Once again, as regular as the full moon, the latest opinion poll has confirmed Joseph Muscat’s advantage in the ratings.  Each  time some election or another approaches, the anticipation rises, Xarabank  wakes from its pretend mode, and the voters get clicking or have to endure  a boring phone call asking them who they will be voting for, whose face they prefer, who has been kinder and nicer to  them and how long they plan to keep this up.

Invariably,  the PN hobbits come out of their cosy little dwellings and start laying blame all around the village but most persistent of all, is the voice of the followers of the one that cannot be mentioned. The Wonder Boy.  It is said that this Wonder Boy is the magician Merlin that will change all the minds and hearts of the people but for now he is smart and biding his time so that all the water of the past can go under the bridge, the present leader can be pelted and put to the test and then the time will be right for the Wonder Boy to step in and save the village.

How very convenient for Muscat.  Divide and rule.  The humbling, not just of the PN by voters, but also of the leader from within his own clan because it is believed that the one who cannot be mentioned will be around when the time comes and mighty enough to persuade all the people that they now have the king they deserve. 

But this isn’t the Shire.  It’s Pieta.  Plain and simple Pieta. The headquarters of the PN from where the opposition works and endeavours to present a viable alternative to Malta taghnallkoll. Some may hope that there is no bank of residual goodwill to draw on, just more putting down until the humiliation is complete.  Others cling on to hope and are optimistic that enough scandals will fall on the other side of the fence so that they can once again resume their place in the country’s government.

Then along come the polls and out come the hobbits and the bashing begins again.  Luckily for Simon if there is one thing he has going for him, it’s his resilience.  This week, during the UK leaders’ debate on Sky TV, when Jeremy Paxman interviewed Ed Miliband, the gawkish labour leader, he directly asked him how a person who is considered a North London Geek and why he is not his brother, can expect to win the election.  Miliband’s reply was “Who cares? Who cares what some people think of me? I know my constituents ….etc ..” and faced  the critics head-on.  Many British labour voters think that it should have been his brother David Miliband to be made leader of the labour party.  He however, maintains his legitimacy and continues resiliently on his path.

I don’t think, though, that a change in leadership for the PN is going to bring about the end of the exile.  But if they don’t control their prophecies, they might as well bring about the end of it now. 

This is not the time for political games.  They need to be looking outside to the country and not to the enemy within.

The country has seen the downfall, they have smelt the coffee and can see whatever they want in their current leader and they continue to attack the messenger.   The problem here is with the company itself, not the brand.  Since when did so many become so horribly duped?

As for the polls, the truth is that there are those that will work with whichever party is in power. What they are interested in is business, money, and social status.  Joseph Muscat excels in getting the lower classes and those social climbers of within the middle class, to do his bidding.  It is done with blatant discrimination and by creating a culture of privilege.  The country knew that all was in order in the economic arena but they were missing the social and political opportunities they are so convinced they lacked. 

So today we have the pacts and alliances strategically in place to withstand any bad decision, any scandal and wrong doing, and any lost roadmap.  At this point and for some time to come, Muscat is still an asset to the believers and they still believe that it is in their interest to trust him.  If Premier can get €4.2 million a few weeks after the election, if Cyrus can get €85,000 with a criminal conviction, if Sai Mizzi can get €13,000 a month for a self made job, if Australia Hall can switch hands, if amnesties are given and institutions degraded and enough boards and appointments can be created to elevate even the most undeserving to a position of trust, then there is hope for all. Government by the privileged for the privileged.

The PN have started to acknowledge this strategy and the number of victims it has affected.  They have set up an office to receive complaints of discrimination and injustice because the problem is now endemic and without keeping record of the cases, any hope of redress will be lost.  Not only though, do they need to hear from the victims themselves, but to also keep a register of all the board positons filled for political reasons, all the bumped up salaries of state employees and MPs, all the top appointments made and all the cost to the country, both in economic terms and in reputation.

Let us keep in mind, however, whenever the latest poll comes along, Nokia had 50% of the mobile phone market in 2007.  Today it has zero.  Sure, Joseph Muscat is dominant now but once the populist anthem begins to sound a bit too much like Red China’s party songs, and people begin to see that their social climb has only led them to worse than where and what they wished to differentiate themselves from, then their implicit belief in the government will lead them to question if it is still in their interest to  support this myth.

Until then, Harry Potter will have his dementors, he who cannot be named will lurk in the hollows and the Ministry of Magic will continue to instil fear into all the muggles and the Potter team.