Joseph Muscat never fails to tell us he wants us to write new pages of history. On the eve of Malta’s 10th anniversary as an EU member state, he decided to give us his two cents’ worth, literally, as a reduction on the price of fuel. We deserve better.

Maybe it is difficult for him to know what it meant to enter Europe. Ten years ago, he didn’t accept the EU referendum result. It was only several years later, under pressure from public opinion, that he admitted, ‘with hindsight’, that a 53.5 % vote saying “Yes” meant a victory for the pro-Europeans.

Together with the rest of Labour, he had worked tirelessly for the No vote – both before and after the referendum. Labour’s then leader, Alfred Sant, claimed his side had won the referendum. Muscat was then his chief propagandist and he aided and abetted all Labour’s attempts to deny the truth.

So he cannot know what a glorious day it felt like, that first morning after membership.

Ten years ago today, we were still in awe of the outstanding celebrations we witnessed at the Grand Harbour.  I remember the thrill of being part of such a huge crowd down by the water’s edge: fireworks, music, projections and a strong sense of relief that we had made it. It was New Year’s Eve and winning the Champions League all in one.

Today, Muscat wants us to believe that Labour is not only in favour of EU membership now – when the hard work of Lawrence Gonzi’s two governments have made the advantages of membership undeniable. Apparently, Labour was never exactly against membership then!

One of the strongest motivations behind the push for European membership was a keen desire that many of us had to put the shoddy years of classic Labour behind us. Today, PL is more refined but, alas, old habits die hard.

What once was ‘out-of-stock’ has now become ‘pending order’ – but it still means that medicines you need are unavailable. It still means you have a better chance of getting what’s available if you have a hotline to a Labour golden boy or girl.

What once was ‘streaming’ has now become ‘banding’ – but education remains far from inclusive. It still means Labour is trying to impose on private schools that already have excellent results.

What once was ‘personal data’ has now become the ‘Minister’s tool’ to create jobs – but it still gives the Minister invasive power over our personal lives. Labour is still prepared to breach our rights.

Yesterday, we also celebrated Workers Day. But unemployment is rising. Youth unemployment has reached 15 per cent – twice the general rate of unemployment.

We can take comfort from Deborah Schembri’s explanation, straight out of Animal Farm:  there are more unemployed, she told us, because the Government is creating more jobs.

At least, under Labour, life stops being prosaic and becomes more like literature. Labour campaigns in poetry and governs in fables and fictions.

As for the two cents, Muscat can keep the change. Malta deserves better.

Claudette Buttigieg is a PN MP – [email protected], twitter: @ButClaudette