Is it possible that this Labour administration has lost the plot so much, that it has given up ever regaining control of the situation, and is now just going with the flow?

I am of course referring to the out-of-control spending spree we are currently seeing taking place by a number of government entities in the cultural sector, one more shocking than the previous one.

The latest episode in this very expensive comedy of errors came in the form of nine (that's 9, not 900) dustbins that cost you, the taxpayer, and I, no less than €16,000! How has the purchase taken place, I hear you ask? How was the best quality dustbin chosen? How was the most efficient and latest in dustbin technology identified? By competitive tender perhaps? Nah! Direct order of course, because that's the way we seem to be doing things lately.

That's right, direct orders, which by any democracy's standard of good governance is saved for the very rare occasion, seems to have become the order of the day, especially in certain organisations such as Heritage Malta, Malta's national heritage agency, but not only.

The bins are just one conspicuous item in a long list of direct orders for goods and services which reportedly reaches an eye-watering €3 million. Most of the expenses revolve around goods and services which Heritage Malta purchased directly, in connection with its Malta Biennale which unfortunately did not obtain the results one would have hoped for.

In fact, international critics did not have very nice things to say about the Biennale, which took place last year, forcing organisers to even offer tickets at half price, in a bid to entice visitors.

And once we're on the subject of questionable spending of taxpayer money, our friend the Film Commissioner and his Commission are never too far. This time, we have learnt how the Film Commission has engaged the services of one Matthew Doyle, a former Tony Blair and Keir Starmer advisor, to help with the promotion of the Mediterrane Film Festival in the US Market.

Unfortunately, as is customary for the Film Commission, no announcement has been made about the engagement which is understood to have continued on a retainer basis, or about its cost. All we can do is assume that Mr Doyle is pocketing a fee within his usual pay-packet range, which is reportedly in the €160,000 area.

But that's not the end of the spree! Muzika muzika, everyone's favourite OPM-organised Maltese song festival has also been in the middle of the direct order spender-bender, with hundreds of thousands of taxpayer euros being spent without the necessary transparency or processes that are usually required in such circumstances.

I will not go into the details of the long list of goods and services that have been purchased through direct order, however it is important to comment on why this practice needs to be reigned in sooner rather than later.

As already noted, direct orders are a perfectly legitimate instrument which allows for the purchase of very specific goods, but it is not meant to be abused indiscriminately as is being done. Public authorities and organisations are merely entrusted with managing public funds, which are not theirs to spend as they please. There are established rules and practices that determine how public funds ought to be spent, and what we are seeing here is not it.

Ultimately it is all about transparency which is very much lacking. In certain cases, repeated calls for information are made, which appear to fall on deaf ears, embarrassing Ministers and the Prime Minister, yet they persevere unperturbed.

Government, especially cultural organisations must be more responsible with public spending, lest we lose the public's trust. And that would not be completely unreasonable.