With regards to the use of English and working with the British: pre-Mintoff, the Maltese knew their place or the codes. There was no confusion and the relationships that worked were based on this. This too, was true of relationships between one Maltese and another.

The subservient dipping of the head when being greeted or being bidden farewell is present to this day and is an element that bothers me.

How lovely the German language, to be able to work alongside someone for 40 years and still maintain the “Sie” and “Herr X” or “Frau X.” Most other languages drop into the informal with the passage of time. A degree of formality does help maintain a professional distance and underline the expectation of ethics in all that one does.

In Malta I surmise that the keenness to get onto a first name basis, and the use of a “Klikka-type” abbreviation, has more to do with a notion of lack of self-confidence and sending a signal of “look, I’m accepted with this lot (finally, because in my heart I know I have my social differences).” Malta is such a small place that people feel need to show this off to establish a spot for themselves.

First name ‘designer’ abbreviations beyond the run of the mill Joey, Peppi and Ganni type were cool with a certain sector. Then others caught on and thought they were handling it “as the others did.”

Others have a horror of abbreviations and inwardly shudder at the uninvited use of them.

At least someone understands. Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.

[Daphne -Nobody said he did, Foggy. And nobody said that his wife is Catholic, either.]

Furthermore, I would like to ask Joseph Muscat and George Vella how they square kissing Mintoff’s coffin one day with kissing the pope’s ring on another day.

Although they might have been misguided, Eddie Fenech Adami’s and Lawrence Gonzi’s meetings with the pope were at least genuine, honest and well-intentioned meetings by pious Catholics who believed they were serving Malta well by kissing the pope’s ring.

Labour, on the other hand, made a dog’s dinner of ransacking and ridiculing the Curia (George Vella is old enough to remember that) in the golden years and have been making an even bigger dog’s dinner of divorce, anal sex and transsexuals’ right to marry in the last year or so.

How does any of that fit in with the adulation shown towards the pope a few days ago?

Malti-sapiens… :)

Apologies. I meant “a farmer will never take offence for being called a farmer.”

An ignorant or unrefined farmer will not take offence for being called a farmer, Joe.

Rest assured that when I said that Joseph Muscat is a peasant I had absolutely no intention to offend or belittle farmers – none of the farmers I know are arrogant and pretentious, nor do any of them want to become Prime Minister, unlike Joseph Muscat.

“But then it all starts with good training in social interaction in a professional environment, at which the Maltese fail tragically. You go into an office and it’s “Deff”. You go on TV before someone who doesn’t know you from Adam and you find that surnames and titles are nonexistent. It’s “Deff” again.”

That’s thanks to Xarabank & Bondi+.

Exactly, curious.