From Ms Camilleri-Pace

The Lord knows I’m no Alfred Sant fan or supporter, but I was utterly disgusted by Daphne Caruana Galizia’s article “Growing old gracelessly” (TMIS, 26 August).

I never thought that someone of her class and standing would stoop so low as to attack Dr Sant on his physical attributes or lack of them.

Does she really think that everyone who is 60 years old and over is over the hill and has no more valid contributions to make?

Mrs. Caruana Galizia is now 40 years old and should take care because the next 20 years will go by in a flash and what is she going to do then? Will she stop writing and take up knitting (with all due respect to everyone, including myself, who knits)?

I wonder whether she ever has her hair dyed. Are we all supposed not to dye our hair especially if we happen to be Members of Parliament and just let it turn to salt and pepper before going all white. If that is what she thinks then I am very surprised that she hasn’t yet gone ‘ au natural’.

I used to be one of Ms Caruana Galizia’s greatest admirers. I have been reading her articles since she first started writing anonymously in The Sunday Times with her weekly column “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” back in the 1980s and I have always admired both her guts and her excellent use of English.

Unfortunately she has now overstepped the limit. During the last few years she seems to have had an obsession with insulting people, especially the Catholic Church and any practising Catholics.

If she is an atheist and has brought her children up to be the same that is her affair and I’m sure none of us are at all interested.

She seems to have acquired a great, big chip on her shoulder and just doesn’t care anymore whom she offends but this latest attack on Dr Sant is hitting below the belt, which is something I never thought someone of her class and breeding would ever have done.

I think it is about time Ms Caruana Galizia takes a very long sabbatical and goes back to reading her previous, excellent articles both in The Sunday Times and The Malta Independent on Sunday and finds out where and when it all started going wrong and why.

In the meantime I think she owes Dr Sant an apology, which, if she is only just half the woman I think she is, she should do immediately.

Margaret Camilleri-Pace

SLIEMA