Comparisons are important. I'm also fully aware that they can be odious in their simplicity. But while we're at it, let's be realistic and extend the existential question. How many years do you think it will take SmartMalta to have the means to engage in the sort of debate one finds on blogs like Pierre Assouline's La Republique des Livres?

The evidence I see around me tells me that even at the top-end of the scale we're light years away. Don't you agree?