Awards for behaviour in public life

Award for utter pigheadedness.

The award for utter pigheadedness must go to Alfred Sant and his band of followers for their utter pigheadedness in boycotting L-Istrina. You have to be really miserable to boycott charity and to continue to demonise people like Peppi Azzopardi, who at least every year gives us two things which Alfred Sant does not - good television programmes courtesy of Where's Everybody and a fund-raising event which is fun to watch and is fast becoming a national institution.

The two judges for their alleged behaviour bringing everyone in public life into disrepute.

Whatever the outcome of the court case, the judges' case confirmed the paranoia everyone in Malta has about those in public office and why they are there. This is a country where the honest are commented on, not the other way round! The judges' case changed all that...

The award for hard work goes to the whole EU negotiating team.

Many many people were involved but I think it's about time we acknowledged the incredible hard work of our PM, Foreign Minister Joe Borg as well as the much maligned Richard Cachia Caruana without whom such a good deal could not have been obtained

Award for bringing the nation together.

This must be Ira Losco, who despite having to endure some silly question from one of those nasty but pretty journalists at Super 1 about coming from that side of the island (horror of horrors, Sliema) brought us all together.

Labour's policy of divide and rule is floundering by the day. We all loved her blue and red, and whether she was blue or red. Pity we can't replicate that national sentiment more often

Award for absolute cheek.

This must go to the Palestinian Ambassador for putting those Palestinian scarves on Eddie, Fred and Guido, none of whom looked amused.

It's one thing acknowledging the huge suffering of a people, it's another taking sides. Neutral, remember?

To our President for jollying us all along.

There has been some criticism of the more lavish style of this Presidency but this President has made his mark. Together with his always beautifully turned out wife they represent our country at the level it deserves to be represented and add a touch of class to our very drab figures in public life. Watching them in L-Istrina left you in no doubt. They are part of us and love what they do.

Award for sheer entrepreneurship goes to the Corinthia Group.

This is stretching the definition of public life a bit I know, but you have to hand it to them; what started as a local hotel is now spreading into the best hotels in Europe. A great ad for this little country.

Award for doing your job as it should be done.

This quite simply goes to our new police commissioner, who with a year of successes under his belt has shown us what a difference one man and his intelligence and discipline can make. Thanks to all those police who are honest and who fight the nasty fight against drugs and others.

Award for utter hypocrisy.

This must go to Super 1 non-news for their filthy Sciberras Grioli campaign to associate me with the very person I removed. Such is their level of depravity they had me in a starring role on Super 1 for three months. If I'm the worst they can pick on, the PN and MLP must be made of cherubs and angels !

Award for best speeches.

Two contenders here. First Martin Scicluna of Din l-Art Helwa for a very powerful speech on the problems facing our environment, and John Dalli for a great Budget presentation. Whatever the detail of the numbers the speech was fireball material.

AD for driving us into an abyss.

However likable and virtuous Harry Vassallo sounds (and indeed is), the effect of a vote for AD can only be to lose us EU membership because the Nationalists must win the referendum and the election to get us into Europe. So you animal lovers, environmentalists, pro-divorce and other generally disillusioned Nats, remember that your AD vote will only go against your own interest if it loses us EU membership

Vote AD next time, not this!

Award for sexual bias.

This must go to Joe Sammut, Labour spokesman on housing (yes, I know you haven't heard of him or of any Labour policy on housing!), for critising the appointment of a former secretary to a management position. What a gaffe! Where's the public apology from a party that had such an important parliamentary secretary for women?

Award for gentlemanliness.

This goes to Karmenu Vella and Dr Louis Buhagiar, another Labour MP, who not only ignored Dr Sant's stupid boycott and came on L-Istrina but came out with such a nice, unifying message. We all wish we could vote for him. Shame the two parties cannot pick the best of each and run this country, the size of a small European city!

Award for utter determination.

This must go to Giovanna Debono for her utter determination to take certain tough decisions despite the fact that she is the minister for an area known to be very tough on its politicians.

For some reason Labour hate successful women more than men and although so few women make it here these are particularly attacked. How any educated women plan to vote for Alf and Ev I cannot understand!

The award for worst salesmanship goes to the MLP propaganda machine.

I mean they've had four years, haven't they? First they tried to sell you Switzerland in the Med and now a partnership, and we still do not know what they mean, despite that woman with that terrible skin or awful make-up (Who is looking after these things? Imagine these people running a country when they make up a pretty girl look awful!) trying to persuade us otherwise on those MLP spots. And can she please wash her hair?

Awards for being really the most important people in public life.

This is dedicated to all those who really do work tirelessly for others. People like Fr Pierre Grech Marguerat for our refugees, Claudia Taylor East and Lilian Miceli-Farrugia, and so many others. Strange how this is the one area where women do figure prominently. Otherwise women are very absent in public life in Malta and young women almost absolutely.

Why do so many of us look there and don't want to go there? The next election will definitely see no more women elected to parliament with the current system.

But at least, being half the population, we can rally together and vote for something which is in our interest and that of our kids, to be part of Europe, and not North Africa, and to be part of the European way of life and not stuck with these Labour dodos.

Women will decide the next referendum and election. Have both parties realised this?