LABOURING IN FOCUS

A look around the papers, at least the ones which retain credibility and are not badly camouflaged axe-grinders and carriers of personal agendas, will reveal that, finally, eyebrows have been raised in the general direction of Dr Franco Debono.

No longer is this gentleman being quoted “straight”, as if he was an individual used to delivering himself of well-considered, objective and disinterested comments and suggestions, his underlying motives and motivations, as well as all the other components which go to make up the human psyche, have been brought into the picture.

This is the proper way to look at this sort of picture and it is to the lasting shame of some journalists (though not all who pretend to that title are deserving) that the task, heretofore, was been taken up only by some bloggers, who for their pains have been accused of clandestinely running the country and being in some manner blots on the democratic landscape, rather than its valiant defenders.

Such are the crosses we have to bear, sometimes in the face of personal invective and thinly-veiled threats.

Now that the stone has been, to a degree, lifted as a result of the shameful motion that led to the head of a Minister whose integrity and honour were unquestioned, being delivered cravenly by Labour to Debono, where does this leave Labour? 

It is not unfair (even if fairness is a concept that is clearly alien to Labour) to say that they are exposed, blinking madly in the dazzling light of the truth. 

They have been exposed as opportunistic riders on a bandwagon on which it gives them no credit to be seen.    Nothing new there, it’s just become very clear.

They have been exposed as being crass and shallow.  Again, nothing new.

They have been exposed as being out of touch with their own roots (ask people from Cospicua, say, if they approved of the way Dr Mifsud Bonnici was treated) keen to make Facebook points and tweet inane tweets but not particularly worried about how this makes them look.  Anything new, here? Not much, only the media has changed, the message remains the same.

They have been exposed, above all, as a party whose machine has been geared solely to propel Joseph Muscat up the steps of Castille, at all costs, even if it means taking down an honest man or two in the process.   Not exactly anything novel here, either, but it’s that much clearer now.