Whom are they trying to hoodwink? Their own people? Those thousands who found pastures new? Or is it all a sham, a patent way of worming oneself out of the old pebble for some new attention in the sad situation that the whole country found itself in?

These are the questions that many people have been asking as they watched the on-going travesty of “civil society” protests, ostensibly for justice and the rule of law, addressed and participated in by deflated political dinosaurs whose personal agendas come out roaring at you like, well, a toothless lion.

The usurpation of public focus following the horrible and tragic murder of my colleague on this newspaper, Daphne Caruana Galizia, has been so blatantly biased that it simply and considerably shocks one to realise they have actually been trying to sell it otherwise. People who went, genuinely and honestly, for the first manifestation in Valletta quickly recognized, and abandoned, the charade. From the speakers and the logistics personnel to the oh-so-familiar mobilisation tactics and rusty clichés, it all sounded and reeked of an instant cuppa of steaming politicisation. The unadulterated protester had no choice but to skip completely the later Sliema version.

Here again the dinosaurs crept out of their fossils presumably to whip up a campaign that was rendered lame and unconvincing immediately it began. They were not interested in national unity, certainly much needed at this moment in time, or in a massive wave of protest that would have sent the correct message to the world. All they seemingly wanted was to vent their well-known frustrations, using Daphne’s cruel end as the metaphoric bayonet with a dual edge the most obvious of which was to hit as loudly and as frantically those who had relegated them to political irrelevance by fair and popular means – through the ballot box on two consecutive, highly significant occasions.

When that happened, these dinosaurs lost thousands of precious euros in income which other more genuine same-party adherents never dreamed they could get, let alone actually make. Two heavy electoral defeats inevitably led to many fingers pointing at them from within, hence the incredible feat – some people called it the Trump Act – which Adrian Delia managed to achieve via the support of party grassroots when he became leader of the party against all odds.

It is why the other edge of the bayonet had, and evidently still has, a more internal purpose to it. Having done their damdest to obstruct Delia and his “new way” (no hint of it yet, alas), they now needed to show a public face, however macabre. The ex-leader himself, Simon Busuttil, first declared on the eve of the party leadership contest he would have given up his candidacy had he been in Delia’s shoes, and this after Daphne’s revelations. Then, when a majority of party die-hards ignored him and voted for Delia, the same Busuttil made a remarkably absurd chummy scene out of handing to his successor the keys to his office.

Then came the greatest opportunity to isolate the new leader by making him feel unwelcome to join the “civil society” protest, and the Halloween story goes on as the PN Opposition fights with itself for some semblance of continuity and consistency. Delia knows he is cornered, as do the members of the group around him. The dinosaurs may have lost their bite nationally, even becoming a parody of their very own selves in front of the new generations of Maltese citizens, but intra-party, their gums could still carry a sting of venom or two.

It is hard to imagine them sneaking back into their fossils to become a fading piece of history, as we all have to do at some stage in our lives. This recent cameo appearance has given them some much-needed, albeit temporary, attention in the Jurassic Park scenario of recent weeks.

***

Food safety

The Fiprinol and pesticides scare all over Europe concerning the production of contaminated chicken eggs rightly still has many authorities worried, including our own. While it is good to learn the Environmental Health Directorate eventually gave the thumbs-up for locally produced eggs, a persistent watch needs to be kept on the farms and the producers who run them.

Consumers in Europe often take things for granted, believing that the tiny stickers and faintly printed figures on products available in shops and supermarkets are enough to put their minds at rest regarding food safety. Then, when something sinister occurs, like the recent case of contaminated eggs found in various countries across the Continent and the outlying zones, including the Maltese Islands, the red light quickly goes on. Is it any wonder so many of us are steadfast against opening European markets to genetically-modified products that the multi-nationals, like Monsanto, would like to get and are vehemently seeking to get with the help of the many lobbyists streaking along the corridors of power in Brussels?

Even the simple sampling of regularly produced items for the market is often rendered hopelessly ineffective, and what necessary action is taken is always in reaction to disturbing scientific results and subsequent media-invoked public health scares.

There is, alas, the evil hand of Man to contend with. In the UK a couple of weeks ago, for example, secret filming by the Guardian and ITV News showed how the use-by dates on supermarket chicken are fiddled. Much to people’s horror, it was also revealed how labels are altered and, as evidence clearly suggested, how returned meat is repackaged for a quick return on the shelves.

Is there enough monitoring of such health awareness procedures at supermarkets? While, locally, one is ready to cast a Nelson eye on products that have directions and ingredients listed in just one language – Italian – when Maltese is supposedly an official EU language, the question of public health is certainly much more serious. The contaminated eggs issue has been efficiently dealt with, but how truthful are the labels and the use-by dates on many other edible products?