Thoughts and happenings from a life on Malta

HSBC – the world’s local bank – has entered the fray in Malta’s 20-year debate on whether to introduce divorce in this crumbling bastion of Christianity. Roadside billboards and posters on the sides of bus stop shelters have gone up around the island, clearly illustrating which side of the fence this bank is setting up its branches.

Take a look at this photo of their advertising campaign and the signs are there for all to see: two separate sets of keys; the key ring split in two; a divided house with one side reserved for the man and the other for the woman, as in the movie War of the Roses.

HSBC and the Divorce Debate

Today, this billboard is ostensiblypromoting their home loan scheme. Tomorrow, they may very well be encouraging us to take out a loan in order to pay for divorce proceedings or meet the financial settlement awarded by the court.

Tigne Point sales office in Sliema has had six reserved parking slots in Censu Xerri street for a number of years. Why this company has a privilege that other business concerns in Sliema do not is open to speculation. What I question now is why it should retain these slots when it owns a massive underground car park on site. Let us see these spaces returned to the general public as soon as possible.

Tigne Point sales office's reserved parking

This post appeared as a letter in The Times dated 10th May 2010.