tuesday, February 22, 2022
New book: Social Welfare Issues in Southern Europe
'Social Welfare Issues in Southern Europe', co-edited by Maria Brown and Michael Briguglio from the University of Malta has been published by international academic publishers Routledge and is available for pre-order.
This volume is the first of its kind to discuss social welfare issues using case studies from a broad range of Southern European countries, both large and small, a decade after the financial crisis. It identifies similarities and differences in the ways in which Southern European countries engage with specific welfare issues and examines whether Southern European welfare is distinct from that of the rest of the continent. The book also engages with the impact of COVID-19 on the social welfare issues under investigation. The volume is divided into four sections, each examining in detail issues including employment, education, health, sexuality, globalization, social movements and migration.
With its contributions from experts in the field, the volume is recommended for academics, researchers and students of sociology, social policy, economics, education, politics and social movements.
More details, including contents: https://www.routledge.com/Social-Welfare-Issues-in-Southern-Europe/Brown-Briguglio/p/book/9780367206420
Open Access Chapters - Click here.
Thursday, February 17, 2022
Op-ed: The Case of Victor Vella - Michael Briguglio
My op-ed in today's Malta Independent discusses the suspension of Victor Vella from his role of editor in the General Workers Union's newspapers.
Link:
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| Image: The Malta Independent |
Thursday, February 03, 2022
Op-ed: What motivates voters? Michael Briguglio
As Malta's national elections are approaching, my op-ed in today's Malta Independent discusses the motivations of voters in this small island-state.
Link:
https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2022-02-03/blogs-opinions/What-motivates-voters-6736240325
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| Photo: The Malta Independent |
Thursday, January 27, 2022
#Ħsibijiet (86) Is Malta normal?
The ideological discourse which condemns #Malta for not being a 'normal' country is analytically unhelpful, politically elitist, and rather neo-colonial. I believe that such vital criticism and critique should be empirically grounded, politically productive and socially contextual.
Thursday, January 20, 2022
Op-ed: Metsola's moment - Michael Briguglio
My op-ed in today's Malta Independent interprets Roberta Metsola's election to the post of President of the European Parliament. Link:
https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2022-01-20/blogs-opinions/Metsola-s-moment-6736239942
Thursday, January 06, 2022
Op-ed: Should we care about sociology? Michael Briguglio
My op-ed in today's Malta Independent discusses how sociology can assist policymaking. Link:
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