Not just expensive. But shameless too.

Austin Walker, the MEPA chairman, has compared himself to an expensive car. Well, expensive cars are usually fast, curvy, colourful and stylish. Four characteristics completely missing in Austin Walker’s DNA.

Walker, a former work companion of Lawrence Gonzi’s, is head of MEPA. If I were him, I would have replied: “Well Vanessa, if you had the responsibility I had, then perhaps you would understand why such a remuneration is merited.”

The problem you see, is that no one is embarrassed to say the things they are not supposed to say. Take Joe Borg, who happens to be a priest by the way. I say by the way, because unlike Joe Borg I was brought up to respect priests, to trust and believe in them as if they were my saviours. Well, at 47 I should say that Joe Borg the priest, is one of those who makes me question my faith more than anyone else. There is nothing priestly about Joe Borg.

When asked to comment about the apparent or rather blatant conflict of interest facing Where’s Everybody in their new PR contracts he went into a long convoluted argument and ended mentioning freebies: yes, freebies. The Times reported: “But blogger and lecturer Fr Joe Borg was not so quick to judge and said he was not prepared to take a conclusive public position until carrying out further research… he pointed to other issues that could be raised in the debate, such as the acceptance of freebies in exchange for writing articles or paid trips abroad to cover specific events. ‘Does it mean that if one accepts freebies, especially paid trips abroad, one will write only positive things? A lot will depend on how ethically minded the journalist is and whether this freebie is declared by the journalist in question’.”

I will not repeat what Lou Bondì or Natalino Fenech had to say. What they say is irrelevant. What is relevant is what the Joe Borgs of this world have to say. People like Joe Borg are brought in to comment because some people still think they are independent, objective and not partisan. Little has been said of the political bias of Borg the priest and his reluctance to take a stand when he should take a stand. 

So the next thing one should expect is for the powers that be, captained needless to say by Bondì  & Co, to launch a missile attack on Carmen Sammut, the university lecturer who unlike most her colleagues had the courage to speak her mind.

Well yes, Joe Borg is right, those journalists who accept a €7.50 wine bottle for Christmas from a leading bank are as culpable as Where’s Everybody, who together with others are winners of a €2.6 million tender. And yes, Austin Gatt’s ministry decided to advertise in this portal: then yes, it means that the undersigned will never mention Austin in vain. U hallina!

The problem with people like Bondì and Co, is that they really cannot understand or appreciate that there are people out there who do not share their irreverence on ethics and conflicts of interest. And yes, please respect the fact that just because WE are PR consultants to a number of companies or projects, this does not preclude PBS from having a decent discussion on TV.

So if next time Bondì attempts to debate the subject of White Rocks, say on TVM, take my advice: switch channels and see Bruce Willis punch somebody’s lights out. The more stunts and deadly blows, the better. Nothing could match the shameless self-conceit of Malta’s prime political apologist, appearing as always on State TV.

But beyond the whole idea of not having a clue what conflict of interest is all about, the shameless attempt of the pot calling the kettle black is becoming a national pastime. The latest laugh of the week was David Casa’s discovery that two of his Maltese colleagues, who happen to be socialist, voted for a chunky document on world poverty and in doing so also voted for supporting alternative birth control methods such as abortion in developing countries.

Now you would have thought that Casa is some kind of Christian zealot with a bible in one hand and a cruxifix in another! Well, as we all know, David is none of the sort. He is simply a political opportunist, who happened to choose the Nationalist party as his bandwagon. I don’t remember him being a Nationalist at all from years back, but let us not go there for the time being.

It’s David’s weird pattern of voting that is funny. Some of his voting decisions must lead some of his close friends to cringe. Back in 2004, this is what I wrote about the EP vote that ruined Rocco Buttiglione’s chances of being appointed Commissioner [having already stated that he believed homosexuality to be a sin]:

“Buttiglione, a self-declared homophobe and Berlusconi-nominee, led Mr Barroso to back down and shy away from the vote. That morning in the car, I was listening to XFM, and bang in the middle of the short, fresh news, the voice of my good former IVA colleague, David Casa astoundingly confirmed that he would be voting for Buttiglione. And why? Because according to Mr Casa, he and Dr Simon Busuttil believe in the freedom of speech.

“Anyone watching me in the car would have noticed my facial features distort dramatically. I am not quite sure whether Mr Casa was being serious or not. Freedom of speech is one thing, but stating in black and white that homosexuality is a sin has nothing to do with freedom of speech. It is all about beliefs and statements, and that goes beyond a simple frivolous comment or untimely joke.

“What completely boggles the mind is Mr Casa’s unexpected appreciation for Mr Buttiglione’s so-called freedom of speech. Anyone who has worked or spent some time with Mr Casa, and I knew him well enough, will recall his propensity to surround himself with what Buttiglione would describe as sinners. Sinners being a word coined by Mr Buttiglione for culattoni (sodomites), as one of Berlusconi’s geriatric ministers had the gall to state in an official statement. When in IVA, there were many occasions when I would brusquely but jokingly suggest that heterosexuals were a minority in the helpers list.”

Well, guess I’ll treat myself to a bottle of Beck’s… oh s***! Should have said Cisk – after all, they advertise in our newspapers.