Antoine Vella: ‘Who do you think you are?’ Last ditch defence of one without arguments to make. Observe, how both you and David try to rubbish me (a person you know nothing about) or bully me into silence rather than respond to my critique. It used to work in the middle ages but not today.

As to your question, though boorish I will still answer it. I think that I am a thinking person free to express my opinions.

Chris, your connection between religious attitudes of MPs and their old school does not necessarily hold true. Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando and Mario de Marco, for example, both went to Church schools – in de Marco’s case, the very same college you speak of – while Austin Gatt attended the Lyceum.

Politicians are not products of the Catholic Church per se but of our culture. Anthropologists have long been describing how religion in Malta is essentially a cultural phenomenon rather than a spiritual one.

It’s part of Maltese identity and as ingrained as, say, language, so it’s no wonder that people from different walks of life, intelligence and education levels, political allegiances, etc should all be so attached to what are, basically, traditional customs rather than religious tenets.

My dear colleague Ciccio, none of these are smart weapons. Deborah Schembri is what we would call a limpet mine.

No it was labeur de taureau.

These people literally think that they’re on a mission. Their right to take decisions on our behalf and that affect us comes direct from God, via His chosen order.

It’s not really surprising that the PN has lost touch. When you get ministers like Tonio Fenech, who has managed to make car purchases in Malta the most expensive in the world, waffling on about the Madonna crying . . . this man clearly has no idea of the pain he inflicts on people.

Anyone who, as I do, works in Hal Far, knows first-hand how it has become a building site, with a poorly planned upgrade that will give us years of discomfort . . . but lots of opportunities for ministers and their klikka (in high visibility tabards, and hard-hats, of course) to ponce about for a pic or two and a few soundbites. And don’t forget that just to get there, you have to run the Marsa roadworks gauntlet.

It’s not that they’ve lost the plot. It’s just that, chauffered about in their beamers, whilst the Common Man is made to feel more like a common criminal for daring to try to use our roads and park somewhere, they don’t realise that even good ideas need to be marketed.

But of course, God never had to market himself, so they won’t either.

PS – This pre-eminent order has just paid 160 million dollars in compensation to people who were systematically sexually abused by some of its members. Not surprisingly, with most of Parliament, the levers of power, the emeritus president and education firmly in its grasp here in Malta, this news never made the headlines here.

While I don’t agree with the PN position on divorce, I also don’t think they should base their position on which side is going to win. That’s typical PL strategy.

I fail to see why long standing loyalty should come into which party anyone decides to run with. I think we should keep our politicians on their toes, by clearing showing them that it is their actions and results that count. No one get’s an automatic vote just because they happen to be from one party or another. At least not from me.

The church maybe under attack, but unless that attack is institutionalised or illegal (even then, it’s a matter for the police) then it is no concern of the Prime Minister.

Perhaps the church is under attack, but as long as that attack is not institutionalised and legal, then it is no concern of the Prime Minister.

http://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/2011/02/11/silvio-parnis-labours-secret-weapon/