On the day when many Scots will march and commemorate the Declaration of Arbroath and pledge to an independent Scotland, here's a wee anecdote re Malta's quest for independence all these years ago and the sanctimonious response from colonial Britain at that time:-
Today, Malta is a successful small independent country, the smallest in the EU. But when it sought its independence from Britain, it was told it was "too wee and too poor" to make a go of it. Sound familiar eh?
In fact, Malta is much smaller than Scotland. Its population has grown 20% in the last decade to about 525,000 but it is still only about the size of Edinburgh in terms of inhabitants. There are three inhabited islands in the Maltese archipelago, the biggest, Malta island, is 27 miles long and 9 miles wide. It is not particularly rich in natural resources. At the time it began its independence journey, it suffered widespread poverty.
Despite being a lot smaller and initially poorer than Scotland, Malta found the confidence to reject British rule in a referendum in 1964 and since gaining complete independence in 1979, it has built a thriving economy. Now it has a smaller percentage of its population in poverty than the UK does.
Malta celebrates Freedom Day to commemorate the day in 1979 when the British Navy and army forces finally withdrew from the islands. This year, it was celebrated on March 31.
What the Brits said about Maltese independence:-
In 1959, The Times published the following:
“Malta cannot live on its own … the island could pay for only one-fifth of her food and essential imports; well over one quarter of the present labour force would be out of work, and the economy would collapse without British Treasury subventions. Talk of full independence for Malta is therefore hopelessly exaggerated.
Boyyyy, how badly wrong Brit politicians and complicit media were in this case and thankfully the citizens of Malta didn't listen to the spin/"bullshit", unlike many foolish/duped Scot voters in 2014!!
Today, Malta is a successful small independent country, the smallest in the EU. But when it sought its independence from Britain, it was told it was "too wee and too poor" to make a go of it. Sound familiar eh?
In fact, Malta is much smaller than Scotland. Its population has grown 20% in the last decade to about 525,000 but it is still only about the size of Edinburgh in terms of inhabitants. There are three inhabited islands in the Maltese archipelago, the biggest, Malta island, is 27 miles long and 9 miles wide. It is not particularly rich in natural resources. At the time it began its independence journey, it suffered widespread poverty.
Despite being a lot smaller and initially poorer than Scotland, Malta found the confidence to reject British rule in a referendum in 1964 and since gaining complete independence in 1979, it has built a thriving economy. Now it has a smaller percentage of its population in poverty than the UK does.
Malta celebrates Freedom Day to commemorate the day in 1979 when the British Navy and army forces finally withdrew from the islands. This year, it was celebrated on March 31.
What the Brits said about Maltese independence:-
In 1959, The Times published the following:
“Malta cannot live on its own … the island could pay for only one-fifth of her food and essential imports; well over one quarter of the present labour force would be out of work, and the economy would collapse without British Treasury subventions. Talk of full independence for Malta is therefore hopelessly exaggerated.
Boyyyy, how badly wrong Brit politicians and complicit media were in this case and thankfully the citizens of Malta didn't listen to the spin/"bullshit", unlike many foolish/duped Scot voters in 2014!!