He still lives in his old house, the one that was ransacked in 1979, just as people remember his old 'villeggjatura' in Bugibba's square and his dirt cheap boat that was sunk in a storm. The one and only Eddie Fenech Adami.

God sends someone like that maybe once in 500 years. The one before him was Jean de Valette, who led the defenders of the island in the 1565 Great Siege. He is described as "Terror Lybiae in his epitaph in St John's crypt. History would pardon him many things, even the condemnation of Mattew Callus. Even, it seems, of having a daughter out of wedlock.

In between, there had been others, pretenders all of them. But none as great. I definitely do not count Dom Mintoff as a great, except as a great wicked bully. 

Eddie's party is now in the throes of yet another leadership election but there is no hope that another Eddie would come to deliver the party and the country.

Of the two self-declared candidates, I immediately discount the younger. He may be energetic and engaging but his positive attitude to the Chambray development is definitely one that Malta does not need. Malta does not need more development, especially runaway development. Gozo definitely does not need runaway development. 

With regards to the other candidate, Adrian Delia, I have been saying from the very beginning of the campaign, No Way. This is not something personal. He has not done anything to me. 

I repeatedly ask myself why I, for instance, accept that my home team be led by someone like Joseph Portelli, but I am not ready to accept Adrian Delia to lead the PN when I am not a member of the party. I have no answer.

I charge the commission that vetted the applications of not having done its work properly, of not having asked the right questions, or of having been satisfied with the answers.

I am not a card-carrying party member so for me the party is free to choose whoever it wants. But please leave me out. 

Besides, I object to the cabal that has surrounded Delia which seems to be made up of the real power brokers from Lawrence Gonzi's time. I speculate that it was one glimpse of them that sent Roberta Metsola packing after that event at Kazin Malti. 

Don't mention the three hospitals and the €400 million, though Delia is to be praised for his tenacity. But those who follow what's going on say the final sum, if any, will be far less than €400 million.

And to be clear, I do not for one instant consider Robert Abela as a possible leader, either. There is no Eddie in sight.

The problem, as I see it, is not who comes out on top, but what he has to say. The two have been full of sound-bites but short of real proposals.

In this they follow on the example set by the youngest MP in their ranks, who first joined the rubbish collecting people but then scandalously handled some black bags with bare hands and then came up with suggestions to dig up every street in the country and insert underground big bins. If this is accepted as party policy it will expose it to ridicule.

So which proposals? Take Britain, for example, not the Britain of the BBC but the Britain of Nigel Farage, the Britain of crowds wearing the St George Cross confronting the illegal immigrants housed by the government in hotels and given phone cards and trips to holiday spots. Hanging the Union Jack from every pole. Pasting over the traffic road marks zebra crossings with the cross of St George. When was the last time that PN was patriotic, really nationalist?

As my second place I put rebuilding the Opera House as it was, stone by stone.

Then examining each and every receiver of any gift from the government, be it ever so small. And getting all those with unearned income to return their ill-gotten earnings.

And as I explained last week stopping the immigration forces from being a joke. And ensuring that those who are sent out, stay out. For ever. Doing what Trump is doing with anyone with no right to stay - send them back. 

The fact that there are already six localities where the foreigners outnumber the locals should have sent us out on the streets, but didn't. 

And we are expected to thank the police for finally getting round to having roadblocks with some meagre results.

Now let's see who of the two gets the courage to speak up.

History note

Malta in the early Middle Ages

Written by Mario Buhagiar, Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, 2005. Ten interesting chapters between the end of the Byzantine period, the Muslim rule and Malta under the Normans and back in the Latin fold. 

It is amazing how many remnants we have from such dark ages.

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