The Nationalist Party continues to tie itself up in knots with a leadership election that has degenerated into a desperate farce. Its radio station has become a place where random people talk about plants and health matters to fill the gaps between politicians and activists covering themselves with sackcloth and ashes, wearing hair-shirts and self-flagellating all over the airwaves. And I never bother to switch to Net TV anymore, so don’t ask me what’s happening there. It’s nothing personal, because I’m not watching any Maltese television at all. If I accidentally flip past one of them and hear that typical Maltese television sound, I feel pretty much as I do when I have to drive past rows of ugly concrete flats with machinery outside spewing dust.

That, the stifling August heat and the sense of utter ennui which has soaked into Maltese society has meant that nobody is scrutinising the government and the activities of its worst scoundrels and henchmen. A couple of journalists are still making an effort (I haven’t been one of them for the last month or so, so no excuses there) but no matter the scale of the story, it dissipates and disappears into the humid heat.

It’s always like this in the summer, except when a general election is scheduled for September, but then there’s a definite shift as the days grow shorter and work-days grow longer. The Maltese press, and people’s ability to pay attention to it, has a ‘back to school after the summer holidays’ mode too.

You can rest assured that the scoundrels will be taking full advantage of the half-comatose state of the Maltese public, and of journalists right across the media who are demoralised by the heat and general lack of interest, to get up to as much as they can. The opportunities now are endless, they must think, because the electorate has given them a solid vote of approval so they can do what they like. And they needn’t worry about making people angry with their corruption or their shady deals, because the people have told them that they don’t bother about corruption and shady deals as long as they’re creaming some off too. Besides which, the Prime Minister has said that he won’t be seeking re-election for himself personally – which means, given the sort of person he is, that he won’t be bothering about whether the Labour Party is elected or not, especially if the new Nationalist Party leader is convenient to him.

 ***

We should be wondering what Muscat is up to with Tony Blair. We really do need to begin joining up the dots on that. Blair took the trouble of making a video testimonial for Muscat in the last general election, for which – his office told the press in Malta – he received no payment. Blair, who has not been involved in politics for several years, now spends his time brokering deals and ‘consulting’ for shady governments. I believe he’s also done a couple of things in Azerbaijan.

Now Blair just so happened to pop down to Malta for a “private visit” to Muscat and his wife, telling the British press that he took a detour while on holiday in Italy with his wife. Of course, we all believe that. The Blairs went out of their way to spent 48 hours in the blistering heat sitting in a Burmarrad courtyard eating spaghetti or fish or whatever. I don’t think so. They’re up to something.

Muscat never says anything without specific intent. He gives a speech about the importance of bitcoin to a random event in Brussels and you know that over the next few months Malta is doing to be dominated by bitcoin discussions and that the government is going to take Malta down that route. That’s one example. So when he gave a big interview to a leading Dutch national newspaper, in which he said that he thinks “Brexit will never happen”, knowing that it would be reported widely, and then repeated it elsewhere, I knew it wasn’t an off-the-cuff remark or even just a personal opinion to liven up the interview. He is saying that with a purpose. Interestingly, he shares that view with Blair, who is campaigning for Brexit not to happen.

As all my friends and readers know, I am totally anti-Brexit. But that does not mean I think the Maltese prime minister should pronounce himself that way and say that he thinks it will not happen. He is the prime minister, not just any random politician or person. He cannot and should not make a statement like that, which is a diplomatic faux-pas of the worst kind. He may think it, hope for it – but he definitely should not say it.

Even he knows that. So if he is determined to keep saying it, then we’ve got to conclude, on the basis of his track record, that the benefits accruing to him – let’s be polite and say ‘to his government’ – are greater than the damage being done by him shooting his mouth off.

www.daphnecaruanagalizia.com