The year that was...

What do Philip Magro, Kurt Calleja and Rebecca Dimech have in common? They all had a great year, says Sandy Calleja Portelli. The year everything went write Academic achievements and the publication of his first novel made this a good year for Philip Magro. Which events have defined this year? Locally, 2012 will surely be remembered for Dom Mintoff’s demise and for the case of the Government that shook but didn’t fall. Both occurrences have confirmed the power which Maltese politics still holds over the collective consciousness as well as the interesting interplay between values and power in politics and history. The contrasting emotions and interpretations of Mintoff’s passing have certainly revealed him as a political force to be reckoned with both during his lifetime and in memory. Malta owes much to this man, for better or worse. This year also saw the Government gasping for support within its own ranks but still somehow struggling ahead and making it to see the end of 2012, albeit with a number of sacrificial lambs. The internal turmoil within the Nationalist Party was quite a first for this resilient party and while raising interesting issues, it is a major example of...