For a minute, leave aside the political calculus: who wins the next election; how Labour consolidates its ample majorities even though it rightly deserves exile from government until a generation that supported, protected and perpetrated corruption is outgrown; how the PN stays afloat; whether it’s time for a third, a fourth, or more political parties.
The fog of all those irrelevant considerations is a distraction from the answer to the question that counts: what is the right thing to do.
Adrian Delia lied about not communicating with Yorgen Fenech after the 17 Black revelations. He may say he regrets he didn’t check the details. He may, like Joseph Muscat, say the security services told him to act normal and pretend to be his friend so as not to tip him that he was a murder suspect. He may say it’s true he spoke to Yorgen Fenech but he didn’t start it. Like a man caught with his tongue down the throat of a cocktail waitress, he could tell his wife he was only trying to dislodge a fish bone. He may say the conversations didn’t matter enough to remember. Whatever his excuse, he lied. The fact that he tried fudging it after the fact is completely irrelevant.
Adrian Delia accepted friendly and flirty conversations with the man exposed for bribing Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi. He may say the conversations on WhatsApp do not prove he solicited money or entertained any offers. But the WhatsApp messages demonstrate an unacceptable openness to someone known to corrupt politicians.
Yorgen Fenech asks for a meeting. Adrian Delia does not tell Yorgen Fenech his hospitality is no longer appreciated. He tells him he’ll get his right-hand man to set it up right away. Did the meeting happen? Didn’t it? This is not a restaurant review. Whether food was ingested is not relevant. What’s relevant is Adrian Delia did not tell Yorgen Fenech: ‘I don’t sup with the devil’. He told him: ‘When do I come?’
Robert Abela has been presenting criticisms of politicians that remained close to Yorgen Fenech after he was outed as the 17 Black boss as some form of puritanical witch hunt. Look, this is not about being Cromwellian. There simply is no acceptable justification for the continuance of a relationship with the owner of 17 Black. Not for anyone in politics. And especially not for someone who wants to be the next prime minister.
The leader of the opposition should be someone we’d want to replace the current prime minister with. Adrian Delia is not that man.
I don’t know if he’s corrupted or whether he was on Yorgen Fenech’s payroll of politicians in the pocket of the mafia. Circumstantial evidence certainly points that way and that’s enough for him to pack his things pronto, resigning even as he protests his innocence.
But for those who haven’t realised before now, they can see in black on white, that Adrian Delia does not have the moral fortitude needed to kick away the attentions of a corrupt businessman.
He was blinded by wealth. Whether it was because he needed money for himself or his party, or even because he enjoyed the free flowing wine and the good laughs, or even because he needed the rare solace being told by Yorgen Fenech that he supported him when the country had humiliated him most forcefully at the European Parliament elections, he did not do the least that was expected of him: turn Yorgen Fenech down and tell him that he wanted nothing to do with someone who bribed politicians.
A star-struck, lying drunk. Which is about how Daphne Caruana Galizia described him that last summer of her life.
The man is unqualified for politics. He is unsuitable for the position of opposition leader. He is a nightmare candidate for the premiership combining the moral emptiness of Joseph Muscat, with the popular illegitimacy of Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, the superficiality of Robert Abela, the isolation of Alfred Sant and a jocular hollowness, a sullen comedy of blunders all of his own. He combines the worst qualities of the worst prime ministers we’ve ever had and transcends them with an excess never even attempted by the Labour Party.
I will hit back with all my might at anyone who tells me I should shut up because I’m helping Labour stay on for another five years by criticising Adrian Delia. I’m doing no such thing. It’s all those MPs, all the members of the Executive Committee of the Nationalist Party, all general councillors, mayors, local councillors, activists and party members who can remove him and won’t that are to blame for Labour’s certainty of victory. For inertia, for misguided respect for the noble office of leader of the PN which he has cussed, slept and fucked in, they have so far refused to relieve the country of his unwanted company. They are the ones that are helping the corrupt cabal of the Labour Party stay on for another five years. Not me.
Haven’t they noticed that One TV have not picked up on the story carried by today’s Times of Malta? Does anyone think Labour did not have this information about Adrian Delia long before today?
When Robert Abela told the press last Thursday we should not be humiliating Yorgen Fenech’s friends, those who stuck with him after the 17 Black revelations, he wasn’t just thinking of Rosianne Cutajar in lingerie or Edward Zammit Lewis … in lingerie.
He was thinking of Adrian Delia’s own seven veils, anticipating those to tumble soon. Adrian Delia is Robert Abela’s ticket to another 5 years in government. So when Robert Abela realised everyone was about to see Adrian Delia in his ugly nakedness, he stepped in to protect him. He needs to keep him there.
Today I think back to the eve of Adrian Delia’s election as party leader. Many would not see it then but Adrian Delia was One TV’s favourite candidate. They were a big part of his election victory. And since then they’ve been a big part of his formaldehyde preservation.
When his string was yanked, Adrian Delia hit at Daphne Caruana Galizia for being a biċċa blogger, he walloped anti-corruption protesters for being negative, he strung Simon Busuttil in front of a firing squad for challenging Joseph Muscat, he lynched Jason Azzopardi, and on and on his campaign to serve the interests of someone outside the Nationalist Party went.
As Yorgen Fenech told Adrian Delia, he was behind him. That’s a conversation starter that ends in sodomy. And Adrian Delia is right behind the country.
While Yorgen Fenech hired the Degiorgios to kill Daphne Caruana Galizia for messing up his corrupt plans, he supported Adrian Delia for killing the opposition that might have messed his plans up anyway.
If Adrian Delia survives this too, the Nationalist Party won’t.