Taking their cue from the tobacco industry, operators in assorted sectors have taken up the habit of tagging a "health warning" onto material associated with their trade.

Indeed, in a copy-and-paste text message I have available that lists a number of establishments in Gozo where you can get a good meal, I have put a wording in at the top advising that the value of my opinion may go up and down - according to my many detractors, it goes in one direction only, and no prizes for which, but leave that aside.

Things have come to a pretty pass, though, when it becomes time for Governments to start putting some sort of disclaimer on the fruits (or whatever it is that is the opposite of fruits) of their endeavours.

We all remember how, back in May, no less a pair of luminaries than the Prime Minister himself and 'shame on you' Minister Konrad Mizzi had disported themselves in all their glory to announce that the price of petrol and diesel had gone down by something in the order of two euro cents and, breathless applause and standing ovations, it was to be locked at the announced price up to the end of the year.

This stupendous, nay astounding, nay stupefying, price reduction was achieved, we were told, because the Government led by this pair of energy-price gurus, had hedged its bets, naturally with our money.

I recall at the time making the point that one could get a 2c price variant simply by driving from AGIP to Vela8 or from Sainsburys to Shell or whatever, so it was hardly a feat worth dragging the press out for.

Generally speaking, however, the populace at large had nodded approvingly in the general direction of the duo, reacting, as always, with a "better than a kick in the pants, ay?" rejoinder when faced with the question "don't you think that Muscat & Mizzi are being ridiculous?"

I don't remember Tom or Jerry saying that the future success of their little hedging venture was subject to the vagaries of the market. They probably reasoned that it would not be so sexy to dilute the awesomeness of their price-cut with dire warnings about it only being worth anything if the price of oil remained what it was or went up.

And verily it came to pass that things changed and prices tumbled all over Europe.

Except here.

Because Joseph and Konrad hedged fuel purchases and it backfired on them: not their fault, of course, no-one could foresee the future, but this had never stopped them and their ilk shouting and screaming about how GonziPN failed in this respect.

From now on, Labour politicians' promises should come with a health warning.