Christmas platitudes

It's not that Malta's Prime Minister is the only source of platitudes. Far from it. But he's a potentially rich source, and I look forward to compiling a good collection of gems from him... spiced up by great quotes from other personalities that make this world such an interesting place.

I have to admit that during the televised Christmas messages by the Maltese nation's symbolic and actual rulers, namely the President, the Prime Minister and the Archbishop, I could only hear occasional snippets consisting of single words amid the din of the jolly Christmas eve celebrations. Not surprisingly, the only words I remember hearing were "familja" and "solidarjeta' ".

I also remember thinking:

1. How do these persons manage the impressive feat of producing different 20-minute long platitudes each Christmas?

2. That the fireplace on one side behind the Prime Minister was either:

• a miraculous fire that keeps exactly the same volume and intensity without being fed any wood at all; or
• a computer simulation.