It didn't end well.  I put a fiver on Louis Grech not winning the Deputy Leadship election within the Labour Party, basing myself on the way their Lil'Elves and Peculiar Pundits had poured such scorn on the PN's Leadership election.

Well, that should teach me to trust Labour and all its works.

Grech's potential as a vote-gainer for Labour is analysed in depth in my column on Saturday, so I'll spare you a preprise (opposite of reprise, language is there for dynamism). Suffice it to say that he is free and clear of any taints of violence or extreme arrogance, except perhaps arrogance of the intellectual variety, in which I am as one with him, as my detractors never fail to point out.

I was listening, through the miracle of the Interweb Supernetway, to a discussion programme on BBC Five, during which, in the true fashion of lazy journalists the world over at this time of the year, the twelve-month ahead was being discussed.

It was said of Ed Milliband that his approval ratings had improved: he was now firmly "bad", which apparently is better than heretofore.  In this, he is different from his mate over here,  whose approval rating was not bad at all.  The latter's problem is that while Milliband is rising, even if only imperceptibly, he is sinking, slowly, but there is a definite trend there.

It's not surprising, of course.   His dumping of Anglu Farrugia, necessary and understandable though it may have been after that performance on Xarabank (and much else before, but de mortui and all that) certainly did him no good, because it showed him up as a cynical and hard manipulator, prepared to go to any ends to skip daintily up the steps to Castille.

But in other areas, there are striking similarities between Milliband and Muscat.   Both seem to be doing their level best to become indistinguishable from their opponents on the other side, both wear smart suits and seem to have an aversion to being associated with the hoi polloi who form their voter-base and both are young(ish).

They have another very similar trait, one which was underscored heavily on the BBC programme in respect of Milliband.  He has failed to put any meat on the bones of his fine rhetoric and for this he is expected to be punished by the electorate come the day.

The thing is, Milliband isn't facing an election within little more than two months, Muscat is.  We still haven't got any meat on them there bones, pardner, and your new running mate, being firmly in the Karmenu Vella mould, isn't about to pile any on, methinks.