The storm is over. The vote of confidence has passed. The Prime Minister was criticised for calling a vote of confidence. I shudder to think if the PM did not do so.

What amount of criticism would have been levelled against him, if he did not take such a step?

He would have been called all sorts of names, and the famous instability punchline would be used in every PL sermon on Sunday.

The government can, once again, concentrate fully on achieving its goals, which were established in the electoral programme, and it will fulfil its goals notwithstanding the international crisis over the past four years. It was a long debate which lasted hours and a non-productive one with a lot of talk on the mishaps within the Home Affairs Ministry.

However, being a constructive MP, rather than a destructive one, I would have liked to listen to the PL’s possible solutions, and the way forward. There were none.

It’s also probable that there are far too many candidates in the PL who are aspiring for that job.

I believe that the people want to hear the way forward. To criticise is fine – it’s free of charge and all you need are good informants and reliable information. The difficult part is putting forward concrete and doable proposals. I did not hear one single PL proposal during the whole debate.

When I speak in parliament, I suggest alternative proposals or areas that may be brushed up, or discussed to be fine-tuned. Saying something is bad, shooting it down and that’s it, is just not on. Any proactive MP should put forward proposals.

We all heard the verbal diarrhoea, but no alternatives were suggested; not even how the shadow minister would do things in a better way. If a voter has to choose, at least he can compare like with like. The continued dearth of alternative proposals is worrying to everyone.

One cannot expect that a voter has to cast his vote first, then see what happens later down the line. The voter must see where his vote is going, clearly, before casting it. The trickle of Opposition proposals have not impressed. Guaranteeing jobs and education is something that is being implemented already.

What impressed me in Monday’s debate, just prior to the vote, was the amount of insults hurled at the Prime Minister when he was winding up the debate. The interruptions seem to be part and parcel of Labour, on television , radio and in Parliament. But those 15 minutes of relentless insults, which PL Whip Joe Mizzi found impossible to control, were supposed to be a thing from the past. The Labour Party keeps resorting to the same tactics. It is their own downfall. They cannot release the heavy baggage they carry. It may be that each political party has some baggage, but the PL is grossly over burdened with it.

Entering the summer months may finally give us a break from the mundane politics; a break that is probably merited.

Robert Arrigo is parliamentary assistant in the Finance Ministry