The use of “normal” and “not normal” reminds me of the national socialists. Those who denied human rights to millions of people in Europe and beyond.

Saviour Bezghan, like many others in Labour and among the switchers, are running out of arguments as they find themselves having to defend the indefensible, and when an administration and its allies reach this point, they become dangerous.

From here onwards, it becomes about censorship, insults, lies, denial of rights, abuse, and who knows, maybe even violence.

Very apt in this instance, even though recommended by Virgil to Dante 700 years ago.

I find any attempt at labelling something “normal” rather tenuous since it is one of the main aspects of that “bad barrel” that brings about discrimination and racism.

“Normal” in the past has been endowed with many different characteristics and such a definition has been responsible for all forms of racism, sexism and all other forms of discrimination.

“It’s not normal for people of different races to marry” for example. Or better still, “It is not normal for people of the same gender to get married, therefore they shouldn’t be allowed”.

Such parameters lead to an unfair alignment which causes much pain and suffering for those who don’t fall within those parameters. The step from simple unspoken indifference towards the dignity of others who aren’t “normal” to violence is often described as imperceptable. It is a very small step indeed.

So Saviour Balzan seems to say that those who do not fall into his definition of “normal” are not allowed the right to freedom of speech.

It is no surprise there. I believe that the reason why the PN have struggled is because they are being discriminated against.

Allowing one set of people certain rights while denying them to others based on something like their skin colour, gender, or political beliefs in discriminatory and has no place in a democracy.

The same goes for the likes of Mr Balzan and the Labour Party. Answering questions posed by one set of people but not the other is denying the other a freedom that they have a right to.

Expecting one set of people to be silenced while saying nothing of another group of people’s opinion is also discriminatory.

But what I am saying is not new, it is well known. Unfortunately bad barrel makers and bad barrels are often difficult to see coming and lead us down a road that ends in terrible mistakes.

I think Saviour Balzan has taken one of those imperceptable steps which he should endeavour to correct, lest he finds himself taking one more.