After their painful thrashing at the polls, you would think that the politicos within the Nationalist Party would take a step back, pick up the pieces and reorganise themselves whilst doing what every opposition should do, hold the government in check. (And God knows there is quite a lot to check).
Instead, true to form, they’ve decided to go for a public display of in-fighting.
It seems the conservatives within the party are smelling blood and think they are in with a chance to turn the party away from its recent secular liberal conversion and adopt a, shall we say, more ‘enlightened’ conservative point of view. And the Labour government, always excellent at playing political poker, has created the perfect opportunity for them to show their fangs.
Their first salvo was to roll out Tonio Fenech from the mothballed cupboard, him of the ‘crying madonnas’, who warned of further vote losses should the party vote in favour of gay marriage.
And he may have a point. After all the Nationalist Party itself has always identified with the conservative demo-Christian parties.
But is that the case with many of its supporters?
The lack of a proper liberal party has meant that many voters who lived through the 1980s, and are now livid about the present scandal-ridden government, had no choice but to vote Nationalist. But they still remain rooted in European liberal values. I wonder if Fenech added that to his computation of potential lost voters if the PN does not vote in favour of gay marriage?
All this against the background of a leadership contest.
Meanwhile, party leader Simon Busuttil has quite rightly pointed out that it would be completely wrong if any of the Nationalist party representatives vote against the gay marriage bill in principle as it was part of the party’s manifesto, a manifesto they had all agreed to.
Frankly, this is literally a storm in a teacup as it merely cleans up any discrepancies to be found between the current Civil Unions act and the Marriage Act.
Which is why I am increasingly convinced that this looks like a bit of kite-flying and manoeuvring - not by candidates, but by potential kingmakers in the contest for the leadership.
Watch this space!
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Now it is a well-known fact that I am no particular fan of either of them, but the sudden departure of Karsten Xuereb, as Executive Director and Margerita Pule, the Programme Co-ordinator of Valletta 2018, a mere six months before the start of a year-long of events is definitely Not Good News.
So it is hardly surprising that Prof Raphael Vella’s reaction on Facebook to the news was one word: ‘IDIOTS’.
But what was surprising, considering that he has now been four years on the job, is the reaction of V18 Chairman, Jason Micallef.
Rather than ignoring the remark, Micallef took this personally, (disregarding the fact that Vella referred to a number of ‘idiots’, and did not even mention Micallef by name. Then again, egos go where angels fear to tread!).
Micallef then went on the classic tirade of an "elite" that looks down on a 2nd class "idiot", and offering (threatening) to publish just how much Vella had benefitted artistically and financially under "his leadership."
I will leave it up to the reader to dissect just how much is wrong with these public and patronising remarks.
In the meantime I refer you to Jason Micallef’s Facebook page to enjoy even more ‘enlightened’ comments by the ‘non-elite’. Enjoy!
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And finally….The recent brouhaha over an advert depicting the Last Supper as part of an advertising campaign for a well-known pizza and burger joint is typical summer fare.
It is the kind of stunt that believes that all publicity is good publicity,
Truth be told, I was well and truly shocked, and would sign any petition to remove it. But not probably for the same reasons as any Bible-thumping readers.
I honestly think the advert was disgraceful and insulting. It insulted Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece with its clumsy crassness, and the Italian Embassy should ask for its immediate removal. (Yes I know others have been before it, but that does not dissipate its crass vulgarity).
It insults all creatives working in the advertising world. This must score as the most unimaginative and boring adverts ever created. Period.
And finally it disgraced the rather good burger joint it was promoting. What was the management of the pizza parlour in question thinking of when they okayed this: have a meal at our place, and we guarantee it will be your last supper?