People are pushing the notion that Delia would be the perfect foil for Muscat in ‘one on one’ debates

And I always disagree with them – not always loudly but always impatiently. Adrian Delia couldn’t even cope with a ‘one on one’ with me – and it wasn’t even a debate, but some proper persistent questioning – so how is he going to handle a debate, in parliament or on television, with Muscat, who has been sniping and biting at politicians since he was a propagandist for the party station?

The sole direct telephone encounter Delia had with me was an absolute disaster, with him arguing in circles, not sticking to the point, not answering the question, pretending not to remember stuff, and being patronising. It ended up with me blowing my top as he became more and more evasive and circular in his argumentation when he noticed that I actually know about things to do with banks and company shares.

Muscat would make mince-meat of him. So would any successor of Muscat’s.

All those who think him he would be brilliant in political debates and arguments should ask themselves how they got this idea. Face it, chaps – you’ve never seen the man in any kind of political debate with opponents or adversaries (because he’s not a politician), and you’ve never watched him perform under challenging questioning from an interviewer (the ‘friendlies’ with TVM’s Reno Bugeja and The Malta Independent’s Rachel Attard were far from incisive). All you’ve done is heard him speak in a monologue at events, which is apparently his speciality.

But nobody ever got to run the country by delivering monologues unchallenged for five years. How does he perform under hostile or challenging questioning? That’s what you need to know. And you don’t know yet. But I do because I’ve experienced it. The experience was so bad that I have since decided to have mercy on us both and send all further questions by WhatsApp. In the past week, he has answered just one – on the police report. A litany of difficult questions remains pending – some since last Sunday.

That’s your fantastic performer.

“Who left this woman in the way? I could have tripped over her.”