It does seem as if a measure of fatigue has overtaken the management of local councils. Apparently, a number of local councillors have been feeling that they can no longer be effective in their roles. Others are fed up with the burdens that pile on councillors  after their appointment: they get accused of disappointing people by failing to  square up to expectations, not least on issues over which they can have no say.

One way or another, as I know from experience, these are problems that arise for all those who get involved in politics. However there are instances when more than usual, frustration is justified. Apparently, this has been the case in a number of localities, run both by the party in government and the opposition.

When the results of the local council elections are out, one will have to see whether a change in the councils’ personnel structure could trigger a new approach by way of initiative and change. Beyond this however, there would be a need for a critical review of how local councils operate (or have been allowed to operate). Once they are there, it would be better all around, if they are allowed and guaranteed the space they need to run optimally. Even while saying this, I must confess to having always been sceptical about how effective local councils could be, given the circumstances that prevail in Malta.

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POWER OF INCUMBENCY

I well remember how following the 2008 election, I had stated that a reason for the Labour Party’s “photo finish” defeat was the power of incumbency exercised by the Lawrence Gonzi government. This with reference to the ways and means available to a government on the basis of its administrative machine to benefit and please people.

At the time, one and all called out that I was spinning tales for being on the losing side. It then appeared that no one ... or hardly ... was familiar with the term. Yet it was well known and accepted all over Europe and the US.

Today I am suprised at how the same people who then derided what I had to say, have taken the concept on board and spout it profusely. The Opposition and the “free” media make frequent use of the term “power of incumbency” to describe what the government has been doing.  Why not, for so long as it can be used to criticise Labour? That seems to have become the guiding principle today when it is referred to.

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OPINIONS AND APPRECIATIONS                

At the end of the ten years I’ve spent at the European Parliament, I thought it could be a good idea to publish a book containing a selection of the essays and articles I wrote during these years. Some deal with European issues, others not. Entitled “Fehmiet u Għarfien” (“Opinions and Appreciations”), the selection presents viewpoints about issues that have been considered worthwhile and of interest to our times. From another perspective, the book delivers an appreciation of personalities who are or have been active in main areas of endeavour in this country, like politics or culture.

Some pieces are in English, others in Maltese. This being a book “for the occasion”, it will have a limited print run. But on the cover, potential readers will be warned that they will surely not agree with all that they will find  inside it!