I'm writing this while waiting to be herded onto a narrow aluminum tube where if I want a drink, I have to fork over a couple of euro, where if I want a sarnie, I have to fork over more than a couple more and so on and so forth. There's possibly going to be a sticker on the seat-belt letting me know that if I want to use it, I should swipe my credit card, twice if I want oxygen in case of a pilot error. Heaven knows what it will cost if I need the life-jacket.

No prizes for guessing which airline I'm travelling with.

You might, therefore, be deprived of the pleasure of my erudition for a few days, though it's perfectly possible that inspiration might touch me while I'm within wi-fi range.

There's not much to pronounce one's self about in the height of summer, really. The revolting racists are doing their thing, as they always do at this time of the year, and I've done a bit in my Saturday column about them anyway.

Facebook, though, inspired me a little. A post put up by one of the younger Labour MPs carried a video of one of Mintoff's speeches, with the following narrative, which I put in quotes in order to demonstrate to another young Labourite how things are done:

"One might not agree with everything that Mr Mintoff said or did, but he really had a powerful persona and a formidable way how to put across a message in a way which was understood by all and sundry. This speech, normally referred to as the "Suldati ta' l-Azzar" speech is probably the most famous of all the speeches of the fiery former Labour leader. It definately merits an objective academic analysis."

I changed nothing.

Yes, the speech definitely merits an objective academic analysis, perhaps one that will help people like the young MP realise that the rehabilitation of Mintoff in which he is participating, wittingly or not, is a futile exercise, because anyone with a memory that stretches just a little back knows exactly what he was.

If he needs to, he can refer to the various episodes of our national life, such as the attacks on any union that did not include the letters G, W and U in its title, the dismantling of the health service, the attacks on education, the general autocracy and rule-by-edict and the other facets of our daily life in those days to which I and many others have made reference over the years.

If Labour wants to play memory games, or games with memories, let them, the ones they invoke do them no favours.