Labour has maintained political momentum. As it rolls, the electoral campaign keeps demonstrating this.

Never before in elections that I know of, did a party leader make so many statements that his party was in the doldrums as has been done by the PN leader.  True, it is never possible to completely exclude a scenario similar to that of the US presidential elections that saw Truman confront Dewey. All believed so much that Dewey would win that a leading Chicago newspaper reported front page that he actually had.

I do not believe that something similar could happen this 26 March. Still, the challenge that Labour now needs to keep in mind relates to how outcomes like that of the Truman achievement could yet happen. Meaning it needs to keep campaigning tirelessly till the very end.

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“GOLDEN” PASSPORTS

Indeed the campaign against the so-called “golden” passports will not fade away. I was not in agreement with the passports for investment scheme, but still see this campaign as farcical.

Governments have the sovereign right to issue passports. The EU has no legal competence in this area. Practically all its member states have been granting visas, residential permits and citizenship according to procedures old and new – often according to political guidelines about which no information was given. And about this no noise has been heard.

But much has been said about the abuses that could ride on passports delivered for investments carried out in a country. It is true that such abuses could happen. But beyond theoretical speculation, in practice have they occurred and to what extent? Those who run the campaigns against “golden” passports give little to no information about this. The reason is that the cases have been few.

So, the European and Maltese knights in armour out against “golden” passports must have considered the issue as a facile, emotional topic around which to conveniently structure their political campaigns.

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DESTRUCTION IN THE UKRAINE

Deaths and destruction in the Ukraine have continued. What could bring them to a halt?

From what one can understand, the Russian side is aiming either for the capitulation of the Ukrainian government, or that it loses the war and collapses. Ukraine would then become part of Russian territory.

As far as Ukraine is concerned – an armistice leading to a diplomatic process by which the two sides would find a modus vivendi providing them with the full guarantees they expect from each other.

It’s not going to be easy to find a solution that would prevent the total destruction of the Ukraine. The Russian strategy of keeping hidden till the very end what its real intentions were, indicates a deeply held intention to achieve total success in its aims, no matter what the cost. For Russia’s calculations to change, the Ukraine would have militarily to make it suffer so much attrition that it would then seek to reach some compromise. Given the huge differences in military capability between the two sides, it is difficult to imagine how such an aim – which itself will bring in its wake huge suffering, deaths and destruction – can be achieved.