Lawyer Vincent Galea wrote to me again today with the following. My comments are beneath.
“I refer to the comments uploaded on your blog above-referred to. In particular, but not only, I refer to the comments made by Mr. Michael A. Vella where he refers to the Leader of the Nationalist Party Dr Adrian Delia, as “crook” and “tax-dodger”. These surely are defamatory. Please refrain from allowing such comments on your blog. There are other Blogs which you have uploaded and other comments underneath such Blogs which are also defamatory. Kindly see to it that such defamatory comments are removed at once.
“Thanking you in advance
“Vince
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Vincent Galea M.A. (Fin. Serv.), LL.D.”
Vincent Galea can read my response here.
I do delete comments I receive where I feel words used are unjustified.
In this case, however, the use of the terms ‘crook’ and ‘tax-dodger’ in reference to Adrian Delia are in my view a reasonable political comment that is justified in the circumstances. Adrian Delia is, of his own accord, a public figure, and though he may argue his tax affairs may have been his own while he was still a lawyer and a football club president, they became a matter of public concern when he ran for office and was elected to it.
So no, I will not remove the comment made by Mr Michael A Vella.