Comments on: Like all good dictatorships, we get El Presidente’s wife as part of the package

By: H.P. Baxxter

H.P. Baxxter — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 23:59:00 +0000

In reply to Edward.

All the more reason for you to be there. You’ll have a blast. It’s the best social observatory ever. And the thing about balls (not that kind) is they really do separate the wheat from the chaff.

The aristocracy, you can spot a mile away. They’ll be the ones making least noise and least movement – the true quality of nobility. Call it self-containment.

The Maltese Inner Circle of Power will be the ones producing the white noise of conversation – a kind of low-pitched buzz. It’ll be a mixture of gossip, snide remarks about “il-blogger”, and boardroom talk. Trust them to talk shop on an evening out.

As the alcohol takes hold, the pitch will go up. The women will start giggling uncontrollably and the men will let rip with a few Z-words and imprecations. The aristocracy, meanwhile, will keep a steady demeanour.

The way to get noticed is to try NOT to get noticed. You can strike up fascinating conversations with the aristocracy that way. I cannot guarantee invitations to country houses and hunts or a good romp with the female scions of the peerage, but you will be treated as an equal, with no condescension at all.

It’s more than you can ever hope for in a conversation with the Maltese Inner Circle. THEY’ll be going off about how DIFFICULT their job is and HOW MUCH the earn, and the RESPONSIBILITIES they have and oh, they’ve just come back from a skiing holiday. It’s all Onorevoli this and Dottore that and il-Profs and il-Prim Ministru.

Avoid them like the plague. I tend to hang around the bar if it’s a stand-up affair. There’s nothing else to do anyway, unless you’re accompanied, in which case you might like to take Ritienne behind the bushes. Light entertainment only though – composure and dignity is the word.

By: Edward

Edward — Wed, 25 Mar 2015 22:39:00 +0000

Thanks for that. A damn good read. Well, there we go, I now know what this ball is. And judging by how you have described it, I know exactly what sort of people go to it, and what sort of people aspire to go to it, and they were never the type of people whose company I enjoy.

By: Neil Dent

Neil Dent — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 17:44:00 +0000

Hilarious! You must reprise this around August time Baxxter. I’m sure you’ll think of ways to describe and embellish the scene even more by then.

By: CLAIRE ABELA

CLAIRE ABELA — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 13:39:00 +0000

He is simply embarrassed in this picture. She loves to be in the limelight but both of them are not trained for this kind of social life. All is new to them. No personality at all. Besides that her make-up looks awful.

By: Rumplestiltskin

Rumplestiltskin — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 07:16:00 +0000

Precise description. Which is why the first and last time I went to the August Moon ball was the year I graduated, more years ago than I’d like to remember.

By: P Bonnici

P Bonnici — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 06:18:00 +0000

In reply to guest. Everything.

By: Mandy

Mandy — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 21:13:00 +0000

“Why does somebody who speaks one language really badly (Maltese) and another hardly at all (English) have the gumption to address a conference on bilingualism.”

Because ignorance is bliss.

By: Manuel Camilleri

Manuel Camilleri — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 19:42:00 +0000

Every time I see a photograph of the Famous Couple, I have a feeling of nausea.

Apart from the fact that I cannot stand the sight of either of them, separately or together, they strike me as a very superficial couple. There is no spark between them..

They give me the impression that they pose for the public but that privately, things are not going that well.

By: Jon jon

Jon jon — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 19:37:00 +0000

But they sure are common.

By: Ta wigi

Ta wigi — Mon, 23 Mar 2015 19:07:00 +0000

Min jaf kemm ser johrog gherf.