I have never known a political party in such straits as the PN. It is all constriction, it can hardly breathe.

One leader removed, another elected in the same legislature who does not seem to be making much headway. According to One Radio the last leader is continually misspeaking. But of course One carries its own truths, not Bible truths.

Labour was not in such labour pains after former party leader Dom Mintoff brought his own government down. The perfidious vote that cut Alfred Sant’s premiership short merely took the PL into the opposition benches, with Sant voted in as leader again.

As Pontius Pilate (Frank Thring) told Judah Ben Hur (Charlton Heston) “where there is greatness, great government or power, error also is great”. No one in the PL was as great as Mintoff, even when he was just an MP, but he had fallen into the hands of the sweet talking Guido de Marco (Alla jahfirlu). The PN is heavily indebted to de Marco’s memory.

Perhaps Joseph Muscat, too, was a victim of how Thring put it. The vortex of corruption, or semblance of it, was overwhelming. He had to bow out but remains in the hearts of Labour’s rank and file.

Unlike in the PL, which after Gonzi left saw Simon Busuttil installed as PN leader, the labour pains in the PN have been harrowing. Busuttil gave up the party leadership, and Adrian Delia was installed by the party membership. He was ousted and followed by Bernard Grech, because the party machine did not like Delia. The pain still rankles.

The Labour Party is rightly concerned that its supporters may not turn out en masse to vote because they could be feeling that a victory is a foregone conclusion. That is because Labour voters are not zealots like the PN’s. Perhaps they are less discerning too.

At every PL political activity the urging is to go out to vote. They are trying to drum up support. They need it badly, not just to win, but to win soundly.

To all appearances Labour can hardly lose, but a low Labour turnout will give the PN a pretext to claim that PL support is dwindling and the PN knows how to blow that up to make it seem a reality. On the other hand, another hard hit to the PN as was dished out at the last two elections will make them lose heart. The PN leader would be the first target of the PN machine, which would mean even more strife within the party ranks.

There would be no lollapalooza to stem the flood of recriminations in such a scenario. The kerfuffle would last months and more, and kibitzers would have much free advice to give.

The PN has much to say, but its criticisms are rather weak. I heard Bernard Grech once saying that pensioners were in the PN’s heart. Perhaps he meant in the PN’s aim, for in almost a quarter century of PN government, pensions – I am a pensioner - were not raised once.