The received wisdom is that Joseph Muscat, Leader of the Republic’s Loyal Opposition, is a fresh, bright, young man poised to lead his Movement of Progressive Moderates up the stairs to Castille, dewy eyed and rosy cheeked into a resplendent future.

If that is the case, what in the name of all that’s beautiful is he doing associating himself with Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando? Indeed, what is he doing asking this person to become a Labour candidate? Has Dr Muscat forgotten, because it may be convenient so to do, that Dr Pullicino Orlando was the object of Labour’s bile just before, and just after, the last election? They say a week is a long time in politics (and Labour might be about to find that out, in spades) but four years aren’t that large a span of time that the sins of Dr Pullicino Orlando may be forgotten, as if for Labour they never existed.

Or is it the case that Dr Pullicino Orlando lied recently when he said that Dr Muscat had asked him to contest on Labour’s ticket?

Well, which is it, Dr Muscat? Is Dr Pullicino Orlando a liar or did Dr Muscat ask him to contest? There are only two answers and only one is right. Given what Dr Pullicino Orlando has said about me, I know which of the two answers I would tend towards but it is equally a given that Labour hoovers up anyone who might be of use to them and hang the consequences. How else would you explain the fact that they’ve taken on Cyrus Engerer, to name but one example?

And if Dr Muscat’s answer is that Dr Pullicino Orlando lied when he said that he had been invited to contest by Dr Muscat, why hasn’t Dr Muscat said so?

Why does he feel so beholden to Dr Pullicino Orlando? Why does Dr Muscat feel he is obliged not to contradict Dr Pullicino Orlando’s assertion? Is this a case of collusion twice compounded?

It is said that every so often a bout of introspection is not a bad thing to undergo and, for its own good, I would suggest that the Fourth Estate might do well to have a dose.

Why has no one taken Dr Muscat to task on Dr Pullicino Orlando’s assertion about the invitation to contest? Is this a case of Labour being untouchable by our fearless media?

Let me give you another f’r’instance as to why I am starting to think that the only news worth reporting is that which embarrasses the Nationalist Party. With their showing in the recent poll, the PN doesn’t need the media’s help to get itself a collective red face but a self-respecting media should show at least a modicum of even-handedness.

So if Dr Pullicino Orlando (him again, but he’s such a ripe little plum) puts up a Facebook status that is even mildly critical of the Nationalists, his faithful camp-followers (and I’m not talking about MaltaToday, they’re too far gone to imagine they’re ever going to imitate a newspaper again) pick up the story and run with it for all the world as The Oracle had delivered itself of the secret of life.

On the other hand, if the dear fellow gets himself into an unseemly spate of personal invective and fishwife style insult, which in a teenager would constitute evidence of terminal spoilt-brattery, let alone in an alleged adult, it’s as if nothing has happened and Dr Pullicino Orlando goes on being treated as if he should be taken seriously.

This is not the only instance, of course. Only last Wednesday, I believe it was, Franco Debono’s opinion on a legislative initiative on drugs was reported with such prominence you’d have thought he was the only being on the face of the planet whose opinion on issues of criminal law mattered.

Offhand, I can think of at least four lawyers practising at the Criminal Bar (it’s not an over-populated sector) whose opinion I would classify as being stratospherically better grounded than Dr Debono’s and, yet ,it is he who is lionised by certain sectors of the media, even now when it’s clear that the evidence is beyond reasonable doubt that he should be quietly ignored.

Some weeks ago, I had reported that the Oleander in Xagħra had closed. I was wrong and had corrected myself the week after. The place was open under new management. I was kindly invited for a meal there and I recently took it up and wasn’t disappointed. Good plain nosh, nicely served.

If you fancy an Indian, or an Arab, or a Maltese (sounds like the beginning of a lousy joke, when you think about it) you’d do worse than trying Sharma in Mdina, though you’d best book, since it’s already catching on quickly.

A few words of congratulations to close: to Xirka Rock for a great show last Saturday and to the people who organise the Victoria Arts Festival, which came to a close last Monday with a superb concert. More than a month of virtually daily, free, high standard classical music, it’s an abiding source of wonder that they’ve pulled it off for 15 years on the trot.

imbocca@gmail.com

www.timesofmalta.com/articles/author/20