From Ms L. Houlton

Daphne Caruana Galizia’s article entitled Coalitions and pipedreams deserves an answer that I cannot help but feel the need to provide.

Ms Caruana Galizia, how I wish things were as simplistic as you make them out to be. Although you criticise others for this, in my view, it is your way of speaking about our political system that seems to me to be simplistic, if not downright naïve!

While you speak about the instabilities and uncertainties of a coalition government, you forget to speak about the fallacies of our own system: you fail to speak about a bi-polarised political situation where what counts is not what is said but who is saying it, with the price of throwing truth and reason out of the window.

You fail to speak about how, in a two-party system, one says “black” if the other says “white”, in spite of the fact that yellow or grey could be the answer.

You say “when we vote for a party, we know roughly what to expect”: well, let’s say “roughly”, yes – but perhaps the electorate wants (or should want) more. What about dreaming about doing politics with more integrity from principle, rather than from opportunistic marketing activism to win votes? How about agreeing and working together some of the time, rather than opposing each other for eternity?

You say that if there isn’t a majority rule, “you are left with anarchy” – wrong, and simplistic again. I’d like to inform you that there are more sophisticated democracies than the one that bases itself on a majority rule. How about taking care of the rights of minorities by representation in parliament, rather than just the rule of the majority? How about dreaming of a political situation where political allegiances are changed as freely as morning breakfast cereal brands, solely dependant upon whether their party performs, instead of becoming part and parcel of family allegiances or, worse still, a way of keeping one’s job from being on the line?

Also, if you think that negotiation and compromise are much less democratic than the monopoly of power that our two-party system bestows, think again. These are the fruits of living in a more democratic and pluralistic society and coalition governments are the political way forward to make this come true.

However, on one thing I do agree with you, Ms Caruana Galizia, and this is that with this two-party national conspiracy against this type of government, coalition governments remain the pipe dreams of Alternattiva Demokratika and of those who wish more for themselves and their country.

Louisa Houlton

ATTARD