The annulment of the three hospitals deal remained the main political topic during the past week, with the judge’s rescinding of the agreement he described as fraudulent taking up so much space in newspapers and their online versions.

The landmark judgment will not go away quickly, whether or not an appeal is filed within the now-reduced timeframe. On the government’s request, 20 days is now the limit imposed by the court in which Steward Healthcare can challenge the sentence handed down by Mr Justice Francesco Depasquale. Half of them have already passed.

But beyond the legal considerations, the government continues to face the fallout of an agreement which did not make sense when it was signed, and made even less sense as the years rolled by. As the Nationalist Party takes advantage of this historic win and tries to build on it, the government attempts to limit the damage.

Both Prime Minister Robert Abela and his deputy Chris Fearne stayed out of the limelight this past week. Other than their contribution during Monday’s debate in the House of Representatives – when, in vain, they tried to defend themselves pointing out that they were not responsible for the deal, even though under their tenure the government continued to pump millions of taxpayer money – they were conspicuous by their absence.

There was not one occasion in which they made themselves available to the media over the past days. They stayed away from prying journalists, not giving anyone the chance to question their position on the judgment, and how they can justify what their predecessors did and what they continued to endorse via the annual budgetary allotment to the three hospitals.

Former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat allowed himself to pass a few comments on the social media, digging a deeper hole for himself. His arrogant and provoking style reached even higher levels this past week but, although there was the usual support from blinkered Labourites for whom he can do no wrong, there were then others who challenged him.

The judgment seems to have opened the eyes of many, with some even suggesting that all the deals Muscat and his former Energy/Health/Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi were responsible for should be combed in the same way that the hospitals concession was.

Mizzi, for his part, has chosen to remain silent, which in itself speaks volumes.

What stands out is that the relationship between Abela and Muscat continues to worsen. With Abela trying to distance himself from the deal, saying he was neither an MP nor a consultant to Muscat at the time it was signed, and with Muscat trying to shift the blame on the whole Cabinet, which included ministers who are now part of the Abela team, the bond between the two is at its lowest point.

Abela knows that the Labour hard-core would choose Muscat over him in a heartbeat, and so he is always careful not to upset the party grassroots with what he says, or does not say, about Muscat. But the latter’s thirst for public attention is not easy to handle for Abela and his team.

On the other side of the political fence, the PN is milking the moment. Apart from the Depasquale judgment, the PN has won another court battle, this time against the Broadcasting Authority and the Public Broadcasting Services. In its ruling, the constitutional court found that the BA and PBS had failed to ensure political impartiality.

The prevailing circumstances have given the PN the courage to organise a national protest, to be held today, and the party has been steadily preparing for the occasion, holding frequent events these past days which have dealt with not only the hospitals deal and the ruling against BA/PBS. The party has added pressure on the government with its call for a public inquiry into the death of young Jean Paul Sofia when a building under construction collapsed in Kordin last December and it has also highlighted shortcomings in the police force which were listed in an inquiry into the murder of Bernice Cassar in November.

Time will tell whether the PN will manage to keep up the momentum. It has been said many times that a democracy needs a strong Opposition which keeps the government of the day on its toes. The PN has been unable to fulfil this task for far too long as it grappled with internal issues that caused more division. The hospitals’ judgment has brought the PN closer; ironically, Adrian Delia has united the party more now than he had managed to do in his time as leader.