Guest post from Andrew Borg-Cardona:
I was in two minds (to go with my two faces, if my critics are to be believed) whether to add my opinion, such as it is, to the debate about the way Kristina Chetcuti is being mercilessly bullied and attacked by the trolls and hypocrites that are being coordinated by Castille. After all, people have already put it so much better than I can: Sandro Spiteri on Facebook, Manuel Delia on this very blog, Kristina herself in her interview on the Sunday Times.
What can I add to this, really? Can it be clearer that the bullies are simply that, bullies who think that being in power means they can exercise this power with impunity?
Well, I can at least add my disgust with “Labour’s Ladies” and their tactics. Far be it from them to give an honest or objective response to Chetcuti’s honest and objective column about how children should be kept out of the public arena to the extent possible. Given that it is already a minefield out there for all kids, Chetcuti pointed out, responsible parents who have chosen to put themselves in the spotlight should seek to protect their children even more.
Did the Labour women give this entirely reasonable – indeed very positive – position even the slightest thought when they embarked on their co-ordinated, vicious, bullying orgy?
Of course not, why should they?
Their objective was to destroy this upstart woman who dared, nasty bitch that she is, to cast even the slightest shadow of doubt on Eva Peron’s floods of tears about how her children (the ones she puts into the public eye at the drop of a hat and takes out of school regularly to go on junkets with her) were anything but fake.
Consider, for example, Justyne Caruana, whose preferred description of her political opponents is “snakes” and who has never (quite rightly) used her children for political purposes: she gave us a double dose of her faux disgust with Chetcuti. Clearly, if she had read the original column, she chose to ‘misunderstand’ it or does not have the capacity to understand it. Or maybe she didn’t even bother to read it, and did what she was told anyway.
Consider, if you would, Helena Dalli, who delights in pretending to bestow rights on minorities (quite right too, if only these rights were backed up by genuine tolerance on the part of the grassroots of her own party) and in chuckling about how the electorate had the wool pulled over its eyes about same-sex marriage. Her own kids were probably never subject to bullying (I know one of them, he’s big enough and ugly enough to look out for himself, quite apart from his darn good sense of humour) so she spared us sob-stories.
She didn’t spare us the same ambiguation (not a word, but it serves) that Caruana foisted on us, as did the other willing servants of their master’s voice, who I won’t bore you with. Just bear in mind, Julia and Pauline and all you others, that all of the above refers to you too.
I won’t bore you with Michelle Peron’s imitation of a crocodile or Vella de Fremaux’s rants, either, because I think my point has been made.
And in conclusion, just in case someone thinks I’m trying in some oblique way to plead with people not to get at poor little me in the same way they’ve been dumping (to a much more harmful extent and in a way more malicious way) on Kristina Chetcuti, please don’t worry. I have a big mouth (that’s putting it mildly) and a thick skin, so bring it on, I’ll treat it with the contempt it deserves.