The electoral campaign gathers momentum. The political ding-dong is in full swing, with the party bandwagons doing their damnedest to outpace each other.

The political pulse has quickened, but the political climate does not seem to have had much of an impact on the perceived mood of the floating vote.

Given that partisan politics have continued to fuel the flames of polarisation, it is the floating vote that will, in the end, decide the issue.

This consists very largely of the younger generation, which has to a degree emancipated itself from the stereotypes of the past, and an increasing number of disenchanted voters who have been set back by stiff taxation and disappointed by poor governance.

The ultimate equation

During the five electoral consultations held since the last general election in 2003, it was the floating vote that caused the pendulum to swing. On 8 March there will be another substantial number of young people voting for the first time, and there will be a number of old-generation voters who have passed away after spending a lifetime entrenched in fixed electoral positions. They will all feature in the

ultimate equation.

What are the main issues likely to appeal to floating voters and, indeed, to marginal voters who may feel ill at ease on either side of the political divide?

The scenario today is

different to what it was in 2003, when the issue of EU membership was a winning card. Now, the performance of the Gonzi administration is being assessed, not merely on its merits but in the light of past PN promises.

On both counts, the PN is being held to account by discontented segments of the electorate who have found their voice, either through the media of civil society, or through defection to other political

parties.

In the last resort, will the pluses of the PN’s perform-ance cancel out the

minuses?

Opinion polls suggest the opposite, with the Labour Party increasing its lead, but with a significant number of “Don’t Knows” holding their votes to their chest.

Burning issues

Which way will these decisive voters jump? They will certainly not be influenced by the politics of demonisation, and much less by the innuendo and mud-slinging characteristics of partisan politics.

They may be moved from their entrenched positions by new ideas and perhaps by the inspiration of new arrivals on the political scene.

Much more likely, in the last resort they will be swayed by the situation on the ground. The cost of government, punishing taxation and escalating living-costs have been the cause of electoral disenchantment – particularly because of the perception that, in part, they are symptoms of bad governance and incompetence.

Other burning issues in the electoral pot include several charges associated with arrogance and official high-handedness, not least from the direction of Mepa, a lack of accountability and corruption, actual or

perceived.

On the latter issues, Nationalist Party spokesmen and a benign section of the so-called “independent” press do their utmost to hold their own and save their faces.

It is when they persist in staying mum, or in looking the other way, that the obstinate “Don’t Knows” will finally throw in their weight and decisively swing the pendulum.

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