It’s not about being offended or not, the issue is all about the fact that whatever the celbration/commemoration whatever the word, would not be the most suitable manner to be celebrated/commemorated on that particular day. Apart from the fact that I personally, my family and I guess the majority of Labour party followers and officials would prefer to dedicate that day to their religious beliefs and if it was possible to celebrate Freedom day on another day, why not? At least that’s my opinion, I accept that you may disagree.

[Daphne – If your family had religious beliefs and meant it, they wouldn’t have voted Labour in 1987 (I’ll reserve judgement on the previous general election). Religious beliefs are not divorced from practice in everyday life, nor are they about going through the motions of festi, mass and processions.]

Id-DEFNIL, 2025 edition:

Sheyzan kien ihobb wisq jiccetja onlajn ma’ Breydon. Il-Hadd filghodu kienu jmorru l-harga mas-Soup tal-Muzew f’xi parkink imwarrab, fejn kienu jghaddu saghtejn jirrejsjaw l-Escort bluna tal-kugin Delpiero. Xi kultant, Jetaime, oht Delpiero, li kien fiha daqqa sewwa u tridu, kienet taqbez taqbza sa hdejhom u flimkien kienu jghaddu siegha buzz al alla.

Only a true politician, that is, a politician who is worried about the future of his country, would talk about something like that. Indeed, the murder of a Sudanese is not vote-catching.

I would say that it might be off-putting to some extremists. And yet Gonzi had no qualms to speak about this hideous and horrendous event which has shocked those who believe in a civilised society.

On the other hand, Joseph, of course, as is wont of people of his ilk, jumped on the gay bandwagon and, with extreme gaiety, I have to say, spoke about being the party for the gejs. But are they the only minorities?

When something as poignant as what happened last week grabs the news headlines (second page, though, not first, of course, the priest being the victim of some Nigerian scam, of course, is more important), why is it not addressed by our future prime minister?

Why is it so difficult for Muscat to admit openly that the PL is for those people who lead lives to wretched that they risk their own life to seek a better life in promised lands?

This is where the decision lies. This is where, I believe, it is important for each and every one to stop and listen, and listen to what each politician is saying. Gonzi tell us not to judge his words but his actions.

No, we also judge you by your words because your words show not your wisdom and depth, you owe those to us, the people, but your words show the shallowness and poverty of your opponent, our alleged future prime minister.

This is, for me, where the decision lies.

(I have to say this in Maltese because somehow translating it ruins the local flavour):-

1. Dal-Gvern (“Gvern” pronounced with venomous contempt) jaghti kas lin-nort, fil-fatt il-Valletta WaterFront (accent on “Front” with an “O”) ara kemm sebbahha u injora lis-Sawt ghax il-Birgu mitluq. (apparently the 13.4 m going to St. Angelo has not yet registered with this twerp, apart from the fact that he considers Valletta to be part of the so-called nort).

2. Silvio Parnis: Jiena nwieghed illi fis-sawt tonqos il-kongestjoni; (how, pray, is this miracle going to happen? Are we all being given helicopters instead of pills for free now?);

3. The biscuit-taker for the evening: The daughter of that paragon of human rights, Yana Mintoff, said (I have to say that I concluded that she said this because her Maltese is abysmal, to put it very mildly): Dal-gvern veru qieghed jahqar lill-haddiem u qieghed jahqar id-drittijiet umani tieghu. Da che pulpito!

Anyway, after this third pearl of wisdom, of course, I changed channels.

[Daphne – Yes, as in gejs bluni jiccettjaw onlajn ma’ gejs ta’ barra. A brilliant Maltese sentence.]

Maybe I am missing the point over here, but isn’t anything to be remembered a form of celebration, let alone Freedom Day.

[Daphne – Not at all. Do you celebrate when you remember or mark a death? Also, you and the Labour Party confuse ‘celebration’ with ‘commemoration’. What happens on 30 (31st?) March is a commemoration, not a celebration. Celebrations include festivities, like parties and fancy meals and celebratory drinks. A walk up a monument to light a flame in a cauldron is not a celebration. It’s a commemoration. Our Lady of Sorrows and her servants will not be offended.]

I hesitate to go into the eve part, not even worth to discuss. By the way by celebration I understand a form of meeting where something which brings joy is to be remembered, not necessarily mass meetings, horns blowing and stuff. Hope I have the genuine definition. If not, please, throw at me your words of wisdom.

[Daphne – I have done so. And as a free gift, here’s more: it’s ‘worthy of discussion’ not ‘worth to discuss’, though I appreciate you must have thought hard about it and dropped the ‘it’.]

[Daphne – I’ve never seen anyone celebrate on Freedom Day, still less the eve. Have you? So no separation of church and state, then. ]