But was it? Joseph Muscat’s first speech in the House, I mean. Working from the report on his words in this very website, I suppose a casual observer would be incapable of finding much to grumble about.

He opened proceedings by saying that he and his party would work for the people to have fresh confidence in the country and its institutions. These are fine words, coming from the leader of the party that has – to date – consistently denigrated virtually every state institution. A glance at the MLP media, from its breezy but tabloidish maltastar.com through its breathless and smug radio and TV stations to Kullhadd, which I have occasion to describe as a chip-wrapper in the past (but I’m pre-conditioned by the way I’ve been publicised therein in the past) will provide positive proof that according to the Labour Party, nothing good ever happens here, everything is done badly, probably on purpose and anyway, it’s the PN-led government’s fault.

Now, I’m not saying that everything the government does is good, but compared with the mediocrity that was foisted on us by Mintoff and KMB, we’re light years ahead of where we were mere decades ago. Before the Lil’Elves start up with the “oh, there you go, mentioning the past again, forget about it”, let me point out that a) it’s the Lil’Elves who go on and on about how wonderful Mintoff was all the time and b) Muscat had quite a good trip down memory lane himself.

For instance, he told us that the MLP had made mistakes in the past and apologised for them.

Excuse me, what mistakes are these and when was this apology delivered? I don’t recall hearing any apology for the past – excuses as to why they lost election after election we’ve had skip-loads of, but a simple apology for the way human rights were laughed at, for the number of lives destroyed by the vicious class-hatred fomented by the MLP and its apologists, for the rubbish utilities we had to endure, for the destruction of the University and education in general and for making this country a virtual laughing stock I certainly don’t recall noticing.

And according to Muscat, the MLP’s intentions were honourable all through this.

It was honourable, the way trade was brought to a standstill except for those who were smiled upon by the regime. It was honourable the way vast swathes of the country were “released for development”, to the extent that being called by the name of the Minister responsible back then has become a reason to go to Court for libel. It was honourable the way we got all cosy with the least liberal regimes of the world, such as China, North Korea and Romania, making us look like sympathisers with them in their repression. It was honourable, coming closer in time to today, the way the MLP did its level best to keep us out of our rightful place in Europe, preferring ludicrous ideas of Switzerland in the Mediterranean – lucky for us we didn’t become Iceland in the Mediterranean.

It was honourable, the way every trade-union bar one – the ones that didn’t submit to the whims of the MLP, I mean – was bullied and the way their members were treated if they dared raise their heads above the parapet.

Yes, all the endearing traits of the MLP are clear evidence of its honourable intentions, rendering Muscat’s declaration of his party’s apology ever so slightly amusing. I’ve no doubt he’s sorry for all this, what decent person wouldn’t be, but please, my friend, don’t be disingenuous: the intentions of many of the players in that particular game were far from honourable.

We then got a nod towards what appears to be becoming the MLP’s target audience, the amorphous mass of people who are annoyed with the Government, that group which every supporter of every party that didn’t make it to Government says is larger than the group of people who wanted the PN to remain in Government. Fair enough, Alfred Sant’s cynical, and utterly mistimed, ploy in bringing what is becoming a clearly spurious issue into play late in the game appears to have diverted what would have been an absolute majority into a relative one, but the fact remains that more people wanted the PN than wanted the MLP and way too few wanted any of the other bunch.

Frankly, given that – with the exception of the AD, whose democratic credentials are unsullied – the other bunch are the motliest of motley crews, I’m surprised that Muscat makes even this small gesture at getting into bed with them.

After a little looking back in sorrow, we got the next box ticked, the one that reads “be upbeat and press the right buttons” in the check-list his marketing adviser must have prepared for him. The MLP led by him would work towards – deep breath now – promoting the environment, economic competitiveness which should go hand in hand with social development, education, high standards, the welfare state, the infrastructure, civil rights, a culture of private initiative, defence of the national interest, active participation at all levels of the European institutions, national and international solidarity.

Let’s see, did we leave anything out, I can imagine him saying, in much the same manner as one works through a mental list when packing for a trip. Socks, shoes, undies, shirts, trousers, passport, credit-cards, iPod, mobile, chargers, tickets … yep, all there, we’re good to go.

Dr Muscat told us that he comes from a generation which felt the state was strong with the weak, and weak with the strong. It was a generation which saw the state as being inefficient; which squandered taxpayers’ money; which represented powerful minorities and not the majority of hard working taxpayers. This perception created a gulf between the institutions and the people and between politicians and voters, according to Muscat.

Am I the only one who thinks that – all in all – his maiden speech wasn’t, really, all that unexceptionable?

That he come over too much, in fact, as a pretty smug youth who thinks everything that came before his generation was, in the elegant phrase of youths everywhere “a bit rubbish, innit”?

That, in fact, while sounding progressive and moderate, he wasn’t, really – he was just trying to be all things to all men?

It’s early days, yet, and I’m sure he’ll get better, but for the moment, he sounded too much like all those Labour supporters who look back on the Mintoff era with fondness, hankering after those days of glory, while – at lest the intelligent ones do that – trying to make the rest of us forget about it all.