As from next week, business will be back to usual, with all the energy going into work, after a short rest for the lucky ones.
The leave granted to Sliema residents from contractors, cranes and the like, has been replaced by the rowdy students. It was a break from early morning noise, albeit replaced by the evening noise, rubbish left behind and the blocking of streets by the coaches that transport these students, with engines running and fumes emanating, resulting in a health hazard.
What was a stark contrast was the continual daily rumbling on Super One news, the islands' most unbiased programme, where different persons are personally targeted to the pleasure of diehard labour supporters.
The continual political activity on the part of the labour opposition, and their speakers eventually all ends up as a libel suit in court. These speeches are being countered by ministry statements, totally contradicting what was said. How can a normal person continue to follow such news or such speeches, and give his vote to labour, when everything points to the contrary? This is a repeat performance of the 1996 election campaign, which saw labour successfully luring new voters with promises. This time it seems that labour is promising everything to everybody. There are stories abound, that people are promised posts and that all problems will be solved within six months of being in government.
It's no wonder that the promises have to be qualified in six months as most probably, the full repeat performance will be done. That is, the infighting within the party in government will happen again. The incapability of keeping a team together will be evident again. The luring of the voter will be spoilt again and once more the poor voter who will risk voting labour will be disappointed again.
The insecurity of speeches, the U-turns that keep on happening, like the Mater Dei visit, it's the same thing all over again. For which labour leader will you vote for? The leader that speaks clear admitting that Mater Dei is a state of the art hospital, that he knows where the money was spent or the one who next day completely forgets what was said and says investigations will be launched to scrutinise what went on in the hospital.
Why can people not see that it is the Nationalist Party and PN Government that manages to complete projects and puts Malta forward in every sense? Mater Dei is just one of a series of done up and complete projects implemented by the PN for the benefit of the Maltese people.
It is indeed a contrast to the visions, working papers and discussions that have continued throughout August, leading to a printed book that effectively leads you nowhere. Vague promises or notes that are either being implemented or about to be born, are no consolation to that voter who may think about voting labour.
We now have a confirmation that labour will go back to the glorious years of the 70s, and by hearing out the old school of labour elders in Gzira, you only confirm this. The icing on this expired cake was done by the labour secretary general's announcement that the labour government will be there only for the labourites. How nice, chopping off half of Malta's population in one sentence while in opposition. I shudder to think what labour will do if put in Government.
Robert Arrigo is a Nationalist MP