In his seminal “1984”, George Orwell, way back in 1949, had introduced the notion of Doublespeak, by giving us the words “Doublethink” and “Newspeak”, allowing us to do the rest.

In 1949 (it is merely a myth that 1984 inverts the last two digits of the year of publication, though he had sent it to the publishers in 1948, to be fair) totalitarianism, state intimidation of free speech and thought and propaganda sledgehammers to crack teensy nuts were the order of the day. The world was divided between those on this side of the Iron Curtain and those on the other.

Some things don’t really change.

When 1984 actually rolled around, the jolly old Iron Curtain was seeing signs of rusting, but here in Mintoff and KMB’s “free and happy” Malta, freedom of expression and the right to be yourself were not right up there in the league table of priorities.

In fact, dear old KMB was making it pretty damn clear that human rights could flipping well wait. Jobs (he meant enough jobs for the boys to get him re-elected, of course) were more important.

Fast forward another thirty or so years, and lo and behold, Doublespeak is alive and well in the Republic of Malta, given sustenance and vigour by the Ministers of Premier Joseph’s Best Cabinet in the Whole Wide World, Bar Those Who Had To/Should Have Resign(ed)

Just a couple of examples for you to enjoy.

He (as yet Wannabe-Premier Joe) himself had promised to have a new Power Station up and running within a year, or he’d resign, along with that Mizzi bloke.

What actually happened? We had slippages, we had more slippages and we had yet more slippages, and now just maybe, we might get some action towards the end of the year, two years after Premier Joe was supposed to have resigned. To be fair, we did get electricity rates being cut, though through no merit of his or his Super-Duper Minister’s, the interconnector came on stream.

According to Owen Bonnici, Wannabe Deputy Leader of Premier Joe’s Labour Party (they’re welcome to him, of course) the Konrad Mizzi/PanamaPapers case is closed, because said Konrad Mizzi has paid the price after Premier Joe took the hard decisions.

You see his lips move, you hear the words “Konrad Mizzi has paid the price” but what you actually get is the fact that Konrad Mizzi did not pay any price whatsoever, he’s still a Minister, he’s still doing exactly what he likes and Premier Joe’s only decision was to not take any decision whatsoever, except perhaps whether to super-size his Big Whopper.

It need hardly be said, of course, that the other Wannabe Deputy Leader, Christian Cardona (to whom they’re equally welcome) has said virtually the same thing, in between evoking images of virtual axes with which to smite the unfaithful about the head.

It goes on and on, of course.

As a country, we are, rightly, proud of our tolerance and respect for each other’s choices in life. We even have a Minister who goes around waving multicoloured flags and painting zebra crossings the same hues at the drop of a hat. Yay for that and for her.

She doesn’t, however, demonstrate the same zeal for fighting homophobia and hate speech.

If the homophobia is carried in a blog that sees the light of day not a million miles from her Boss’s office, then all is fine and dandy, nothing is wrong with denigrating someone because of his sexual inclinations, we tolerate that too, just as Owen Bonnici seems to.

Doublespeak should be taught in all schools, that’s the only way people are going really to understand this bunch.

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