Reacting to the statement from the GSD’s Damon Bossino in relation to the recent decision in respect of the Bullying Act, the Chief Minister, the Hon Fabian Picardo QC MP, said:
‘The statement from Damon Bossino in respect of the bullying legislation are no more than a reflection of his desire to raise his profile in order to maintain his leadership ambitions on the boil for another decade.
‘Mr Bossino has failed to explain why he arrogantly chose to make no suggestions to amend the Bill in Parliament when I invited him to do so. Improving legislation in Parliament is the role of every parliamentarian and it is what Mr Bossino is paid almost £40,000.00 to do, not just to criticise without proposing alternatives.
‘Mr Bossino calls me every name going, as he has done for the past thirty years, but he hides from the public the reality that I generously invited him to do what he is paid to do, which is to work with us to amend the legislation at the time.
‘He, however, preferred his usual tactic of throwing stones and making criticisms but not contributing anything positive in terms of trying to amend the Bill at the time.
‘In fact, as Hansard shows, Mr Bossino arrogantly refused to contribute to amend and improve the Bill.
‘Without commenting on the underlying facts of the case, I very much welcome and respect the decision of the Court of Appeal in clarifying this legislation, as I do in every case where the Courts consider a piece of legislation and advise a need for clarification. Mature lawyers should not regard such a position in a judgment as a personal criticism leading to a three course meal of humble pie, as Mr Bossino suggests. That happens often and does not usually lead to the sort of arrogant one-upmanship that we have all had to witness in Mr Bossino’s unattractive remarks.
‘In fact, if one believes in the rule of law and the separation of powers, what we have seen in the Court of Appeal’s analysis of the statute in question is the proper functioning of our parliamentary system of government, subject to the check and balance of the Court as the ultimate arbiter of the law. I nonetheless imagine we will continue to read these sort of highly charged statements against me and the Government for the few months that the presently apparently energised Mr Bossino will be pursuing the political demise not of the Government, but of his current leader, Mr Azopardi. It might not last long. He never usually does.’
