Since when is defending oneself fascist?

People, down-toearth people of all political colours and hues including many disgruntled Nationalists, simply cannot decide whether the outgoing Leader of the Opposition is belatedly trying to show a semblance of leadership qualities or whether or not the

For a lawyer, Simon Busuttil would be expected to know that any public attack on individuals, whatever their job and position, is bound to get a reaction. For too long now, he has been making serious accusations against the Prime Minister and his family, the Chief of Staff at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister Konrad Mizzi. The best he could do when asked to show the evidence, as is rightly expected from every accuser, was to parade along Republic Street in Valletta with a burden of mostly empty box-files – carried by guys in black suits and in Egyptian-slave mode – towards the Law Courts.

He ran a hollow electoral campaign based solely on these claims, incredibly insisting that it was the accused’s onus to prove they are not true. Had we had a fairer and less biased Chamber of Advocates, this attitude would have been roundly condemned, but that’s another story.

The election result was a sledgehammer blow to all that Dr Busuttil had been hurling in the direction of the mentioned three. People just did not give any credibility to his accusations and bluntly relegated his antics to political void. Now these post-election frolics are part of a pathetic attempt at showing resilience when there is only frailty, leadership when it is now another man’s turn for survival when one has already drowned in his own leakages.

For Dr Busuttil to come out claiming that filing a police complaint against him is an “unprecedented and fascist attack on democracy” smacks of political hypocrisy coming from someone who has for years hounded and tainted people with allegations and accusations and then expects them to simply bide by his judgement, pack up and go. It is ironic that now he is the one surrendering the leadership of his party and facing the inevitable legal backlash.

Defending oneself, especially from politicians with a desperate agenda having shown they were highly aware of the country’s positive mood at the polls, is a right that is not and cannot be denied to any citizen, whatever his social and/or political status. Fascism is more akin to thinking that one can abuse his political power by making what can prove to be false accusations and untruths and expecting everybody to accept his judgement, no buts, end of story.

In contrast, our democratic system entails giving every citizen the absolute right to seek justice, to defend himself/herself, and to pursue all legal options at one’s disposal. It is denying this possibility that is indisputably fascist, which is rendered even more so if and when one is condemned for actually taking steps to clear his or her name.

This is no apology for or in defence of anyone. I am not privy to any details, for or against. Mine is, at this stage, merely a layman’s view of how things in a law-abiding country should work. After all, Dr Busuttil’s three whipping boys have declared all along they would resign if his claims are proved to have been true – in a court of law, of course, and not on the Granaries in some political jamboree.

No happy time for journos

Journalists everywhere are finding it increasingly difficult to be different, exclusive and, even worse, fair. Politicians from Trump to Duarte in the Philippines are taking joyrides on the social network where it is much easier for them to argue an issue and to brand any investigative journalist as “unprofessional”, describing every news item they do not like as “fake”.

The sad result is that there has been an increase in, well, actual fake news from journalists whose publishing institutions insist on a corporate attitude regarding national and international issues. However, there is resistance, thank goodness, as we have seen lately in the case involving the BBC’s political editor, Laura Kuenssberg.

The revelation that Kuenssberg had to be given a bodyguard during the 2017 UK general election last June, brought instant memories of Malta in the 80s when Xandir Malta news cameramen and reporters, through no personal fault of theirs, also had to be protected by security people provided by the parties at every mass meeting. I remember several of these journalists coming back terrified and showing parts of their bodies where they had been “accidentally” hit and openly spat upon, despite the honest efforts of the party officers entrusted with their safety. We almost had an encore of that this time round, involving journalists from the political stations.

But to read, in 2017, of journalists being threatened in, of all places, the UK is a shocking realization of how bad the situation has become. Some journalists understandably would rather be covering a war somewhere (ample choice, always) than national politics.

It was revealed that in Kuenssberg’s case, some of the threats were so serious it was deemed necessary to provide protection to deter any wouldbe attackers. She had been accused of bias from both the right and left of the political spectrum and subject to petitions to have her removed.

Kuenssberg was booed at a news conference addressed by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who however had the decency to intervene and ask those deriding her to let her get on with her work.

The revelation was made by Charles Moore, a columnist with The Spectator, who declared that while Labour supporters had been “particularly scathing” about her coverage of Jeremy Corbyn, it was Tory backers who had had an issue with her during and even after the general election. They accused the BBC of hiding the fact that she had to be given personal protection.

Kuenssberg, who was named Broadcaster of the Year by the Political Studies Association last year and Journalist of the Year by the Press Gazette, was, ironically, reprimanded by her BBC bosses for “misreporting” Corbyn’s views on a shoot-tokill policy for terrorists.

You can never win with politicians, can you?

My impression?

Is it just my impression that, since the end of June, roaming tariffs all over the EU, local mobile phone service-providers seem to be doing their utmost to squeeze every extra eurocent possible out of their clients? Heavily subscribed popular offers have been changed and instantly made less attractive, while new ones hardly make hearts flutter...