Having endured the rhetoric of the Leader of the Opposition in his criticism of the Budget, it was a breath of fresh air to listen to the response of the Prime Minister. While Dr Muscat played to the gallery to please his followers, Lawrence Gonzi was clear, firm and directional in regard to the economic situation of Malta and the right path forward.

You could see Dr Muscat squirm uncomfortably as Dr Gonzi tore into him, exposing Dr Muscat's immaturity and lack of understanding of the country's needs and objectives. Evidently, Dr Muscat has a long way to go before he acquires the necessary acumen to be able to lead the country. He may have the savvy but he does not have the substance.

The only time Dr Gonzi appeared to waver was when referring to the Valletta project.

He tried to assuage the aspirations of theatre and opera lovers, but he never came over convincingly as to what is going to happen to the opera house site. Let us hope that he will see to it that a state of the art national theatre is built and that it will be a theatre for all seasons. He will thereby earn the gratitude of one and all.