These days the main topic around Malta is the budget. Having been in parliament on budget day, I was amazed by the quiet mood from the opposition benches. Had it not been for one MP who normally walks around cracking sarcastic jokes, then the mood would have been very much down. The sound of silence from the opposition benches was deafening.

The budget surpassed anybody’s expectations notwithstanding the high stakes that the Labour Party laboured to create.

The budget did target the middle class family and the self-employed. The benefits that can be derived from this budget to self-employed persons who employ their spouses, for instance, thus including this new cost in their trading, is a big step in the right direction. The various tax benefits on the childcare is another one. Coupled with the general umbrella of more work all round, then, the middle class family is surely to benefit.

Alas for Labour, this was a cold shower. Labour has been harping on to middle class voters, that all is lost for them under the Nationalist administration. They blew incidents out of proportion, got on a political opportunistic streak that gave them visions. The middle class segment was addressed by a good government that, after having controlled the deficit, went out to distribute the dividends, and this well before an election.

Any family having a loan would do good financial housekeeping until the loan is controlled or paid off. The one big family of Malta did exactly this. Rather than keep it in its coffers, the government spread out millions of liri to be enjoyed by all, leaving ripple effects all through the economy.

God willing, there will be no great turmoil in the world in the foreseeable future and then Malta is on track to meet its obligations.

Not only were taxes reduced, but investment in our children has increased. Middle class families do have children and can look forward at a sound education future. They also have parents, who as pensioners have been cared for, with medical and health expenditure increased too.

Host families, so many of whom, come from the ninth and 10th electoral district have come down for a mention, and here one sees that the government has listened all along. This poured cold water on the continual barrage on host families by the opposition.

However, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi is still hungry for more success, for more work to reap better and more fruits in the future. Plans that have been laid down for the future are solid. Any change of government would put Malta back 20 years, and give Malta an unstable government.

I did enjoy the programmes that had (GWU secretary general) Tony Zarb taking part. Again they now decided to go off air, as the damage that was done was tremendous. These face-to-face programmes saw the crumbling empire of the privileged union, going down to pieces. Militancy is supreme. Anybody who is reasonable is sent off, or made to go. Now, if Labour is elected, would you, Mr and Mrs floating voter, trust such a line of political policy? Being a floater normally excludes militancy or extremism. Hence, the better party still remains the Nationalist Party.

A last note to the wardens or whoever governs them. We would be so grateful if they stop being sent to roam the same streets in Sliema and Pembroke checking the details that irk residents, like a few centimetres on a yellow line, or too much water when a front garden is watered, or literally searching for minor offences rather than focusing on the more serious infringements.

Please get your act together, and be reasonable with all. Same goes for those speed cameras that are non-sensical in their majority.