Nothing angers me more these days than the billboards put up by the political parties instead of their usual Punch & Judy ones attacking each other that we have become used to.

First of all, you know these are posters put up by the political parties, for it is the parties who own the site and the billboard.

Secondly, there are hints in the billboards which party has put up which poster. The Labour one has Santa in the pose already used for Lawrence Gonzi. The PN one has a thinly veiled reference to the Right of Life campaign, which the PN (laudably) supports.

Third, we all know that come 7 January, the Christmas cheer will be wiped away and the two parties will be back at each other tooth and nail.

There is no Christmas ceasefire; it has been wiped away this year.

The coming election is now well and truly in the nation’s psyche: people keep talking about the various issues, they continue the arguments on every space they can find – the social media especially.

The turbulent events of the past year have attuned us to anything new that can happen. Now that Parliament meets no more, there seems to be little scope for wondering what Franco (or JPO or anyone else) has to say.

But as discussion follows discussion on all the television stations, as marathon fund-raising events tumble over each other and as opportunities to put themselves in the public eye continue to offer themselves, election fever remains high.

Then, as happened this week, events intervene which add spice and mystery to what we are living through.

The forced resignation of Angelo Farrugia as PL deputy leader came like a bolt of lightning on a summer night.

Having considered the scenarios being bandied to and fro, I tend to disagree completely with the one put forward by Simon Busuttil and the PN media in general, which seem to have chosen the tack that this resignation had to do with what they claim was a dismal appearance by Dr Farrugia confronting Dr Busuttil in the Xarabank debate that was postponed by a day.

That the PN media has every reason to push forward the popularity of Dr Busuttil may be part of their strategy at this point. But not to the extent that they misinterpret what has happened.

Nor can I take the PL explanation that the reason for Dr Farrugia’s ousting were words he said in criticism of Magistrate Audrey Demicoli whose judgement on a case dating back to the last election was overturned by the Appeals Court.

Whether Dr Muscat, who was present when Dr Farrugia made those comments, smiled and applauded, as the rest did, may be neither here nor there. Whether he had the chance to correct Dr Farrugia in his (Dr Muscat’s) concluding speech, again, is neither here nor there.

But to believe that almost a week after he heard the words, Dr Muscat woke up to the implications of Dr Farrugia’s words is rather steep.

One may widen it a bit more: Dr Muscat had long tired of Dr Farrugia acting as a loose cannon and this was one such case. So he had to go. That makes it a bit more plausible, in which case Dr Muscat stands to gain by his forthright decision.

I have heard people from inside the Labour camp comparing Dr Muscat to Dr Gonzi and the comparisons did not necessarily swing this way only. Some said Dr Muscat has had the guts to take a decision (the many PL supporters on Facebook) but I have also heard Labour supporters plaintively ask why Dr Muscat did not patiently endure Dr Farrugia just as Dr Gonzi patiently put up with Franco Debono and JPO.

There is a lot of sniggering among PN supporters at this engineered one-horse race to appoint Louis Grech as Deputy Leader, deriving from the sniggering when Dr Gonzi was the sole contestant in the equally funny PN leadership race a year ago.

It seems very clear that Louis Grech’s promotion has clearly been a decision taken to promote a valid man who is well-liked by the electorate, especially the non-core Labour supporters.

I have great respect for the man and I have often wondered, even in print, why the party seemed to keep him in the shadows. Like Simon Busuttil he enjoys huge respect in the European Parliament, as I could see for myself when I was Mr Grech’s guest for what was to be John Dalli’s last public appearance as Commissioner (though we were not to know that at the time).

I am hearing that there may be issues regarding the deputy leader election to be held on Thursday, as apparently the party’s statute has other things to say regarding the timing and only a general conference, and not just a party executive meeting, can change that.

It would seem that the haste is to have the party ready and firing on all guns on 7 January. Could be that Dr Farrugia may have something to say about this.

But the main issue is starting to creep around the social media and people’s comments in general.

What if the turmoil was not caused by Dr Farrugia being a maverick and not doing what Central Casting ordered, but that his head was wanted right now, before the election, before he becomes Deputy Prime Minister, before he has a powerful ministry under him and becomes unassailable? Just asking. What if there is an unquenched struggle for power inside the party about which the electorate knows nothing? Just asking.

There is more, much more, that one can ask. And that the social media is already asking. Just asking, of course.

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