Why exactly do you think there was such a scandal and an outcry – it made the world news – when President Trump tweeted nastily about a couple of journalists?

This is what happens when the population of an entire island grows up never having read a single newspaper other than those published in Malta. Pajjiz injorant.

I have withstood (while hanging on to my sanity) a full three decades of sustained onslaught by the Labour Party and very often by Nationalist politicians too. But if any one of them is criticised by a journalist (for which read me, generally), they behave as though they have been stabbed half to death and whine and scream all over the media about how they and their families are suffering.

Perhaps they should have tried being in my family. My sons have nerves of steel. They have known nothing else but seeing their mother viciously assaulted by politicians and their henchmen, since they were babies and toddlers.

Correct.

“In my opinion, this dress is pink.”

I was probably wrong in saying that it’s a politicians characteristic and should have realised that it’s possibly a Maltese trait as you pointed out. If only we could call a spade a spade, and that is my opinion :)

“So would anyone who succeeds Muscat”. That is even more true.

Just imagine Delia facing Muscat’s very ambitiuos obvious successor who is already making mince-meat of Muscat himself.

Yes, I’m the same. But I’ve noticed that prevarication and evasiveness are built into Maltese communication style in general.

Have you noticed how people in Malta never come right out and say something, but always presage it with IN MY OPINION…

“In my opinion he is not the right man to be leader.”

Honey, just say he’s not the right man to be leader. There’s no need to tell us it’s your opinion.

I think that when an interview is one-to-one it’s a different situation than when it is a debate between two opposing parties; all of the debates that I have seen when one is asked a question that requires a simple yes or no for an answer, you would never get any politician that answers straight.

I think it’s rare that they give clear answers. In fact I am always amazed a how they are capable of managing to keep up with not giving a direct person. It probably amazes me because I am non-diplomatic with my answers and simple yes and no answers are what I enjoy most.

That’s why the only reasons for their support are hollow, unrealistic, unreasonable and very dangerous. They are based on what he never did, and because he never did. Since he never did, they can imagine anything.

No, it isn’t, Michelle. I’ve been speaking to politicians in the course of my work as a journalist for around three decades. Most of them come straight to the point or say that they would prefer not to answer a certain question, or they will answer it off the record.

A good politician is also able to size up the person asking the question, whether it’s a journalist or not, and work out how much he can get away with (or not).