As the time approaches for the next round of local council elections, the PN and it's leader Simon Busuttil find themselves in a status quo and rather confused by the insistent trend of public opinion which fails to mark him up as a serious contender to give challenge to Joseph Muscat, Prime Minister of Malta.

The problem for the failure to ignite is not due to any fault of his own. Dr Busuttil has shown himself to be driven and purposeful in his endeavour to lift the PN out of its quandary and the task he set himself is quite unenviable. He showed how passionate he is about this role when he left a lucrative job as an MEP to which he was elected extremely convincingly, to take up the post of leader of the Opposition.

But on the other side of the pond, Castille and Pietà remain a puzzle - why always me?

After all, he has made good strides to strike against the PR politics of Joseph Muscat and his Malta Tagħna Lkoll spin. On crucial issues of national concern such as meritocracy, the citizenship scheme, the energy policy, the budget speech and where the party itself is concerned, he has definitely formed an opinion and held a strong position reflecting the very same mind of many of the electorate.

But if he wants to change the mind of the electorate he must first look to the past, not as a matter of reviewing the loss and avoiding a repetition of the same mistakes - that has more or less been addressed - but so as to find the source of the virus that afflicts his popularity.

The people tend to have a certain intuition when judging their leaders and the issues that matter to them. Unfortunately for Simon his success at the EU has spoiled him for Malta because many of the actual fears of the Maltese people can be traced to the EU. The people tend to reject politicians pandering to the minority vote and all its consequences whilst the whole experience of change in the past has been too great for some.

A Standard Eurobarometer Autumn 2013 survey on the Main Concerns of Europeans showed that the main concerns at a national level for Malta put immigration at the top with a whopping 63%, following a 34-point increase and where unemployment is not one of the three most mentioned items (although that may change as time goes by and the effects on the economy is felt). The results of the survey at a personal level put rising prices and inflation at the top with 41%, the environment, climate and energy issues in second place with 16% and immigration in third place with 14%.

Justifiably or not, Simon Busuttil remains in the mind of people as having the same platform he had at the EU as an MEP. On the issue of immigration, it is not so much what he advocated or did not advocate in terms of solving the problem - burden sharing and Dublin II convention - but the fact that he is perceived as no longer being on the side of the voters when it comes to the EU. The people want Malta to belong to the EU but they equally want to have their own voice there and to have their interests defended in every legitimate possible way. The people can refuse their vote or turn out their politician at election time. But over the unelected lawmakers of Brussels they are powerless. And not all that happens in Brussels necessarily pleases the Maltese nation.

This is also a reason why the PN did not fare so well at the MEP elections last May.

Dr Busuttil is now leader of the Opposition and could one day be Prime Minister of Malta and as such he must now convince the people that he has finished with his job as an MEP and has a blank new page in front of him, which he should fill with all the concerns of the Maltese citizens, even if it means taking up new positions in terms of our relations with the EU. The vision laid out in the Party Conference - that of doing politics in Malta the way they are done in Brussels - has been no consolation to us. Although the principle is appreciated, the modus operandi is not and may be a little naïve. Of course, people abhor the clientelism and the power of lobbies in politics but they also have a sense for the Maltese scenario where we stick together and face our troubles as one. That is why the charitable side of the Maltese is so strong. It is a common ground. And it is also why they view the PN platform with suspicion. Will it be a foul? Before we insist to do things the European way should we not first see if that serves our interest best? To a greater or lesser extent, it was already tested and rejected.

It is not only in the area of immigration that people feel isolated. Amongst the spectrum of voters there are many who are not politicised nor political. Sheila Lawlor describes these workers as follows: "For them, the EU spells an end to life as they know it. Those in business see jobs and orders lost to leaner economies as business goes down under the weight of EU rules and compliance costs; employees see their wages undercut by cheaper foreign labour... Such voters earn their own way, want no favours from government and have no illusions about the basics of capitalism. They know how hard it is to find and keep a job and prosper in a tough market, and for this trading nation to survive it needs to work hard, selling its goods to Europe and to the world. "Can Dr Busuttil ensure that every opportunity to face this battle will be explored or will that come second to the will and diktat of the EU? It is like the people are saying that although they believe in the EU, they do want to be defined only by Brussels; they have a mind of their own and know their culture and values enough to decide that some laws may not suit them at all but they must find a way to deal with them whilst respecting their national status.

It is, so, rather crucial that Dr Busuttil should start afresh, both on a personal level and on a party level, to define a platform and new agenda for his party. Let the MEPs do their job and work for Malta at the EU. Whilst you are leader of the PN, you work for the country not only by recognising the mistakes made and making the case effectively in Parliament but also to identify the essential needs of the population and the strategy to take to achieve a realistic social, political and economic future for Malta with all its complexities. The party conference and the new forums tried to create the chance for a new agenda but to date no clear proposals have been concluded as we head to the local elections.

To the extent that Dr Busuttil can create the environment around him as one of complete focus on the national interests, without getting distracted and wasting too much time on Dr Muscat and his deadlines, he will succeed in luring the confidence and trust of the population. He must have the support of the whole or majority of the party members and set strong roles for them and he should offer a credible alternative to the PR politics of the Labour movement by offering loyalty above all, sensitivity and respect to the opinions of the people and intelligent policies in an ever challenging and changing world. Better sooner rather than later.