A new biography of Dom Mintoff by Fr Mark Montebello has lifted the lid on the late prime minister’s very private family life, and it does not always put the fiery leader in a good light. The 300-page publication – The Tail that Wagged the Dog: The Life and Struggles of Dom Mintoff (1916–2012) – traces Mintoff’s life from childhood and right through his formative years, his studies in the UK, his private practice as an architect and his eventful political career, characterised by his ‘battles’ with the Church and the British government. Montebello does not hide his admiration for the warrior but does not shirk from the grey areas of his life: family life, apparently, was one of them.