The sound of thunder

I'm writing this a few days early since we're off to (actually, RyanAir permitting us in) Iberia on a slightly lengthier holiday than we've been used to, so you'll forgive me if I sound more disconnected from reality than normal.

Incidentally, the choice of RyanAir as our transporter of choice wasn't dictated by considerations of cost: At the end of the clicking, the price of the flight wasn't all that cheap, especially considering that we had to change one of the days of travel. It's just that it's the only airline that flies direct to Spain and I just hate hanging around airports to change flights.

So, that's why this week's column is being written early. What do you mean, I needn't have bothered? What, and deprive you of the fun that is to be had from agreeing with me? Or not, as the case may be.

It's Sunday evening after a glorious day, which we spent in Gozo, walking near Kap San Dimitri and then stuffing ourselves silly at Ping's, on the road to Xlendi, which does a mean Sunday buffet. Generally, it's less of a good idea to turn up for a buffet late but, in this case, our hostess made sure we had quantities of freshly-cooked stuff. Sitting on the terrace in the winter sun, with the sound of running water from the valley below is as close to paradise as you can get without being dead.

It seems like the St John's thing is going to trundle on and on - I'm not about to get into yet another slanging match with the FAA.

The fact is that a calm and reasoned debate on the pros and cons of the project wasn't allowed to take place and there's an end to that aspect of the matter.

But even if I'd like to let this go, satisfied in the knowledge that many people whose opinion I respect (Prof. Alex Torpiano, anyone?) agree with me, it appears that the Leader of the Opposition won't, though for different reasons.

Apparently, if the reports of his Sunday Speech (What would our politicians do without Sundays, I ask you?) are accurate, the contretemps is still close to his heart and he wants the ministers who felt pressured about it to speak up.

This is an interesting take on Cabinet responsibility: He expects ministers publicly to stick their oar in and embarrass the government. I'm taking his comment at face-value and not accepting that the government should be embarrassed by the way the thing played out, but precisely what should ministers have a public moan about?

According to Joseph Muscat, one of that genus said that "undue pressure" was being exerted, though this particular bon mot is not expanded upon (at least, not in the newspaper report that I saw) while another was miffed because EU funds were obtained by people who "knew how to play the game".

Come now, my fine young friend: EU funds are always obtained by people who know the ropes. You of all people should know that and what's this about "undue pressure"? Isn't all political life about pressure - the dynamic between people who want something for some purpose and other people who want something else for some other purpose?

Actually, Dr Muscat's comments, as well as those of many others who took this matter to their hearts with such glee, betray a failure to understand the import of the issue.

Even if the government had allowed the matter to go to a vote in the House (and hang the harm done to due process of consultation) and even if - free vote or not - the "nos" had got it, it would have meant diddlysquat, to use an Americanism of particular obnoxious timbre.

This wasn't a vote of confidence, either in the government or in the "shadowy figures" (I use their characterisation, not mine) that militate behind the throne. After all, we're not talking about something earth-shattering, like a yacht marina in Cospicua. It was just a hobby-horse, which a few people had hopped onto in order to remind the world of their existence.

Fair enough, now we know: There are people who like to have their moments in the sun, for good reason or bad. I've no doubt that many of them sincerely believed that St John's was about to come tumbling down around our ears, leaving the way clear for some top-hatted plutocrat to swan in and put in a particularly vulgar shopping mall.

You can hardly blame them, such was the cacophony of doom-mongering that was broadcast to the four winds.

But that's all it was, a debate hijacked with no lasting harm done and it would behove some people to clam up about it, now.

imbocca@gmail.com, www.timesofmalta.com/blogs