That the arrest and arraignment of Judge Ray Pace is a shocking story which needs to be treated with reserve and caution should go without saying, but what have we got instead?

Many of the commenters here resorted to more of "what is the country coming to” and the usual platitudes about being ever so mighty and all that.

But then we also got a round of finger-pointing about who had appointed Judge Pace in the first place, and let the presumption of innocence go hang.

The finger-pointing, to be fair, was a reaction to Joseph Muscat's somewhat crass political point about how a "New Labour Government" would review the way members of the Judiciary were appointed. Anything that can improve things in an area that could do with it is always welcome, but the alacrity with which Muscat leapt onto the bandwagon (as usual) betrays his gasping-for-it eagerness to get his hands on the wheel.

And his insensitivity, for that matter.

Quite apart from anything else, those of us who know, know that Labour should really, really keep its mouth shut about the behaviour of certain members and ex-members of the judiciary. These things have a way of turning around and biting one in one's backside, don't you know?