"Renzo Piano's idea to relocate the Triton Fountain next to the Air Force monument is "artistic blasphemy", according to Floriana mayor Nigel Holland." These were the opening words of the piece dealing with Mr Holland's reaction to the decision to move the Triton Fountain from its current spot in Valletta a few metres down the road to Floriana.

Apparently, so moved was the mayor about this that as I write, the council, having been approached by several people to take action on the move, was planning to meet in the coming days to discuss "national action" against the plans. Gird your loins, citizenry, a call to arms will resound right soon from Floriana.

Let's leave aside the perplexing question as to what had incensed the mayor, whether it was the fact that his bailiwick, which many regard (unfairly) as merely a suburb of, not to say through-route to, Valletta, was to have the fountain imposed on it or whether it was the fact of its being interfered with. Of greater import, to those of us who give some thought to these things, is precisely where Mr Holland gets off, accusing Renzo Piano of artistic blasphemy.

This attitude towards Piano seems to be prevalent in this country's anti-anything brigade. You get the impression that he's seen as just a two-bit hack who was chucked a bit of work by the Government, presumably because he's someone's friend of a friend. Why else would Mr Holland have asked, without the trace of his tongue residing in his cheek, the Government to be transparent about Piano's plans? Like they're not clear enough?

In normal countries, one might like or dislike, love or hate or whatever Piano's work, but to accuse him of "blasphemy" is bordering on arrogance in the extreme.