In my meanderings I meet all sorts of people, including some I consider very intelligent. Success and intelligence do not necessarily go hand in hand but in the case of one of these persons they did. So what he had to tell me I particularly wanted to hear, assess and, if possible, share.

This man is directly involved in the financial world; given what is gripping the island (no not Ira becoming a mother) in the form of the uncertainty resulting from the Panama Papers, his words held even more weight.

The shock upon hearing him was palpable - he told me that people he speaks to are now fed up of Simon Busuttil’s stance. He added that Simon Busuttil should, according to his associates blue and non-blue, desist, not keep harping on this subject.

I shook myself out of my stupour - and asked him if he too had been hit by some poison which seems to be affecting several normally-normal people, turning them into imbeciles, bigots or deranged humanoids.

That Simon Busuttil talks - and talks incessantly - about the Panama debacle is not only to be expected. It IS a duty. One can look at this problem - a minister and one of the prime minister’s top officials caught planning some or many misdemeanours and crimes - in various ways, but surely it is not Busuttil who did, or is doing, anything wrong.

The wrong - do we need to keep on saying this? - was committed by the minister and the chief of staff; the wrong was defended by the prime minister who rebuked, but hardly condemned, the minister and didn’t even offer a word of caution to his chief of staff.

Panama truly is turning us barmy - I wish I would stop writing, thinking and dreaming of Panama. I wish - heartily wish - I could go back to thinking that the only thing I knew about Panama besides its secrecy was their hats (even this is not quite correct as they actually come from Ecuador but let’s not quibble).

I, and any true upholder of the rightful administration of good politics, wish we could forget Panama and move on. But it won’t just happen by magic - the magic wand was in Joseph Muscat’s hand but he didn’t use it.

Blaming Busuttil now for the situation is not just Alice-in-wonderland stuff; it is diabolical.