On Tuesday, when Beppe Fenech Adami, Konrad Mizzi and Carmel Cacopardo took to the TVM arena, word has it that Labour had a huge dilemma.
Nobody thought it would be a clever idea to send Konrad Mizzi to this debate on TimesTalk. They were proven right. Labour's main problem apparently was that nobody wanted to replace Konrad Mizzi.
Who in their right mind would even contemplate defending Mizzi in a long debate, as opposed for a mere few seconds with a journalist who can be brushed off? Mizzi's reputation is beyond any hope of being saved from the muck into which he has thrown himself and his party's name.
In the meantime, Evarist Bartolo's not so cryptic online posts, full of homely wisdom on how to weather a storm, are clear evidence that there are internal struggles within the PL parliamentary group and within the Cabinet.
How did we get here? It was one of those long weeks in politics.
When I wrote in this space last Friday, I was hoping the Sunday protest would be a success but I never expected the great turnout there was.
Just three years after losing an election by 36,000 votes, I learned to keep my feet on the ground and have no high expectations. But the people at Sunday's protest startled me.
I wasn't just impressed by the numbers. It was also the kind of people who were there. I saw people who had never attended a political event or a protest. I saw and met many more who had attended the political events of the 1980s, never feeling the need to attend again till today.
The crowd was united and determined as it chanted "Shame on You" through the main streets of Valletta. How ironic for Konrad Mizzi to see one of his signature phrases boomerang back at him.
Simon Busuttil delivered an excellent speech. A true statesman in the making, he chose his words thoughtfully but spoke passionately. He spoke brilliantly. The thousands present were thrilled. This is what the people wanted to hear.
Simon Busuttil condemned Muscat and his left and right hand men but did not stop there. He made a pact.
He promised to make it his mission to clean up politics successfully, in the same way he was instrumental in helping Malta join the EU - despite the all-out opposition of Joseph Muscat and his kind at the time.
The success of the protest was a wake-up call to all journalists. Many of them had waited to see Sunday's outcome before giving prominence to the much needed debate on corruption and good governance. Until Sunday, the state-controlled TVM had marginalized the Panamagate scandal. Now TVM could no longer ignore it.
On Monday, Labour must have thought the agenda could be changed through a Ministerial statement on the cemetery issue which I had brought up months ago. Once again, their attempt failed. They should have seen it coming but their state of panic has blurred their vision.
Which then brought us to the TVM debate. I knew Beppe Fenech Adami would do well but he did more than that. He thrashed Konrad Mizzi relentlessly. Fenech Adami was like a lawn mower. He went back and forth over Mizzi as though the PL deputy leader was a patch of unwanted weeds. With phrases like "nobody believes you", "tell it to the marines", "calculated risk" and "time up", Beppe had viewers cheering like the audience watching a gladiator fight between a people's champion and an unpopular villain.
By the end of the TV programme, the social media were packed with photos, clips and comments. It was becoming more and more evident that Konrad Mizzi has no support except from the Prime Minister himself.
On Wednesday, Joseph Muscat made an appearance on Dissett for a very gentle interview. Once more he defended his Minister. He said nothing, despite various promises, that will make the suspicion go away.
Is the Prime Minister involved in this wheeling and dealing? Is there more to this story or are there more new stories waiting to emerge? Now that the dirt has surfaced, what next?
Konrad Mizzi may already be regretting suing Beppe Fenech Adami for libel. He has ensured that the story will continue to drip and drip its way into the headlines.