And he, Busuttil, knows it, albeit rather belatedly. Why else would he keep voicing and tweeting his “the Opposition will not budge on the principle that citizenship is not for sale” thing, if not to try to remind us that he is not made of wood pulp after all.

Opposition has made its point several times over, in parliament, sealing it with its “no” vote. The mess is not its doing and it should not now be drawn into helping to clean it up.

This is no time for false pride by assuming an ‘I told you so’ attitude.

It is in Malta’s interest to resolve this citizenship issue without further ado and Simon Busuttil showed true leadership qualities in not shirking responsibility.

I have every confidence he will not jettison principle but will rather sway the Prime Minister by sheer force of logic which events have more than proved to be on his side. His main challenge will be to help the Prime Minister save face.

Kieku kont Simon kont nghid lil Joseph : “Min ixarrbu jieklu l-bakkaljaw”

Has everyone forgotten how power is played?

[Daphne – You’re wrong on that score. This isn’t ‘Busuttil’ and ‘Muscat’. It’s the leader of the Opposition and the prime minister. The latter is more senior to the former and the former goes to the latter, at least on business of this nature.]

Perhaps Simon Busuttil needs to keep clear of Muscat, even because the latest appointments and reshuffles are showing Muscat to be somewhat of a liability.

If anything, the PN’s media need to be integrated even further into political strategy, that includes ensuring official statements are carried by all newspapers. Make noise, will follow.

If Muscat cannot lead the agenda, which he isn’t, neither should he be left to turn it to his advantage. He’ll come out saying he’s leading discussions next.

Bit perverse and novel situation this, we’ve never had a prime minister who’ll keep following until it suits him. There’s a clear risk that any future failure could be blamed on the Opposition.

Remember pairing, he’ll twist and cheat until the situation’s unreadable. Turn up that volume PN.

If there was any proof required that his is a hidden agenda it’s this.

It doesn’t make any sense to have a nine seat majority, force the bill through parliament, emphasize conviction and then beat a retreat.

It also implies not only doesn’t he trust his parliamentary group but the empty space around him is growing.

The meeting was a feeble attempt to test the Opposition’s stand. Going by today’s statement by the Leader of the Opposition, Muscat hasn’t made any progress.

Simon Busuttil, unlike Muscat, doesn’t change tune depending on circumstances.