For them it was five minutes of fame; some Tomfoolery to celebrate their graduation. But the way the incident has been spun (yes spun) has gotten out of control.

There are a few issues at stake to discuss here. The first comment one would have to make is, what on earth is the Prime Minister doing allowing himself to be lifted shoulder high by a bunch of students.

This was not a political activity. This was not the leader of the Nationalist Party taking part in a political event. It is the Prime Minister of Malta on the doorstep of his office, the seat of power of Malta. One completely understands the PM’s wish to congratulate the students, even applaud them. But to be carried shoulder high? Some might argue that it was an impromptu decision – granted. We accept that. But the PM should have known better.

The second issue – why are we comparing two issues which are completely unrelated? Only one local newspaper took the bait. The comparisons between the UK and Malta simply do not wash. Government spin doctors sold the events a stark contrast between the violent protests in the UK and the ‘love’ that students have for the PM in Malta. True. It is a contrast. But, let us be frank; the students which congregated around Castille were mostly (probably all) avid PN supporters. And besides, they were not showing their ‘love’ of the PM…

As we have mentioned, they were getting their five minutes of fame. Bus trips for noisy, tipsy graduates have become commonplace. The idea here was not to show that Malta has an amazing education system supported by stipends and the best university system in the world. Not at all. This was a stunt to show that the nutara are crazier and cooler than the tobba and the avukati; nothing more, nothing less.

Of course, the way the whole issue was stage managed, with a government photographer (granted, they are based more or less next door) capturing the moment on camera, also riles.

We do not wish to be misinterpreted. We have a good education system and yes, stipends have not been touched; but come on, the way this was spun was over the top.

We do not blame the students at all… go ahead, enjoy your last few months of carefree behaviour, you deserve it. But what we do object to is the way this event was ‘sold’ and presented by some sections of the media.

The PN administration often asks why it comes in for a hammering in the media in terms of its ‘behaviour’. Well this is one such instance. It’s arrogance… In short, we know UK students are protesting (quite badly), we know things are OK here in Malta on that front. What we do not want is a Gonzi cult shoved in our faces. The media, more than anyone else, should know better.