Now as a pensioner I would probably get less for 58c than I got then for a “sitta”.

They can engineer it slightly differently so that the outcome of the COLA mechanism will be respected.

They will say that the COLA mechanism gives 58 cents, so the COLA will be 58 cents. They will argue that the COLA is low because the inflation rate was kept under control by the Central Command of the Great Government of the People, “having regards to the 25% reduction in utility tariffs in accordance with the wish of the Great Leader.”

But, you see, when the Great Leader in Castille heard about this shocking news, and after he consulted with the “First Lady” , he ordered that there shall be an additional increase with the COLA.

PBS will drive the point home in their typical style: “Fuq inizjattiva personali tal-prim ministru u martu…

Remember we’ve had another 2c rohs fil petrol – and that comes up your hames xelini.

A release from the government spokesman is not a rumour, it is a fact. A retraction of this amount now is not ‘listening’ to the people, but showing just how incompetent they are.

Yes the calculation is based on a formula that includes a basket of essentials. The base of the COLA is to ensure that the minimum wage increases with inflation thus ensuring that people, in theory, do not fall below the poverty line, or rather that their spending power is not eroded by inflation.

Which leaves with the composition of the basket of essentials and how these essentials impact our spending power. The overall low impact of inflation on this basket stems from the impact of the 25% decrease in electricity tariffs, which mitigated the increase in the other essentials.

The relevant point to consider here is that a significant number of families that are on minimum wage do not pay for their electricity anyway. If I recall correctly Tonio Fenech had once stated that the bills of about 10,000 families were subsidized anyway and there were not going to benefit from the 25% reduction.

What has happened now is that these 10,000, as an example, are actually going to be worse off this year than last year. Their spending power is going to reduce as the 58c COLA is not going to cover the increase in the prices of the other goods in the basket. Basic items like food have increased by more than 58c per week.

Interesting this, that it is a Labour government, the government of the people, that is going to make its labourers poorer.

And his job as MP and as party whip?