Lord Strickland- Plots and intrigue in colonial Malta

Lord Strickland, by far one of the most outstanding political figures in colonial Malta, was as controversial
as socialist firebrand Dom Mintoff. Most of the politicians of his time have long faded into history but
Strickland’s name still resonates today. This work explores the political plots hatched against him and gives
a blowbyblow account of the controversies and political intrigue that plagued his turbulent life.
Strickland’s contribution to Malta’s social and political advancement is often undervalued, mainly because
of myths and unfounded claims that overshadowed much of his work.
Strickland served in no fewer than four governorship posts in the colonial service. When he was the island’s
prime minister, he was, for a time, concurrently a member of two parliaments, Malta’s legislative assembly
and the House of Commons. What dominates Strickland’s life is a bitter dispute with the Church over its
interference in politics. It was one of the most classic clashes between Church and State in modern times,
directly involving Vatican and British chancelleries in power politics. This work goes deeply into claims,
proved to have been unfounded, that Strickland was a Freemason, and reconstructs the attempt on
Strickland’s life at the law courts in 1930. History has been generally unkind to Strickland. This
reevaluation of his political life and times, anchored firmly in the context of the time, attempts to put him
in a better light.