No matter how much the top brass at GonziPN try to give the impression that the current circumstances are a case of business as usual, most of the people are fully aware that this particular impasse will, sooner or later, lead to the inevitable.

The writing is on the wall and it is incredible that there are still people who believe they can treat the electorate as though they are as thick as two short planks.

Stratagem

Miscalculating the scale of the tremors of dissent within his parliamentary group, it is evident that the declarations made by his MP Franco Debono at the turn of New Year came like a bolt out of the blue to the Prime Minister.

The oligarchy at the centre of GonziPN, faced by the possibility of a snap general election, prematurely called in its main strategists and their drawing boards with the clear objective crafting stratagems to offset its popularity deficit.

From the outset, it was crystal clear that their line of thought was focused on delaying tactics that would give them enough time to bring its lost sheep back to the fold while at the same time starting to ring the alarm bells to deter potential crossover voters.

Without that, the probability of standing a chance at the polls would be very dim indeed and their fate would be clearly sealed.

Extremists

In the most gallant way, the Prime Minister embarked on a mission to save our nation from the invasion of radicals and extremists. He went as far as to cite certain long-serving Labour MPs, giving the impression that they are a group of bandits on a ‘Wanted’ list somewhere in the Wild West.

Those who have dedicated their entire lives to serving the nation, irrespective of their political beliefs, indisputably deserve all due respect and should not under any circumstances be insulted in this way.

But in his quest to save the national soul from being damned by these extremists, our self-proclaimed guardian angel sounded the sirens and warned that our country would go to the dogs if our electorate, in the most democratic way, decides to change the country’s custodian.

Tearfully, he forewarned; “Labour is overrun by extremists!”

Scaremongering

If the Labour party wins the next election there would be “no guarantee of university stipends” he said with precautionary predication, irrespective of the fact that Joseph Muscat has in the most categorical of ways reaffirmed Labour’s commitment to sustain stipends. But nevertheless rest assured that this fib in the interest of gaining electoral mileage will continue to be repeated endlessly.

Keep hammering something home and in the end people will start to believe that in actual fact, under the Reds, gloom and doom will reign supreme.

Could it be they are still influenced and pine for their youth, when Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones hit top of the charts with their song ‘Paint it Black!’ Cornered and helpless, resorting to ‘painting it black’ is the last straw that GonziPN will attempt to desperately clutch at.

Conveniently

As former American President Abraham Lincoln famously said, “You may fool all the people some of the time, you can even fool some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time”.

Do the people at the helm of GonziPN really believe that our people will ever forget the situation in the Emergency Department of Mater Dei, the hefty increase in the utility rates, the incompetence of ARMS Ltd, the fiasco of public transport reform, the tales of fraud originating from Transport Malta, the dubious restructuring of Air Malta, the downgrading by international credit rating agencies, the hefty increase in parliamentary honoraria, the suspension of EU funding related to education, the situation at the correctional facility, the dwindling standard of living and purchasing power, the scandal at the VAT Department, the farce that is Bisazza Street, the arrogance of GonziPN’s main exponents, the exclusive clique forming the ruling oligarchy - the litany goes on and on.

Strategically, in a desperate attempt to recuperate votes, what is most important for GonziPN is ringing the alarming bells to discourage voters from voting for the Labour Party.

Mr Galdes is the Labour Party’s spokesman for planning, housing construction and urban development