Seminary, I believe. I don’t have sufficient knowledge to give an opinion about that, but I did spend four years at St. Edward’s and six at St Aloysius College. The former builds character; the latter force-feeds knowledge, or at least that’s what used to happen in the 1970s. In fact, a hybrid, like me would make the best possible leader. Ein Land, ein Volk, ein Führer! Any takers, anyone…?

The PL is led by a former St Aloysius pupil too.

For many years, the PN party and government were organisations led by St Aloysius boys…and will be again. Dr Gonzi is just an interlude between EFA and Tonio Borg.

[Daphne – Wasn’t Dr Gonzi there too?]

[Daphne – I know that, of course, and I also happen to believe that organisations led by St Edward’s boys work much better than those led by St Aloysius boys, because the latter are given an academic focus but no understanding of how to work in groups and get organised. It’s a real shame that more St Edward’s boys don’t go into politics; half the problems we have today wouldn’t be there – though of course we have to leave aside a couple of public disgraces. Also, all but one of my closest friends were at the Sacred Heart. And that’s why I wrote ‘a certain type’ – because it really is a certain type. I don’t know how to explain it best: isolated? Living in a bubble? The whole world is their little fish-pond? No experience of other social groups? Travelling through life with blinkers on?]

MARK MIFSUD BONNICI (1 hour, 33 minutes ago)
FAA should find support from all those that consider the building of a new parliament in one of the most prestigious sites in Valletta as nothing more then a total waste of public money, even more so during a global recession.

It is quite obvious that the brief given to Renzo Piano was for parliament to be built on the site proposed. Never in a million years would it cross anyone’s mind that this was Piano’s idea.

Apart from designs that do not harmonize with Valletta’s characteristics no matter whose name they bear, the tax payer is being conditioned into believing that this building is a necessity.

The issue originally concerned a bombed theater that has been left in ruins for over 60 years due to the total incompetence of our politicians. Are we now expected to fund the building of new premises for such fools. Personally I would suggest that Piano design parliament as an open air structure within the ruins and what he suggested as parliament building be turned into a roofed theater for all of us to watch the endless farce going on next door.

DAPHNE CARUANA GALIZIA(1 hour, 5 minutes ago)
Mark Mifsud Bonnici – you wrote “It is quite obvious that the brief given to Renzo Piano was for parliament to be built on the site proposed.Never in a million years would it cross anyone’s mind that this was Piano’s idea.”

You have a short memory. The idea for a parliament house on Freedom Square WAS Piano’s idea, as was that for a theatre. His brief was to build parliament house on the site now occupied by the ruin, and there was no brief for a theatre at all.

Perhaps you missed out completely on the ‘parliament house or theatre’ ruckus which played for long weeks, until Piano told us what he thought?

You also wrote: “FAA should find support from all those that consider the building of a new parliament in one of the most prestigious sites in Valletta as nothing more then a total waste of public money, even more so during a global recession.”

What would you build on ‘one of the most prestigious sites in Valletta’ then? The HQ of the hunters’ federation? A shopping centre? As for your reference to the global recession, you seem unable to understand that recessions are not permanent but cyclical.

At last, Malta has its very own hostage crisis.