The cumulative effect

All this drip-dripping of details, most of them very important, coming not just from the Law Courts but also from foreign sources and investigative structures is allowed mounting up to evidence no reluctant government of Malta can ignore.

That the government in harness would dearly love to forget the whole thing and dabble in strategies for growth goes without saying or that it would dearly love to abort and bring to a close the court investigation on the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Despite the details and the multiplication of streams, some things have emerged as clear as daylight. That Joseph Muscat has been forced out of office for conduct unbecoming, the only prime minister to suffer this indignity. That minister after minister are now coming out, too late perhaps, saying they disagreed with this and with that, that they did not form part of the kitchen Cabinet, that decisions within their remit passed them by and that time and again they chose to remain silent and stayed on. And these include, unfortunately, people loved by the electorate who can now kiss their political career goodbye.

Whatever happened in the past is all, gradually becoming clearer. But the issue right now is what will Robert Abela do to redress the issues that are coming up. Certainly there are some key people in these cases who to the amazement of many are out and about and do not seem about to be charged.

Abela came up and was elected declaiming continuity. If this is the continuity he means he must stand up and be counted. Then when the Moneyval conclusion comes he must shoulder the responsibility.

In the meantime, he must cope with the ongoing effects of decisions taken by Konrad Mizzi and supported by Joseph Muscat with all that this implies. Such as the legality or otherwise of the sale of three hospitals, the contract binding Enemalta regarding the fuel it uses, the various hiccups in this regard which seem to be leading to the default of the entire economy.

It is useless and worse for the government and its agencies to

Despite the details and the multiplication of streams, some things have emerged as clear as daylight. That Joseph Muscat has been forced out of office for conduct unbecoming, the only prime minister to suffer this indignity. That minister after minister are now coming out, too late perhaps, saying they disagreed with this and with that, that they did not form part of the kitchen Cabinet, that decisions within their remit passed them by and that time and again they chose to remain silent and stayed on.

now come down on the small fry and crucify the vulnerable when those more guilty smirk and laugh their way to the banks.

People have long memories and indeed some of the tangled skeins we still face today have been there for generations and generations.

With the government on the ropes as it tries to contain the spiralling pandemic, this is no time for feisty rhetoric.