The manner by which during the last week, PN leaders... perhaps with the exception of Dr Mario Demarco... deployed the word “values”, simply added to their woes. Whoever heard them, could reasonably conclude how in their view, they were and still remained the unique defenders of genuine values, while those who failed to vote for them were either deluded or lacked values.

One wonders how on this basis they can set out on the road of convincing others who disagree with their views, to come closer. Can any party claim to have a monopoly over what constitutes the appropriate values?

I happen to know well how, when they had the upper hand, PN leaders consistently ignored all arguments that pushed for better controls on corruption and abuse of state power. So, I can understand better than others how the position that following the 3 June, the PN has already adopted sounds fake. It seems like the party is still failing to notice how it has massively lost the trust of many of its traditional followers. Not just for one general election but already two of them, plus the elections for the European Parliament.

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Cabinet

Prime Minister Muscat has succeeded to bring together a cabinet of ministers which is well balanced with new talent, experience and dynamism. We can only wish its members well in their endeavours.

The argument advanced by the Prime Minister regarding the effectiveness of having a cabinet that is relatively wide numerically and organizationally, is interesting and valid. It merits further discussion. Certainly, in its coverage of how health should be hived off from social services, it makes good sense.

On the other hand, perhaps the time has come for new and strictly applied limits to the number of “his/her” people that a minister can bring into the public service. Emmanuel Macron has just done this in France and was greatly praised for it.

Those who have lost their ministerial post are passing through a tough patch. They have my full sympathy. My advice is for them not to let go. Life in politics is a “merry” go round.

In general, I stay back from naming names. Still for personal reasons as well as because I admired his way of doing things, this advice goes directly and in a big way to Edward Zammit Lewis.

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Sergeant Pepper

It’s an illusion to believe that the days of your youth were exceptional and that there will never be for anybody anything like them. Youth is an exceptional time of life for all who pass through it.

That’s what I believe and how I argued recently in a write-up I sent for a commemorative publication about the Moviment Qawmien Letterarju which was active in the twentieth century’s sixties decade.

But then more recently, I had to soften that claim when worldwide, the fiftieth anniversary of the Beatles’ long play “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” was being celebrated. I became prey to a huge nostalgia. I guess that like millions of others, I went on to listen again for once, twice, more, that fabulous record. I just cannot remember where I bought it, probably a record shop in Valletta that went out of business a long while ago.

It’s not such an exaggeration to claim that Sergeant Pepper still seems as fresh and innovative as when first it was rolled out, fifty years ago.