We have been focusing far too much on the European Parliament result in a purely Maltese context without widening the focus to see the result in the context of the election in the wider EU.

One small fact intrudes: while our popular participation in the election has been on a decreasing plane (although we are still far ahead of many other countries), the level of participation in the EU, generally speaking, has been on a slight increasing plane, slight but increasing.

There is then a far more fundamental trend: this has been a victory of the euro-sceptic forces, in varying degrees in various countries but the general trend is all there.

There is anger out there, pain and anger of the many millions who are out of work, who have been the victims of the austerity programmes by means of which the EU and the eurozone emerged from the crisis, while the banks and the bankers have been generally speaking bailed out.

There is also the insistence by so many governments, from Italy to France, that it is time to talk about growth rather than austerity.

We cannot really say that the present government of Malta is very far from this trend – on the contrary, the policies being followed by this government are definitely aiming at growth rather than at austerity, at increasing the number of people who are unemployed even though the level of unemployed in Malta is among the eurozone’s lowest.

There is also the fact that although the present government presents itself as Europhile, its roots are eurosceptic, going back to its opposition in 2003 to joining the EU. This is exemplified by the election of Alfred Sant who led that anti-joining campaign, now being elected as an MEP.

So, in short, we are not that distant from the European mainstream. The issue is now what is Europe going to do. It is clear that the debate in Europe will now ratchet up as the European leaders discuss what is best to do. Their consultations will inevitably include the input of business leaders, and the other stakeholders, apart from economists and experts.

Our government has nailed its colours to the growth brigade but there surely is space for an alternative view, which the country expects from its Opposition. In this, the wide debate in Europe will be mirrored in Malta as well and it will only be if this debate becomes lively that it will be truly European.

The past PN government led Malta along the trend of the countries to Europe’s north and Malta, as a result, became an exception among the southern countries of Europe.

It is time for the Opposition to present the country with a fully-fledged plan to keep the Maltese economy on the straight and the narrow, as was done in the recent past, instead of allowing slippages that will be deleterious in the long-term.

The above statement must be nuanced for the country is still shocked by the revelations at Enemalta and the slippage in 2012 as regards the public deficit and debt.

Whatever the result of this coming night, whether a 34,000 majority will nevertheless be translated into a 3-3 tie, whether the PN leader ought to follow the other European trend as has been done by so many leaders who have drawn their own conclusions of the results, whether his decision will be to tie himself to the mast of the ship in turbulent seas, what probably matters most is what does the PN have to offer the country. In our opinion, this is ultimately what the country needs and expects from the alternative government.