One of the lawyers was also heard saying that he was asking the questions to determine "the seriousness of this comedy".

(Matthew Xuereb, The Malta Independent, 13/12/2006)

No doubt, the cocky lawyer in question was referring to the poor police officers who, on cross-examination, admitted that they had been ordered to arrest the '35 women' for 'dancing while scantily dressed', sporting 'a thong in public' and for 'wearing shorts tighter than those of a gymnast'. Thank God they weren't men with a penchant for fluorecent bathing suits. J'accuse has taken some time off from desperatley trying to rehabilitate La Vecchia Ladrona and has also joined in the mirth.

I can see the funny side but I also think it's about time someone stood up and pointed out that the "seriousness of the comedy" lies elsewhere. Here we are in 2006 and 30 Maltese MPs from across the political divide sign the Gift of Life petition. Harry Vassallo signs it too (justifying his capitulation with a legalism) rather than telling Vincenti to go and water the turf at the Marsa sportsground. Salvu Balzan meekly says that: "The Gift of Life promoter, a certain Vincenti, has basically cornered politicians and asked them to sign his petition. It calls for the inclusion of a no abortion clause in the Constitution. By refusing to sign, it could infer that they are not against abortion. It is an unfair way of campaigning". Poor, helpless politicians, held to ransom by mighty Paul W. Vincenti! Varist Bartolo, that beacon of left-wing politics, brushes off Vincenti's crusade as a "red herring" but signs it anyway.

I prefer to see the Gift of Life phenomenon and the lapdancers saga as a beautiful experiment in converting the largely unchallenged, constant and inescapable moral discourse into brass tacks. How long can a nation put up with a waterfall of vague notions about 'moral lassitude', 'unchristian values', 'unprecedented assaults' and 'rampant relativism' before it decides to do something 'real' and 'concrete' about it? I mean what are these assaults if not decadence-related.

Forgetting the legalisms and 'thongs in public' for a moment, let's face it - there's one hell of a leap between The Sunday Times/Osservatore Romano take on life (which, to a large extent still represents 'official Malta' and which, as I have said, goes largely unchallenged) and a Hungarian bird in Victoria's Secret lingerie gyrating her pelvis in Qawra to the sound of George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou). If the latter isn't a prime example of 'moral lassitude', I don't know what is. And I don't mean George Michael.

What Malta needs, and hasn't had, is a truly liberal party that isn't afraid to call a spade a spade. If not we're condemned to repeating things like Salvu Balzan does from time to time: "In a country that expects to be treated like a secular European Union state, the actions of people like Paul Vincenti should be taken for what they are. They are outdated, out of synch and a throwback to the past".

But would a liberal party, a true Partit Liberali Malti, ever stand a chance at the polls? Now there lies the real question.

*****

Elle: Mais on est toujours decus. Il y en a marre d'etre decu. Les politiciens sont tous les memes.
Moi: Sur ce point, je serais d'accord avec vous si vous etiez allee plus loin en disant: "Les politiciens sont tous les memes que nous."
Elle: Comment cela?
Moi: Eh bien, ou croyez-vous que l'on deniche nos candidats, nos represantants, nos presidents, nos ministres? Sur la planete Mars? Sortent-ils d'un laboratoire specialise dans la fabrication de responsables politiques? Non. Ils sont nes, comme nous, de la fecondation d'un ovule par un spermatozoide plus ou moins desiree par deux etres humains...

(From Les Potirons de gauche et de droite sont-ils tous pourris, Charlie Hebdo, Mercredi 15 novembre 2006)

*****

Updates:

Ranier Fsadni: prefers the 'militant political centre' (i.e. the comfy status quo)
Ajjut! Ajjut! : boils it down to 'pajjiz faccjol'.
Kim Bah Lee: a lapdancing enthusiast brandishes the Taleban insult and a threat.
Gift of Life: bare their teeth and (with plenty of wind in their sails) rev it up a notch.
I.M. Beck: Gosh, he dislikes fundies.
L-orizzont: a case of purification by fire?

¶ 3:25 PM