The Ministry Of Més Per Menorca

Is Francina truly with it, do you suppose? One does have to ask the question, given that she appears to be off in the clouds or with the fairies of consensus and dialogue, spouting - repeatedly - what at its kindest can best be referred to as total and utter drivel. It did come as a surprise, it has to be said, that Sweet and Friendly Armengol (Sweet FA) should have accused the PP's poster girl, Marga Prohens, of dabbling in the politics of the "slum". This is not what we have come to expect from Frankie. Mind you, Marga had more or less accused her of being useless. She was not capable of leading the government. She was being led and none more so than by the Més-ites of Menorca.

These strange beings from across the Menorca channel have occupied a ministry. Theoretically, it is known as the participation, transparency and culture ministry (re-arrange the order as you see fit, and also don't forget sport, which is lurking there somewhere as well). But for all practical purposes it is the Ministry of Més per Menorca, an office for the Més party over the water that somehow seems to have been created within the regional government.

Whatever this ministry actually does, and no one knows except perhaps for one or two Més-ites who dreamt it up, it now has a new minister. The ideological crisis within the Menorcan Més-ite sect did of course claim its victim. One of its number, Esperança (Hope) Camps, was expelled for having not been true to the Més-ite faith, whatever this might be, and she will forever more be referred to as Hopeless, at least where her now former senior officials are concerned.

To the rescue has come someone who will be able to reinvigorate the boys from the ministry, and they do all seem to be boys. There they were, lined up at the official ceremony over which Frankie presided to announce last week's ministerial shake-up. And boy, were the boys happy: smiling away, displaying their "I Survived Esperança" t-shirts. In charge of the boys will now be Mrs. Brown. Yes, it's Mrs. Brown's Boys at the ministry.

It is in fact Ruth Mateu. Who? According to Frankie, Ruth is "brave and committed". What does that mean? Is she about to lock horns in a rugby scrum front row with Joe Marler? Such bravery and commitment will be evident, so we understand, from her heading a "key" ministry. One would rather hope that all ministries are key, but the Ministry of Més per Menorca would appear to be key plus one: a bunch of keys maybe.

Ruth wasn't the only brave and committed one. All three ministerial changes represented bravery and commitment, and these will, said Francina, strengthen the government in responding, inevitably, to the needs of the citizens. One doubts, however, that the citizens are particularly bothered about the musical chairs or have any more idea than Frankie does as to what the Ministry of Més per Menorca supposedly does.

Still, the citizens can rest easily in their beds, knowing that the government has been strengthened, which hardly sounds like a ringing endorsement of how it was previously.