1)      Winston Churchill once said that the best argument against democracy is a conversation with an average voter. He was right. He was absolutely right. There are too many average voters, and too many others who are below average.

2)      I pity the parents of young children who now have an uphill struggle to instil a sense of uprightness in their kids. How can they explain that cheating is wrong, when those who deceive are rewarded? How can they teach their young ones that it is wrong to take a packet of sweets off the shelf when the shop-owner is not looking?

3)      Endorsing corruption. Accepting corruption. Rewarding corruption. Celebrating corruption. Condoning corruption. Approving corruption. Sanctioning corruption. Take your pick.

4)      Honest politicians have no future. It is those who mislead, manipulate and abuse who are raised shoulder-high. It is those who eat the cake and then distribute the crumbs as if it was gold who get support. It is said that politics is dirty. After Saturday, dirty politics has been raised to a higher level.

5)      I once told Simon Busuttil, face to face during lunch on a day long before he became Nationalist Party leader, that I could not imagine him addressing a mass meeting. He was taken aback, and the impression I had was that I had insulted him. Years passed, and after he had addressed a few mass meetings, we met again. He reminded me of that occasion, and asked me whether I still held the same opinion. I leave it up to you to decide whether I had judged him well.

6)      But mass meetings are not the only gauge of a politician. There is much more than that. Integrity, respect, honesty… but, as I said in number four, honest politicians cannot survive in today’s world.

7)      If I was still young, energetic and have a life ahead of me, I would leave. My children often talk about settling in another country, and until Saturday I have always selfishly tried to argue otherwise. Not anymore now.

8)      If 55 per cent of the people say that Mdina is the capital city of Malta, it does not mean that they are correct.

9)      Joseph Muscat will be able to sell sand in the desert if he tried. His most truthful description of himself is that he is a salesman. Those 55 per cent would believe him if he told them Mdina is the capital city of Malta.

10)   The Nationalist Party must become corrupt to become electable again. It must say yes to people who should not be given a permit. It must dish out promotions even when they are not deserved. It must employ hundreds of people of trust and put them on the government payroll. It must give holidays when they should be working days. It must make its supporters happy and give them preference over others. It must always say yes even when the obvious answer is no.

11)   I once wrote a whole article about how it was difficult to translate the word ‘injorant’ into an exact interpretation in English. Today I add another word which is not easily translated into English – ‘makakkerija’. That is what the PN lacked the most in this campaign.

12)   Another quote, this time from Roberto Benigni. “La folla sceglie sempre Barabba” (The crowd always chooses Barabbas).

13)   Righteousness does not always win.