The Maltese political scene is changing, and fast. Not so much in terms of different political colours, as green support which peaked around referendum time seems to have diminished, but in terms of the intensity and the definiteness most of us had about politics. People are not only becoming a far paler blue or pinkish red, but are actually questioning their own sides like never before.

In fact, despite all the talk, nobody has the foggiest idea who will win the next election. As diehards are diminishing and disillusion increasing rapidly (even about the greens), the next election result will only be a barometer of who has the least disillusioned numbers of voters, rather than a hugely positive vote in favour of any political party.

In fact, political parties seem most out of favour. Individual politicians on both sides of the divide are talked of with great respect. Lawrence Gonzi warms heart wherever he goes, Marie Louise Coleiro is universally admired for her work, Jesmond Mugliett, despite all the attacks, is perceived as delivering on our not so “holey” roads and Charles Mangion is viewed as the face of reasonable Labour.

But the political parties per se are not much loved, or are less so than they were in the past and it is easy to understand why. For years this country, via the political propaganda machine of both parties, has fed us a diet of trash about the others. There was a time when the Blues thought that everything the Reds did was wrong and the other way round.

Yet speak to many struggling Blues today and they will tell you that their perception and anger is focused on other Blues.

It’s a perception that is not going away but is growing. The perception of arrogance about certain key individuals is even stronger now in 2005 than when I returned to this island in 1996, and it is worrying that our very non-arrogant PM does not have a political party that reflects his accessible approach. It’s almost as if we have two PNs now, the part led by Lawrence that we like and the part led by others that we don’t like.

Political parties encourage us to dislike each other, but at the very top we all know, at least if our eyes are open we do, how Reds and Blues do not dislike each other at all but help each other out (as they all know they’ll need each other someday) while the ignorant masses think one side is going to give them the goodies they desire.

That is part of the reason for the levels of anger and disillusion everywhere. For years people bought into a lot of lies and now they have to adjust to new realities and disappointments. We may go the way of the Brits and others who are as interested in politics as they are in religion (ie. not at all) and consequently have a large number of non-voters. Or, as is more likely, people will start to vote more objectively and with less passion for who suits them best rather than only how they were brought up, although that will still be an important factor.

In the UK so many “do not vote” studies have shown that the majority, although it is shrinking, always vote as their parents did, so the colour of your blood is an important factor. But I think more and more of us are realising that neither red socialist-type policies nor blue free market-like policies can deliver the trick on their own. Politicians have to mix and match and take whatever they can from every ideology to try and use power to deliver positive results.

It is something that Tony Blair (or the spin doctors of Peter Mandelsson and Alistair Campbell who made him) understands very well, and he is a genius at mixing all that is best and most appealing of red and blue. So good at mixing colours in fact that he has become colourless, but still hugely effective.

And, again, it looks as if the new Tory leader hopeful, David Cameron, is modelling himself on the Blair success. With more and more people not voting, politicians must have a bit of appeal to everyone, and this seems to be David Cameron’s appeal. He appears to be someone who can win because there is nothing that puts you off and he is prepared to do his bit for everyone.

It is a lesson we should learn here too, or our political parties should. Less drama and less bombast, less slating each other off. The public wants more deliverables delivered less arrogantly, and less divisiveness. Irrespective of colour, those who we think come closest to doing that will probably win the next election.

The diehards are slowly but surely the dodos of the future.