Amazing how the Minister for Infrastructure and whatever lives up to his reputation of first shooting from the hip and then proceeding to shoot himself in the foot. His Talking Point about divorce, which is a subject not within his remit, is a perfect case in point. While I appreciate the value of his pro-family arguments (who wouldn’t?) he has put all Nationalists into a very awkward position. Because he, as a good practising Catholic, threatened to resign should the divorce Bill pass, all Nationalists are now in a nastily uncomfortable corner.

If, as the anti-divorce commenters keep reminding us, the Nationalist Party is all for “religio e patria”, something which I thought had lost its meaning after World War II, then there is no place for anyone who is not a strict practising Catholic within its ranks.

Think about it.

Dr Gatt puts his religion and even his party allegiances before his duty as an elected minister.

That is not on.

Till our politicians learn that when they are in government they are at the service of the people – all the people, that is, and not either the Nationalists or the Labourites alone, or now, Catholic or non-Catholic too – we will never progress in this country.

Divorce is being used as a political football and no mention is made of all those people who are pushed into anomalous and untenable positions because of its absence. What is shocking is that the anti-divorce lobby tacitly agree to cohabitation laws being enacted which, in my book, is one of the most cynical and immoral alternatives one could ever devise.

Dr Gatt has threatened to resign too many times. Maybe he should do so sooner rather than later.