I’m quite often criticised, if not ostracised, for poking some silly fun about the political, social or religious situation on this sunny rock of ours. My critics don’t say my humour sucks, which I’m sure they’d be dying to, but that I should be solemn and treat everyone and everything with undying respect.

To me—and a good band of others like me—that attitude stinks. Life, with all its attendant horrors and pitfalls, needs colour and a laugh. We also need to forget those way-too-serious guys and gals who bore everyone with their seriousness.

But then sometimes the serious, real world is even more madcap and magic-mushroom-driven than the drivel I spout. I know everyone and his grandfather has now said his bit about our spanking new MEP candidate, Dr Alfred Sant. But can someone a bit more lucid than me explain what this means? One of the most solemn politicians the world has ever seen dictates to his party his candidature for the European Parliament. He also admits in the letter proposing his name as candidate that it is in the best interest of Labour that he does not present his candidature for the next general elections. This was done after consulting with the PL leader.  It would be interesting—to put it grandly mildly—to know why his presence on the ballot list is not in the best interest of the PL. Are there juicy things we could but will never find out about?

But the maddest part is his proposal to represent the PL in Europe. Please tell me this is all a bad joke in terribly bad taste. I love laughs but I can’t believe we are making ourselves more of a laughing stock in Europe. Joseph Cuschieri can hardly string two words together but he sits there representing our country. Then the Dalli débacle sends us all reeling. Now Alfred Sant and his long lost partnership theory.

God save us from our own farces.