Zgur ha jcempel lill-kappillan biex jispjegalu l-Vangelu tal-lum.

Google ‘Swedish government scandals’ and you will have a ball.

I cannot and will not defend John Dalli as he continues to dig deeper and lie about giving the Commissioner of Police information on ‘hackers’ of his e-mail and alleged phone interceptions when the Commissioner denied such report.

Or when he says he issued a ‘judicial letter’ when its existence is in serious doubt.

That was never my point. My point is that in my humble opinion, Barroso and other EU officials, including OLAF handled this issue in an amateurish manner.

If I count correctly, four officials in various capacities made more or less the same statement, varying only slightly in content to give the impression that they were revealing a little more than the previous ones.

If Dalli’s version is to be believed, (partly confirmed by Barroso himself), then yes, he was sloppily treated. An ordinary criminal, long before he is taken to court, is informed what he will be charged with.

All Dalli was told that OLAF had investigated him ‘and arrived at no definite conclusion that he had done anything criminal’ and the closest to a serious charge was that ‘they found evidence that he knew what was going on’, or words to that effect. No one is disputing the right the EU has firing an EU Commissioner on grounds of corruption, but at least Barroso had the obligation of presenting JD with what appeared (in OLAF’s opinion) to be irrefutable evidence of wrongdoing.

OLAF will no doubt be called to make explanations should the AG find enough grounds to proceed against Dalli and it would be most revealing, one expects. Maybe the case should proceed in court when witnesses can be called especially those close to Swedish Match who offered a bribe and had the price been right, I have no doubt they would have paid it.

Unfortunately the way Dalli is acting, continues to expose his weaknesses giving many reason to stop giving him the benefit of the doubt.

I don’t know who his lawyers are but if I were his lawyer, the first thing I would ask him to do, is to shut his bleeping mouth up and take a good vacation and let his mind focus on the reality he finds himself in. Challenging Barroso and other EU officials is the worst decision JD has taken under these circumstances and he will one day soon regret it.

Toni Abela corrected himself when asked if anyone knew about it.

‘Iva konna, erm, kont naf…’

Al Gore grows tobacco.

Lestrade, I am really annoyed that you would arbitrarily conclude that ‘ “the voices of reason” have joined the small coterie of Dalli-huggers in defending the indefensible’. NOT IN THE LEAST. And I won`t even bother to answer Eddie Privitera who imagines that a call to be prudent implies `criticism of GonziPN`, as he puts it.

On the contrary, the `voices of reason` (speaking for myself and I believe even for others) hold the Prime Minister, Austin Gatt. Carm Mifsud Bonnici, Richard Cachia Caruana in the highest esteem and blame the three maverick parliamentarians (I won`t even deign to call them `dissenters`) for their unrelenting attacks and attempts to undermine the Government – and yes, even John Dalli for accepting the role of `father confessor` and for appearing so many times in the Labour / Labour-leaning media.

But I still hope – even for the sake of Malta`s name- that the Olaf report got it all wrong in the ex-EU Commissioner`s case. That possibility must be considered too.

Not only that, but I also believe that we should hear what an accused person has to say for himself in his explanation and clarification of the facts before we pass judgement.

“Bunch of slack-jawed faggots around here. This stuff will turn you into a goddamn sexual tyrannosaur, just like me.”

Let us list the achievements of the Swiss, shall we? Better still, let us compare the quality of life in Switzerland and Malta.

Hang on a minute. I thought it was the Swedes we were bashing, for having the nerve to accuse us brave, habriaka Mediterraneanids of being prone to corruption.

This national defence mechanism has been the undoing of us all.

But back to the quality of life in Switzerland. Just look at Harry. At his age, Maltese men would be a sweat-stained, unwashed, unshaven mass of tanned blubber, manboobs, huge thighs, Blokrete vests and baggy shorts with hairs peeing out of four inches of arse crack. The Swiss must be getting something right after all.

@Eddy Privitera, is-sindku tal-Marsa kien jaghmel ghas-subien, u skond kif jahdem mohhok Mintoffjan, tort ta’ Gonzi PN ukoll.

Mr Baxxter,

I am really sorry about your choice to be the black sheep of your family and about your listed travails.

They are not restricted to your good self and I am not immune to them.

The only lesson I would dare offer is that sour grapes do not contribute to clear thinking. They leave a sour taste in the mouth and a painful indigestion in the stomach.