The Greens must attempt to maintain their presence – if nothing else they should re-jig their policy platform with a promise to keep the others (The others being PLPN) honest and to monitor the progress of the government’s green agenda.

The PLPN have worked together to ensure that small parties like the Greens do not have the opportunity to elect one representative in the house. Malta’s unique electoral system gives smaller parties more opportunities for representation than most other electoral systems.

The problem is not the system – the problem is the message as Prof. Cassola aptly said. Another reason of course is Malta’s bigoted approach to politics and the narrow band of potential followers that AD has marketed itself to.

More so now with the issue of climate change coming home to roost, the greens should not lose heart and should attempt to use this loss as an opportunity for self reflection to develop a way forward with radical change in how it speaks to the electorate – and not limit who it speaks to. With the changing tide of green politics around the globe Malta seems to be the odd one out with the green vote diminishing rather than increasing. With this growing tide the opportunities for green parties can only increase. Some new policies that the greens may wish to consider for the future may include the following:

Base all climate policy on constraining global warming to less than 2°C;

Introduce binding, science-based targets to reduce emissions by 30% below 1990 levels by 2020 and 80% by 2050;

Put a price on carbon;

Introduce energy efficiency targets and standards for appliances, buildings and infrastructure;

Significantly increase renewable energy production by creating targets for electricity production;

Provide a long-term price guarantee for renewably produced electricity.

Furthermore with the recent significant swing to the left within Malta the cohort of voters who are fleeing the PN together with those who abstained are crying out for an alternative to the PL and the PN – this is why the greens should not give up and must start afresh.

There is a four-year window of opportunity for the greens to re-invent themselves and offer a new opportunity to the whole of the Maltese electorate including diehard PL and PN followers. There are many voters who will refuse to vote Nationalist, will hate to abstain but cannot bring themselves to vote for the Labour Party.

This is the cohort that the Greens need to start with first. The greens should also attempt to be pro green rather anti PN or anti PL. The EU is no longer an issue, its a done deal – the greens should be focusing on green issues. Leave European politics to the MEPs and concentrate on local green issues.

Act global think local. Would it not be fantastic to have an election result which gives the PL and the PN an equal number of seats with the greens achieving one seat giving them the balance of power – Now that would be a perfect outcome albeit somewhat unstable. Has the electorate matured enough to consider this?

Raphael Dingli

Australia