Valletta, Malta
The tiny island of Malta voted this week to join the European Union in a hotly contested referendum. The opposition Labor Party wanted to keep Malta out, arguing that the island would lose jobs to cheap Sicilian labor and that E.U. hunting regulations would outlaw the Maltese tradition of shooting songbirds. But Labor failed to mount a coherent strategy to defeat the referendum. At different times, party leader Alfred Sant instructed followers to spoil their ballots, to abstain, or to vote no. After the yes votes won with 53 percent, Sant tried to argue that all the spoiled ballots and abstentions should also be counted as no votes, but the government ignored him. Malta is scheduled to become an E.U. member in 2004.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Laura Lippman's 6 favorite books for those who crave a high-stakes adventureFeature The Grand Master recommends works by E.L. Konigsburg, Charles Portis, and more
-
Book reviews: 'Bad Company: Private Equity and the Death of the American Dream' and 'Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television'Feature Private equity and the man who created 'I Love Lucy' get their close-ups
-
Can Texas redistricting save the US House for the GOP?Today's Big Question Trump pushes a 'ruthless' new plan, but it could backfire
