Unlike Imelda Marcos, the Philippines' former first lady who had hundreds of pairs of shoes, Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici has only a few hats. But, at one time or another, he wears them all. Not all together, of course - he is more serious than that. Mrs Marcos could never have worn all of hers. And also unlike Mrs Marcos, Dr Mifsud Bonnici's hats have cost his country nothing - their only price is his political credibility.

Only consider. He has at present three hats, apart from that of an ordinary citizen - if he can be called ordinary, considering the positions he has occupied, the company he keeps, and the outrageous statements he has sometimes made. The hat he is wearing at present is that of a party delegate - as a former leader of the Labour Party, Dr Mifsud Bonnici is a delegate for life. And under that delegate's hat, he has written, and will be writing again, to the party's delegates about the membership agreement concluded by the government with the European Union and how delegates should view that agreement.

From the leadership's reply to Dr Mifsud Bonnici, it seems that Dr Mifsud Bonnici would wish to ignore them. For the leadership triumvirate say they did not receive the former leader's letter to delegates. Can it be that Dr Mifsud Bonnici did not post them one, unintentionally? Is that likely? In his delegate's hat, Dr Mifsud Bonnici seems to be discriminating. The delegates can make what they can of that.

Another hat that Dr Mifsud Bonnici has, and puts on sometimes, is that of chairman of the Campaign for National Independence, which is anti-EU membership, which sees EU membership as unconstitutional and wants Malta to fend for herself.

And then there is the third hat, which no one who knows anything substantial about Dr Mifsud Bonnici, expected him ever to wear. That is the hat of the Front Maltin Inqumu, Dom Mintoff's creation, which is against the conditions negotiated by the government for membership. It is strange that Mr Mintoff - who in his days used to criticise, for having a hat for each, those members of the Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Industry, the GRTU, Association of General Retailers and Traders, and the Malta Employers Association, who were members of all four - should now accept as co-leader, or whatever, a man who has almost as many hats. But Mr Mintoff's thinking, in matters of not very serious import, has always been conveniently pliable.

Dr Mifsud Bonnici last week told The Times: "As a party delegate, I shall continue to fight against the disadvantageous agreement negotiated by the Nationalist government. When I wear the CNI or FMI hats I will argue in another manner."

Now no one is denying Dr Mifsud Bonnici the right to speak, in whatever hat he may be wearing, though there were those in his days as prime minister, who to be heard, could hardly get a substantial word in edgeways under any hat, except that of a sycophant. But The Times would like to know today: when does Dr Mifsud Bonnici expect to be taken seriously - as an anti-membership CNI spokesman, as an anti-conditions FMI representative, or as a Labour delegate who does not mean to propose that a Labour government should take Malta out of the EU?

Mrs Marcos, as far as is known, used her shoes for walking. Dr Mifsud Bonnici seems to want his hats for convenience.