To be fair, I wouldn’t mind skiving work to visit Birmingham

What are we skinning? President George Abela conveniently booking a trip up to Birmingham, UK coincidentally (conveniently?) timed to coincide with the deadline for signing the IVF bill... which task was then promptly executed by his stand-in.

Why are we skinning it? Because it is a beautiful demonstration of the diversity of the human experience.

How do you mean? In this case, it’s mainly about priorities. You have different priorities to me, and that’s okay.

It should be, anyway. That’s right. So maybe someone other than myself – someone occupying a high-profile but largely ceremonial role within the country’s political apparatus, say – would find the hassle of taking a trip to Birmingham (of ALL places...) the more desirable course of action when compared to scribbling one’s signature on a piece of paper. But that’s just me.

Though to be fair, I wouldn’t mind skiving work to visit Birmingham. I don’t know man, I would probably pick somewhere else. Lovely as they are, historic industrial cities aren’t exactly my jam.

You’re forgetting that they’re hosting the Commonwealth Games at the moment. I didn’t forget. I just didn’t know.

Maybe the President is just an unabashed sports fan with a penchant for the imperially-created Commonwealth? His ‘ethical principles’ certainly seem to draw from the same nostalgic wellspring, yes.

Shame said principles have led him to make a bit of a mockery of the Constitution as he goes bunburying up to Birmingham. What’s that?

One of the lead characters in Oscar Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest would get out of socially undesirable situations by claiming he needs to travel to see his terminally ill friend Bunbury… of course, a fictional creation. That’s quite the masterstroke.

Rock-solid ethics AND canny intelligence. What more do you want out of a president?

Well, the desire to preside over his actual duties with transparency, clarity and efficiency would also be nice. Now you’re just being selfish. Let a man live!

Do say: “While the President has every right to express his moral and ethical dilemmas on any ongoing political and legal developments in the country, the very nature of his role is to perform duties entrenched in the Constitution, as guided by the country’s democratic parliamentary process. So that while sticking to one’s principles may seem noble on the face of it, a President’s position requires taking the long view.”

Don’t say: “If there’s no ethical consumption (or labour) under capitalism, that means we can all pretty much head up to ‘Birmingham’ and let our morally lax understudies pick up the slack. The only problem is that very few jobs come with ‘understudies’...”