Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1391768
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 11 JULY 2021 COMMENT What are we skinning? The re-emergence of Malta's former prime minister Dom Mintoff in Mark Montebello's controversial new biography of the political firebrand, 'The Tail that Wagged the Dog'. Why are we skinning it? Because Dom continues to get the country's attention, 10 years since his passing in 2012. Surely, Mintoff will never be forgotten. It is unlikely that any of the politicians post-Independence era will be forgotten – by which we more often mean 'rendered irrelevant to the memory' – but yes, Mintoff is a bit of a special case, there. What makes Mintoff so persistently talked about, do you think? It's a heady brew: his crucial role in Malta's independence narrative, his embodiment of socialist values (perceived, polished or otherwise) and his fiery rhetorical style giving vent to a kind of grass-roots, muscular sense of authority that even then manage to pierce through the machinations of what was largely a post-colonial and theocratic society. But what does Montebello's new biography bring to the mix, then? In brief, it gives us a more intimate snapshot of The Angry Mintoff Who Fucks. That should help it fly off the shelves. The book has garnered immediate attention from the media, certainly – even earning a four-page analysis from this (silky, smooth and oh-so-fine) rag. To be fair, though, I'm hardly surprised to learn that Mintoff was something of a difficult-to- live-with womaniser. You could describe all that as an adjunct to his 'brand', yes. So why the sudden fuss? Well, a part of it is down to the more immediate concerns of allegations, privacy violations and the dubious morality of airing a family's laundry in public - all the more direct a concern in a small island like Malta. Which are the bits getting the most vociferous backlash? While Mintoff's infidelities are largely being filtered through the 'man of his time' lens, the somewhat shakily substantiated allegations of domestic violence are being unequivocally contested by surviving family members. That's not ideal. No, but I would argue that ideals are far from what we need to be concerned about when it comes to publications of this kind. Are you saying that we should have carte blanche on all sorts of unfounded, slanderous sleaze being put out there? Not at all. But Montebello's book is not some cheap tabloid offering that scatterguns allegations to fill its pages and garner attention; it offers up a detailed and complex portrait of one of the most important figures in Malta's recent history. But do we need to hear about his infidelities and tendencies towards domestic violence? Look, you either want a complete 'warts and all' portrait, or you don't. Malta's historical narrative has existed in hagiography mode for far too long – and the results of that are clear. We do tend to over-forgive and over-praise our politicos, don't we? The eradication of 'prosit ministru' from the Maltese vocabulary should be at the top of the country's post-covid recovery plans. Do say: "It is perfectly fair for Mintoff's immediate family members to dispute certain facts and express their justifiable discomfort at some of the more unpleasant aspects of Dom Mintoff's behaviour suddenly being unleashed into the public domain. However, Malta's culture of political hagiography is arguably even more insidious and intellectually damaging, so if Montebello's 'hot take' on Mintoff moves some way towards breaking that cycle, so be it." Don't say: "Dom Mintoff's machismo and womanising are fun to read about but hardly surprising. A similar treatment given to KMB? Now that would blow my mind." The lives of great men ALEKS FARRUGIA 12-13 The Skinny Malta, shrunk down JOSANNE CASSAR So let me get this straight… UK teens, no. But EU teens, yes? PAGE 5 MICHAEL FALZON The misquoting magistrate PAGE 7 No 95 – Dear Dom RAPHAEL VASSALLO The magic of football... PAGES 10 & 11 EDITORIAL Solitary confinement is torture: it has to go PAGE 2 Both Mintoff and Mussolini before him were very aware of their public persona and actively engaged in its construction: the image of the strong man but also a man of the people, a man of action but also a great orator