Labour has been without a deputy prime minister for months. Chris Fearne in May. He also withdrew his nomination for European commissioner in the hope that the court would exonerate him and he could pick up where he left, just in time to reclaim his consolation prize for being thwarted of the Labour leadership in 2020.
Well, the court slammed the door in Fearne’s face. The man who the nation with his “real deal” nonsense will face a criminal trial. His fading hopes of still making it to Europe were quickly snuffed out.
That’s been weeks now. Still, Labour ploughed on without a deputy prime minister. Why? Maybe because Robert Abela prefers it that way.
He’s probably far happier without a deputy, not having to divulge inside information to a potential rival. Or maybe he’s looked around the cabinet table and admitted there’s nobody to choose from. So Abela keeps going on his luxury yacht escapades to Sicily and possibly further afar without appointing anybody in his stead.
He won’t let go, won’t delegate. He just “ ” remotely. But, finally, Abela will have to swallow the bullet and accept that a new deputy leader will have to be appointed.
Abela will reluctantly have to adjust to the fact he’ll have a deputy nosing around. Labour’s delegates are once again called to vote in a one-horse race. This won’t be an election, just a coronation.
The last time delegates faced a deputy leader election, they were compelled to change the party statute and Konrad M.