Put the question to your man Charles, Mr Opposition Leader

It's all right for me to work on George Fenech's contracts as long as I don't hop aboard his private plane.

“Joseph Muscat made reference to a report saying that Finance Minister Tonio Fenech went abroad on a private trip with key people involved in gaming business.

He challenged the prime minister to say if he believes the finance minister when he says that this holiday shall not influence the gaming law. He urged the prime minister to make a clear declaration on this.”

– taken from The Malta Independent, today

Joseph Muscat has had a fit of the virgin-martyrs because the finance minister took a trip he shouldn’t have on George Fenech’s plane. What he fails to tell his credulous audience – of course – is that the shadow finance minister is George Fenech’s notary.

Quite frankly, I’d rather have a finance minister who stupidly took a trip than a finance minister who is indebted to most of Malta’s big business because of all the contracts they’ve been giving him these last two decades – because he’s such a good notary.

Labour’s finance minister may prove himself adroit at fending off anyone who comes calling for a pound of flesh, but speaking for myself, I’d rather there were no such issue at all.