Well, August is the peak of the silly season, and time for a good break, so why not organise a long visit to a far-away country to have a great time while escaping the sweltering heat hitting the Maltese Islands?

It seems that Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has followed this advice to the letter as he started a two-week state visit to Australia during which he has been busy speaking to Maltese migrants all over the place and visiting breath-taking cities including Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney.

On Wednesday, The Times reported that the Prime Minister received, well, a rapturous welcome when he attended a reception hosted by the Bassendean Maltese Association of Western Australia, “where about 150 ecstatic but ageing migrants were waiting to pounce on him.”

While Gonzi was busying himself with migrants and kangaroos, the rest of the world was still reeling from the announcement of a deal between France and Libya’s Colonel Muammar “Mad Dog” Gaddafi for the sale of a nuclear reactor.

However, in Malta only Altenattiva Demokratika (AD) reacted to this announcement, with party chairperson Harry Vassallo saying in a statement issued on Thursday that “the installation of a nuclear reactor in Libya poses a serious threat to the security of the Maltese Islands.”

From the two main parties represented in Parliament, nothing but deafening silence…

Have you noticed anything interesting related to the electoral campaign? Then send an e-mail to Charlot Zahra on czahra@mediatoday.com.mt