Allow me to hit two birds with one stone, as the saying goes.

Dennis Tanti (January 1) penned hundreds of words to instil in the minds of readers that the word having sinister connotations - “corruption” - has now become a resident at St Vincent de Paul Hospital-cum-Home for the Elderly. But he did not write one word to prove it. Nor to thank this government and, particularly, the various Labour ministers and parliamentary secretaries, including the present ones - Michael Falzon and Anthony Agius Decelis - for having transformed St Vincent de Paul from a complex dating back to the time of Charles Dickens to a modern residence for the elderly. In so doing, they eliminated the stigma that had been associated with the place for so many decades.

Now I turn to Kevin Hodkins’s effort, also on New Year’s Day. I am deeply sorry for regularly ruining his breakfasts, assuming he reads what I write while having his breakfast. And, more so, for having spoilt his merriment at this festive season. I look forward, for once, to seeing a reply from him contradicting what I write.

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