Let me state, restate, or reemphasise something. In the big scheme of history, I have always tended to favour the PN. And that’s not because I was born blue or because I pledged allegiance till death. Even at their worst the PN have been better than the Labour Party. Or mostly so.
The PN are not angels. In fact, they are usually more like demons with a better outlook than the Labour Party.
The PN were always too close to business barons and marauding developers, even if they were never totally in bed with them like the Labour Party. Sadly, they have been totally out of tune with reality when it comes to civil liberties. They opposed divorce, sat on the fence regarding same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex partners, and appear incapable of even discussing abortion and euthanasia.
Still, on the whole the PN delivers good government and, compared to the Labour Party, follow good governance to an amazing extent.
The Labour lot, whether under Joseph Muscat or Robert Abela, certainly win the biggest garbage contest.
Labour are brilliant in opposition. They take on a mantle of brilliance. They concoct mantras that sound amazing. Mantras like meritocracy, good governance, down with corruption, first in Europe.
Yet then, given power, they turn into Orwellian pigs. They follow George Orwell to the hilt. They use state propaganda to subvert anything resembling truth into Soviet-like Pravda reports. Big Brother takes over and violence and state-sponsored corruption become endemic.
Throughout Malta’s political history since independence, whenever Labour was in power, they have always excelled at making us well-known worldwide. Malta led by Labour is instantly recognisable for all the wrong reasons. As our own Labour finance minister attested, even taxi drivers in South America know of us and our corruption and horrors.
Under the PN no one knows we exist. As it should be for a country of our size and influence.
History definitely shines a spotlight on the PN to deliver and keep the country on the straight and democratic road. The PN have also pushed for such goals as independence, EU accession and Eurozone membership. The Labour Party fought against all these, saying that we were not prepared, or that it was wrong to punch above our weight.
Labour always seem to be on the wrong side of what is good for the people.
But all this is history, definitely not in the least connected to the travesty of democracy the current leader of the opposition is. Adrian Delia needs to be dumped to prevent the party turning into another skip of horrors.
It is already teetering on the edge of the garbage heap.
Adrian Delia is now not only unelectable but is also turning into the worst enemy of the party and the country. To try appealing to the racist core, to the right-wingers, to whinge about “foreigners” who create ghettos, is really scraping the bottom.
The PN need to get rid of Delia, dump all his hangers-on and make sure that any right-wing bigotry is stopped immediately. If that means losing more votes so be it.
The PN should not resort to populist tactics but truly go back to basics and establish the entire concept of what they are and represent.
Adrian Delia has a core following which he knows verges on the far-right and racism. If those followers are lost the PN can move on in better shape.
Distancing himself from Adrian Delia is the first step for the new challenger for the leadership.
Bernard Grech needs to move as far as possible from reconciliation and other strange compromises with regard to Adrian Delia.
Bernard Grech, who is the only one, besides Delia, who is contesting the leadership election, recently stated that Delia can be part of the PN solution. This is totally wrong. Grech immediately projected the wrong image: that of working with problematic people to look after support.
Delia is not, and can never be, part of the solution. He is a problem. He is the problem, and the worst thing that has befallen the PN. Delia is the man who could not field the right opposition to the Labour Government, weakened as he was by his own inadequacies and cabinetful of problems.
The man entrusted with fighting the government’s corruption and failures was himself up to his eyeballs in scandals.
Getting rid of Adrian Delia, appointing a new leader and moving on will be the first faltering step for the PN.
A whole array of steps is needed. If not, the PN are doomed to failure and the country is doomed to remain under the leadership of Labour. And at this juncture unless things change drastically Labour will keep winning and pulling this country down a few more rungs in good governance and wise decisions.
What the PN needs is a total overhaul.
In my next article I will try to pinpoint a few steps the party needs to take which I believe are indispensable for survival and success. It’s my take on the PN in crisis.
PN, move on or face oblivion.
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