When the leader of the Opposition had said that he had been “informed” that Finance Minister Edward Scicluna would be including a further reduction in water and electricity tariffs in the Budget, I was convinced this was just a ploy to make people believe the tariffs were going to be lowered, so that when this did not happen, those people who had believed him would feel disappointed. And he would use this to criticise the Budget.

This ploy has not even convinced his own parliamentary group. Watching their glum expressions while listening to their own leader doing his best to try and rubbish such an excellent Budget, must surely have convinced even intelligent PN voters why their party leader keeps trailing by a good margin Joseph Muscat in the trust ratings. Political bitterness oozed out of Busuttil’s mouth with each word he said.

I wonder whether Caroline Muscat, the PN’s new election campaign manager, had been consulted by Busuttil before he made his comments on the Budget speech.

After all, whatever is said by the leader of the Opposition can have a direct effect on voters. If Busuttil had sought her advice and she approved what he said, then she has started on the wrong foot. If he hadn’t consulted her, then she may already be regretting her decision to accept the position of PN election campaign manager.