Explainers, notes, walkthroughs, and quick guides to the stories and people you've had little time for...



The annual political party leaders rap battle staged at the University of Malta campus
The Skinny | No 130 – Beatdown at the Academy
The Skinny | No 130 – Beatdown at the Academy

‘Stay safe’ suddenly has an even keener edge than the one previously sharpened by the pandemic
No 129 – Chilly East Wind Blowing
No 129 – Chilly East Wind Blowing

To get my vote, politicians need to look like victorious WWE wrestlers
No 128 | Abela vs Grech: Who’s Hotter?
No 128 | Abela vs Grech: Who’s Hotter?

Tran|Sport Malta Marathon? That’s an admirable feat of compression, if nothing else
No. 127 | Running With Ministerial Scissors
No. 127 | Running With Ministerial Scissors

St Paul’s day is like vintage fake news propping up Catholic nation-building
The Skinny | No 126 – Shipwrecked Saints & Sanctified Snakes
The Skinny | No 126 – Shipwrecked Saints &...

The possibilities and pitfalls of having 17K a month to spend
The Skinny | No 125 – Mo Money Mo Problems
The Skinny | No 125 – Mo Money Mo Problems

Maybe we’ll get a Ministry for Clientelism after the inevitable Labour election victory...
No 124 – Flexing Them Muscles For Election Time
No 124 – Flexing Them Muscles For Election Time

Joseph presses the subtle messaging button for a powder-keg broadcast
The Skinny | No 123 – Knock, Knock: The Sound of Da Police
The Skinny | No 123 – Knock, Knock: The Sound of Da...

A lot of people live with unprocessed resentment for women due to a myriad factors
No 122 – Gender Violence? What Gender Violence?
No 122 – Gender Violence? What Gender Violence?

So I told God... “Sha-la-ka-ta-bosi-tokasi-to-malaaaammaaatoma. Hallelujah!”
The Skinny | No 121 – River of Hot Lava
The Skinny | No 121 – River of Hot Lava

Happy New Year to our readers, children, wives, mistresses, toyboys and digital life-assistants
The Skinny | No. 120 – Death to 2021
The Skinny | No. 120 – Death to 2021

Nobody resigns in Malta. Three stacked together is a Christmas miracle
The Skinny | No 119 – Christmas Collapse at Mile End
The Skinny | No 119 – Christmas Collapse at Mile End


Gonzi getting HIGH and mighty over cannabis is a tactical error par excellence
The Skinny | No 118 – Gonzi vs Ganja
The Skinny | No 118 – Gonzi vs Ganja

If I can’t breath fresh air at Majjistral, maybe Christmas isn’t worth saving after all
The Skinny | No 117 – Masks in the Countryside
The Skinny | No 117 – Masks in the Countryside

Butthurt over ‘Christmas’ usurping Saturnalia. Dalli sure won’t get MY vote
The Skinny | No 116 – The One Where Helena Dalli Killed Christmas
The Skinny | No 116 – The One Where Helena Dalli...

Watery clickbait has indeed never been this wholesome
The Skinny | No 115 – Rain Wracked Rock
The Skinny | No 115 – Rain Wracked Rock

As long as some juice leeches off into the island’s elite, Malta is happy to be leeched...
The Skinny | No 114 – Stripping for SiGMA
The Skinny | No 114 – Stripping for SiGMA

The PN’s ‘broad church’ is surely not friendly to broads…
The Skinny | No 113 – No Abortion, No Cry
The Skinny | No 113 – No Abortion, No Cry