Hamilton's 'no deal'

That Peppi Azzopardi (Hamilton's Deal, April 23) and his fellow director/programme presenter on the Where's Everybody? board are diehard Nationalists is common knowledge to everybody. And let me hastily add that there is nothing wrong with this. In a democratic country like ours everyone has a right to his or her opinion. In this context this gentleman also has a right to, as he stated previously, have a favourite candidate in the race for the Malta Labour Party leadership. Perhaps he would be kind enough and divulge this person's name. There are many subjects which I humbly suggested be open for discussion on his programme, yet he only mentions one that was briefly referred to during his electoral "post mortem" programme.

As for Mr Azzopardi's bias during Xarabank, one has only to look at his body language when interviewing Alfred Sant and compare it to when he posed questions to Lawrence Gonzi.

Mr Azzopardi sarcastically remarks that it could be the case that I am very busy on Friday evenings and consequently am not aware of what Xarabank is discussing. My God, the arrogance of this man! Is he not aware that there are other local stations and countless other satellite and cable channels one has a choice of watching on a Friday evening? Must I be brainwashed into watching his - yes I will repeat it - politically-biased programme?

Mr Azzopardi, I have news for you and others of your ilk. I never formed part of Dr Sant's kitchen Cabinet as you and many others like to imply.

I would like to refer Mr Azzopardi to My Agenda column in The Times of June 7 last year and I will quote "... there are so many spins currently making the rounds all regarding yours truly that I simply cannot go on ignoring them... suddenly I was dubbed one of six wise men and a member of a phantom kitchen Cabinet spin - well I am still learning how to master the perfect breakfast... "

It seems because of his many various commitments our Mr Azzopardi missed out on my denial - now let him say that I am being arrogant but it seems he does read the column otherwise he wouldn't have answered, would he?

He states that I seem to be mixing up programmes and should refer to Bondi Plus and not Xarabank. For my money these two programmes are one and the same thing, both orchestrated by the same stable - the Where's Everybody? production house and studio.

The two go together like peaches and cream. None of them will contradict the other. The important thing to them is that yearly they are earning about €652,225 (Lm280,000) from the taxpayers' money via PBS and this is not including income generated also from the licence paying public through Deal or No Deal, Tikka, Bomba and Ħadd Għalik to mention just four other WE originated programmes all broadcast on the Public Broadcasting Services channel. Mr Azzopardi would like me to host him and Jason Micallef on my programme Bla Aġenda in order to participate in what he describes as "a much coveted event". Sorry but... no deal.

The reason being that Bla Aġenda strives to entertain, educate and inform the viewers while his programme is out to attack, confront and antagonise. There is absolutely no comparison in style.