Just as the Opposition feared, the national honours system has become something of a wine and pizza party, with everyone who turns up getting a slice and a lukewarm glass of the stuff that should cheer but doesn't.

After promising the young Gaia the top honour and then downgrading her when he realised that he'd gaffed, the PM went right on digging, oblivious to the standing instruction as to what you should do when you're in a hole.

For instance, Ms Cassar certainly deserved some form of recompense for the silly way the State had obstructed her efforts to achieve her happiness, but seriously, a National Honour? It's not as if she had risked being shot on the barricades or something. The juxtaposition of the use made of her by Labour before the elections and the award of a slice of pie just after tends to make it pretty darn clear precisely what has caused the PM to gaze benevolently upon her.

Especially now that it's become clear that so hard and fast is this Government in defending gay rights that it sees fit to recognise the efforts of one of Putin's henchwomen in his struggle. Imagine the screeching and wailing that would have risen to the heavens had this been done by the PN Government: Cyrus Engerer would have bust a gut, probably quite rightly. Joseph Muscat does it, and hey, that's all right, forget all about it.

You'll remember that I was pretty scathing in my distaste for the attack on that Camilleri bloke that had been perpetrated by the forces of liberal thought and defenders of freedom of expression that inhabit the bastions of academe up at Tal-Qroqq. It was an idiotic case to start with and its idiocy has not diminished over time.

That said, a National Honour for the publisher, who did nothing except supply a very convenient peg upon which the pseudo-liberals on the Left could hang their anti-PN hat? If you think they're not pseudo-liberal, just consider the tone of the comments you find below pieces such as this or the ill-disguised eagerness to stifle all impertinent opposition on the part of Ministers such as Mallia or Mizzi, to say nothing of their juniors.

The Camilleri chap, who is so, so busy that his appointment with the President just slipped his mind, didn't actually fight against all odds to get that piece of what some people call porn (not that this is relevant) published, he simply fought off a misguided, primitive and fundamentalist prosecution.

Unlike, for instance, Dr Michael Frendo, who fought against many odds back in the day when he was a student leader to ensure that the voice of the student body was heard against the storm of derision and more raised by Mintoff's thugs. For this alone, Dr Frendo deserves the honour awarded, but you'll note, if you read the Department of Information's biography, that this part of his life doesn't seem to have existed.

There's so much more grist for my mill in the current honours list, but I'll draw a veil of discretion over it, except to remark that perhaps before nominating a particular individual for his services to medical education, it might have been appropriate to make enquiries amongst the professionals he was supposed to have educated.