All's fair in love, war and politics, they say, which is a cynical reality, if not an eternal veracity. The truth is, it's not all fair, because the rules of common decency still apply, whether you are in a quest for a fair maiden, seeking to defeat a noble knight or prospecting for the votes of the great unwashed.

In the first two of the three scenarios cited, you sometimes get some glimmers of fair play showing through the bewilderment of love or the fog of war but, in the third, the race for political power, the appearance of restraint is a rare, rare bird indeed.

Everyone is guilty, to a greater or lesser degree, of succumbing to the temptation to sling a few shovels-full of mud, knowing that political advantage will ensue. I'm sure I can be accused of the same sin and, being only human, I can't put my hand on my heart and plead not guilty. All I can say is, I've tried to limit my sallies to the public side of the public personae who have found themselves in my sights and if I've been less than successful, I apologise.

Both sides of the political spectrum, and even some self-proclaimed "independents" (such as the one that thinks only his English language paper is worth reading, to which apparent arrogance the rest of us gladly reciprocate inversely), take pot-shots at individuals, generally with a sickeningly snide and smug tone that gives right thinking observers reason and more to cringe.

This week, though, was a really bad week for the exponents of the art of mud-slinging from the so-called left. Let's not be naïve, of course, the other lot do it too but the cynical callousness with which the art is practised by certain segments of Labour's media is nonpareil and it would behove their leader to try to live up to the image of reasonableness and inclusiveness that has been created around him and tell them to can it.

Let me list the instances where Labour have sought to assassinate people's characters, only to have the barrel of their gun blow up in their face this very week.

Way back a year and some ago, you will recall, a great stink was created on the very eve of the election by the then-soon-to-be-ex Labour leader, Dr Alfred Sant, about how a Nationalist candidate had "traded in influence" (a phrase that became as close to his heart as "I am morally convinced" had been and "the power of incumbency" was to become).

Leaving aside the propriety of the permit sought by the candidate, which is not relevant to this discussion, Labour at the time had shown absolutely no compunction in involving two private citizens in their war cries of "scandal, shame and more scandal".

This week, the court found these two citizens not guilty.

Moving a bit closer in time, to last Sunday, Labour's KullĦadd saw nothing wrong, simply because its target was a Nationalist, in chucking mud at an individual whose only crime was to be the employed general manager of a manufacturing company that had been left in the lurch by its foreign owners.

A quick look at the comments section under the article on the electronic version of the paper demonstrates, if demonstration were needed, how absolutely unfair the position taken by KullĦadd was: the employees of the company wrote in to defend their boss, which must have caused some red faces at the editorial desk.

Actually, don't bet on anyone having been at all embarrassed, I need hardly suggest.

And then, on the very evening I am writing this, a story that had been blared to the four corners of the land about how a retired diplomat and gentleman (and I choose the word with care) had been less than patriotic was shown to be baseless and untrue.

The gentleman's real crime: he was a Nationalist and people had it in for him, so it was expedient to attack him, letting the truth go hang itself.

These are only three instances of how certain of Labour's exponents' systematic strategy of character assassination has been shown up for what it is: viciousness. These are people, mark you, who pose as defenders of society's values and fearless proclaimers of the truth. All I can say to them is, refer to Matthew 23:27.

For those of you who are not up to speed on their Bibles, the line goes: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean".

I suppose now we'll get some sort of apology or, more precisely, an expression of regret that the grinning troupe of cheerleaders will call an apology. Yeah, right, hold your breath waiting for it.

imbocca@gmail.com, www.timesofmalta.com/blogs