Xarabank stunt has ‘backfired’ on Labour

It might have sounded like a good idea on paper, but most analysts contacted by The Sunday Times yesterday said Labour’s Xarabank stunt was out of place. A debate between the Labour and Nationalist parties’ deputy leaders was cancelled at the last minute when the PL announced that Anġlu Farrugia was giving up his debating seat in favour of rebel Nationalist MP Franco Debono, who caused the Government to collapse last week after voting against the Budget. Dr Debono paced the corridors of Xarabank producers Where’s Everybody’s recording studios and demanded that PN deputy leader Simon Busuttil face him. That never happened, with national broadcaster PBS cancelling the programme. Dr Busuttil and Dr Farrugia were due to debate one another yesterday evening instead. The PL believes PBS and Where’s Everybody are both biased against the party and that Friday’s move set out to prove that point. When contacted, columnist and economist Lino Spiteri said: “The incident was completely unnecessary and out of court.” “The PL has its own popular TV station and could have given Franco Debono as much time as it wanted for him to make his voice heard there.” Mr Spiteri, a former PL finance...