During libel court proceedings instituted by a retired judge and former politician against the Times of Malta (for having quoted his three pensions in contrast to the inadequate pensions of other lesser citizens), the journalist involved stated that apart from the judge’s third annual pension of almost €23,000 (reserved for the judiciary), he had also netted almost €55,000 in arrears on his MP pension when the Attorney General ruled against the Social Security’s assessment of his MP pension.

I have to resist crying when, in comparison to the above, I contemplate my annual Malta Social Security pension of €2,613 for 2017, in recompense for my 12 years’ contribution to the Maltese public service, practically all of which were in senior positions in the health service and university. 

The pathetic paucity of my pension is due to the Malta Social Security Department deducting the Malta NI pension I paid for because I have a British NHS service pension. 

This is a consequence of a pension law that Prime Minister Dom Mintoff enacted in 1979, claiming that no one in Malta should have two pensions. 

However, some are more equal than others and have three.  These are indeed the “best of times” for some.