I'm not a bosom buddy of the Principal Permanent Secretary but he seems to be something of a kindred spirit in that he is clearly a big fan of "Yes, Prime Minister".

Sir Humphrey, the faithful will remember, used words to achieve his nefarious ends superbly.  He promoted a Brit version of a Freedom of Information Act, for instance, as the perfect way to cover up anything he wanted to cover up (virtually everything, in true Civil Service traditions) and would set up a 'fact finding committee' at the drop of a bowler hat.

If he really wanted to bury something so deep that it would take an archaeologist to trace it, he'd set up a "Royal Commission".  To be fair, the current bunch running our lives have done the exact opposite, in a sense, by setting up a body composed of his Royal Highness Dr Philip Sciberras and a couple of others, allowing Ms Sai Mizzi's husband to fill the media with his findings on the drip-irrigation system.

Getting back to Mario Cutajar, our very own Sir Humphrey, according to the former gentleman, a Code of Ethics that differs so radically from its previous incarnation that is might as well not exist, is 'identical' to said previous incarnation.

Note, for posterity, the points of exact identity, conveniently described for you hereunder.

Ministers and parliamentary secretaries (the latter ministers in everything but a couple of euro difference in their salary) will now be allowed to retain their private practises if the person appointing them to the role, Premier Joseph Muscat in this instance, deems this to be in the nation's interest.

Now, given that Premier Muscat would have decided to appoint the individual concerned to high office because it is in the national interest (why else, pray tell?) isn't it bleedin' obvious that Premier Muscat will deem it to be in the national (not to say the individual's) interest that he or she continues to dedicate his or her time to earning him or herself even more euro than we pay him or her to govern?

There is precedent, after all.  It was deemed to be in the national interest to appoint that dentist fellow, Pullicino Orlando, to highly paid office and at the same time, it is clearly in the national interest that he should be allowed to dedicate substantial portions of his valuable time to yanking molars and injecting Botox.

If it's good enough for Jeffrey, shouldn't it be good enough for Franco (not the lawyer chappie, he's already got that sweet deal) especially if it means that the troublesome lads from Gozo can be dealt with that way?

The second point on which the new Code of Ethics is identically different from the old one is that now, Ministers don't need to expose themselves in public. The oodles of cash that can be conveniently parked with their nearest and dearest need not be disclosed to the curious eyes of the Great Unwashed, leaving it open for extremely sweet little deals to be thrashed out in smoke-filled rooms.

Premier stuff, don't you think?

Incidentally, given the way the Principal Perm. Sec. uses words, if I were that lout Joe Grima, I'd be worried.  Mr Cutajar said he is not investigating Grima's rants, raves and revulsions.

Since Cutajar uses words antithetically, on the evidence, does this mean that Grima's vulgarities and racist vomits are, actually, being examined?

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