Antoine, I don’t think you’re right. I clearly remember Mintoff riding his horse from Bormla in the direction of Tarxien across Fgura accompanied only by a second horseman. What I don’t remember is whether it was late 60s or early 70s.

Toni Abela could use Luciano Busuttil’s logic regarding Gaddafi’s deposits and have a go at retrieving those monies. If he resigned from the Labour Party on principle, it should follow. Whether Wenzu Mintoff would be pleased is anyone’s guess.

It is highly unlikely, but what if Dom Mintoff intends to leave part of his estate to the party? Could explain Yana’s appointment by the leader himself. Otherwise, why would he do it?

My late father was a policeman and he was often stationed at Mintoff’s house in Tarxien. Mrs Mintoff would wait until her husband had left the house before giving my father, the policeman at the door, a glass of tap water.

Not a soft drink or even tea or coffee – no, TAP water – that is how stingy Dom was. Mrs Mintoff wasn’t at all stingy herself, but had nothing to offer and was too afraid to give the policeman in the sun even a glass of tap water while her husband was there.

My father also used to mention how Mrs Mintoff would sometimes ask him to kill one of their chickens so that she could cook it, and how they would have to pretend that it had been found dead of natural causes and so she was cooking it not to waste it, rather than wasting it by killing it to eat it. She was scared stiff of him.

And I have reliable information that those Arab horses were themselves a present from Gaddafi and occasionally served as police horses to “justify” their free board and lodging in the Marsa police stables at public expense.

Mintoff had raised a storm of protests about that Israeli seacraft (sheltering to the leeward of l-Gharix during a storm) and suggested nefarious attempts against his life.

Golda Meir simply shut him up be sending him a number that she knew Mintoff would recognize as well as its Swiss banking connection.

*false note

When paper money with Agatha Barbara’s mug was first issued we used to check whether it was the genuine article and not a false not by running our index finger on her face…to feel the stubble. Good times!

I was a student in the 1970s and one of my summer jobs was as a stable groom at Marsa (or the Marsa as Britons called it).

It was impossible for Mintoff to fall from his horse – whenever he went riding he would have a mounted policeman on each side plus two in front and two at the back. He used to be completely surrounded and they never went faster than a slow canter.

Another thing about Mintoff’s stinginess: he owned several horses which were all kept for free at the police stables.

The only thing of value about Mintoff is his bank account.

If you’re not a Socialist you can’t love your family, he thundered.