In his letter, PN’s justification (TMID, 24 May) John Borg brought about an uncommon smirk on many readers’ faces.

Undoubtedly he is one of those who cannot fathom the Nationalist Party’s third consecutive electoral victory which actually makes an impressive tally of six out of the last seven.

He writes that the Nationalists’ chosen electoral slogan was copied. He forgot that the MLP’s “Malta... l-ewwel u qabel kollox”, which Mintoff used during his mass meetings and writings was inspired from Hitler’s writings during the early 1930s and that the latest “New Labour” which the MLP had introduced was copied from Tony Blair’s party – a slogan termed as alternative branding for the Labour Party and which was first used in UK in 1994.

Incidentally New Labour “is finished and completely down the drain after the defeat of last week’s casual election in Crewe” according to the Tories’ leader David Cameron.

The writer told us that more people voted against the PN, as he teamed up the MLP, AD and AN.

What he ignored is the clear fact that the Nationalist Party is the biggest political party in Malta and has been evidently so for 27 long years apart from a slight interruption.

The spin reminds me of the oft-repeated amusing anecdote which emerged during the Cold War years when an American runner and a Russian sprinter challenged each other for a 100m dash which eventually the Yankie won.

The Russian media according to the fictional story, reported that “Russia came second and the American placed in the penultimate position!”

...and the MLP came second!

Tony Formosa

Pietà