Now that the general election is just around the corner, just sit back and watch the Prime Minister demonstrate his prowess at implementing his “new way of doing politics”. This should mean that unlike his predecessor he will not be tempted to make false promises about eternal new springs, finances on a sound footing and vibrant economies in a bid to win popular support.

Make no mistake; there is no “new” way of doing politics. It simply does not exist. Most leaders, particularly those hailing from the Nationalist Party, have this passion for promising to do something different at the moment of their crowning. Reality, however, will soon come crashing down on them. And with an inheritance as loaded with astronomical debts and dormant economies as the one left in the lap of Dr Lawrence Gonzi, there is no way that the incumbent Prime Minister could have been different.

Dr Gonzi must have realised, after a rather short while, that his new way of doing politics was leading the Nationalist Party to certain electoral defeat. He was determined to kill the deficit by raising taxes, inventing the utilities surcharge, cutting overtime and allowances, restricting social security benefits, curtailing access to medicine, even to the elderly, and a host of other similar austere measures.

All that resulted in a disastrous showing at the European Parliament election – a mere year after the last general election – and a spiralling deficit in electoral trust at three successive local council elections. The Prime Minister must now be thinking hard about how to reverse the misfortunes of his party at the polls as the big day is fast approaching.

You see, the Prime Minister is not only eyeing his party’s performance at the next general election. More importantly, he wouldn’t like to see himself departing from Castille after such a brief stint in power as Prime Minister. It would be a tremendous blow for his personal pride, when he knows that his predecessor brought so much success for himself and for his party. Most probably Dr Gonzi will be tempted to try some dishes from Dr Fenech Adami’s political recipes in a bid to retain his throne. So, he must be thinking, what’s so wrong with taking a plunge into the old way of doing politics?

And the old way of doing politics has arrived yet again. It will endure until the next general election and will fizzle into nothingness the day after. We will now be hearing no more of sacrifices as the “future is on a sound footing” (“gejjieni fis-sod”) according to the government propaganda machine.

Income tax will be reduced as from next Wednesday, when the Prime Minister will be proudly presenting his budget. Justification for such a measure is the deficit level, that has been substantially reduced to Lm55 million – so they say now that the general election is just a couple of months away. The utilities surcharge will be progressively reduced, as oil prices are decreasing (they started decreasing months ago), incentives for business will be sprinkled about recklessly and there will be a host of other false promises, misconceptions and manipulated data.

I am sure you will not have forgotten already that before the last general election, the country was fed the lie that “finances are on a sound footing”. You will also not have forgotten that barely weeks after the Nationalists were returned to power they could not escape the truth about the real situation of public finances and raised taxes to make up for the shortfall. Do you now believe what the Nationalists are saying? Had you ever thought, before the last general election, that you would be made to pay so much tax and carry so many crosses?

Have you come to terms with the fact that the government that promised you a new spring are squeezing so much tax out of your salary? Do you really believe that they will not be raising taxes again and making you carry new burdens, the moment they take your vote? Have you not reckoned that you have had to pay so much to the exchequer for believing that you would live in a “new spring” where “finances are on a sound footing?” Will you risk trusting them again?

Can you vote again for the old way of doing politics?

Dr Gulia is the main opposition spokesman for home affairs