The new prime minister kept an entire country waiting for almost an hour longer than the announced time for his inaugural “address to the nation”. Before he came on, TVM played a soft-porn rendition of the national anthem intended to remind us, as if anyone needed reminding, that [...]

Neville Gafà is guest of honour at the swearing in ceremony of Robert Abela. It looks like the new prime minister will go out of his way to let everyone know Keith Schembri will remain right where he's been for several years now, firmly above the law. Robert Abela should disabuse himself of the impression [...]

Joseph Muscat’s government broke with convention and had his office and the offices of his ministers employ an estimated 700 people from outside the public services in “positions of trust”. Joseph Muscat did not invent employment contracts at the pleasure of the minister for people from outside the service. I always make it a point [...]

This blog started on the 6 June 2017, a couple of days after Joseph Muscat was confirmed as prime minister. The atmosphere of the time was poisoned and frustrated by the government’s manifest intention to use the election to clean its slate and pretend that all that came to be known before that ballot could [...]

Robert Abela takes office at 3pm this afternoon. He is pleading for sympathy because he’s new to the job and wants to be given time to find his feet. And yet he pledges to be a prime minister of “continuity” meaning he was elected on the promise there would be no hiccups. The contradiction does [...]