Even though parliament is on a four-week break for Easter, one can still feel an undercurrent of electoral campaigning, on both sides of the political sphere.

It seems like it is never ending. Granted, politicians are always on the go, especially ministers with their perfectly justified press conferences to announce new projects or to launch new schemes. The Opposition is always active – as it should be – in this regard too, putting forward counter-proposals or other ideas.

But, there is a big difference between what we have just mentioned, and the underlying tone of discussion and political appearances. The media quickly picks this vibe up, and it seems that we are not the only ones, with the word on the street being: “An election is coming, I can feel it.”

People sitting chatting in bars, restaurants and even casually on street corners are all talking about the same thing. They feel that the country is in silent election mode, has been for some time, and all are just waiting for the announcement.

What nobody seems to have worked out is whether both sides are waiting for the eventuality of an election – mostly due to the threats and mongering by government backbencher Franco Debono – or whether the time is being judged as right to crank it up a notch and head for a 2012 poll.

But as we have said, the feeling is quite palpable. The leader of the Opposition, Joseph Muscat, has changed his behaviour and delivery from creating a progressive movement, to that of someone who believes he is ready to assume the mantle of leading the country – in a way, similar to David Cameron before the last election in the UK.

The Prime Minister and various government ministers, on the other hand, are stressing on the reliability of the PN government and are consistently vying for media attention in visiting ‘eye candies’ and capital projects.

Again, this is all part of the political game, but this has been going on for far too long now. The government says that stability is paramount, and the PL, for a time, agreed. Now it seems that Franco Debono and other backbenchers have moved the goalposts and there is anything but stability. We are not talking of instability in the same manner that some Labour politicians are, calling the current government a regime (!). What we mean is that businesses, small, medium and large – given the current economic climate – need to be given the peace of mind so they can concentrate on generating revenues and profits, creating more jobs for an ever more demanding population.

The country needs to knuckle down and face the challenges that are ahead – no matter which party is in government. But this constant sensation of anticipation, frustration and worry is not doing the country any good.

The Facebook factor has not helped matters, with various politicians taking it upon themselves to add to the speculation on a daily basis. This is not the way a country’s politics should be made.