I'm tapping this out on my iPhone 5 after an excellent meal at Tad-Dutch in Qala, listening to some equally fine music at Zeppi's.

Simon Busuttil has just been elected Deputy Leader of the Nationalist Party, a clear signal to the electorate and, frankly, to the party itself, that change is in the wind. Sadly for Joseph Muscat's naked ambition, it's perhaps, just maybe, going to be a wind that sweeps him away from that for which he is fairly gasping, the keys to Castille.

Tonio Fenech, the defeated contender, was graciousness personified in his concession speech. He has much to be proud of, starting from his loyalty and integrity and ending with the Budget he has just presented, so good that even Labour like it, though that is faint praise indeed.

Simon Busuttil represents the renewed face of the Nationalist Party, stark proof that it regenerates itself in the face of adversity and weakness. He is his own man, as he proves whenever he speaks, and yet he remains true to his party's ideal, strength in diversity. He is liberal, yet a safe pair of hands.

It's little wonder that the first tweets from Labour's side tried to spin a bitter pill for them to swallow into some sort of defeat for the Government. All they managed to prove was that Labour consistently fails to distinguish between party and Government, a failure that was at its starkest when Mintoff reigned supreme.  Tonio Fenech has delivered a Budget that will prove to be a significant factor in the elections and the Nationalist Party, in the form of Simon Busuttil, has delivered a signal that is as clear as a bell.

The Fat Lady hasn't sung yet, not by a long, long shot.