The poll that Labour never expected arrived: “PN ahead for first time in 15 years”. That must have hurt. The false aura of Labour’s invincibility has evaporated - the bubble burst. And in such a short time.

Labour won a landslide victory just last year.  Its majority was close to 40,000 votes. Its adversary was left in the dust, destroyed, demolished, despondent. Many prematurely predicted the PN’s end.  They predicted Labour would rule for at least another decade.  Chris Fearne’s tasteless taunt, RIPN, seemed to have been realised.  Yet here we are reading that headline barely 16 months later.

Labour has Abela, its detached leader, to blame for the massive exsanguination. The nation has realised that change has arrived faster than expected. That inexorable slide has started.  As Labour’s ship takes in water and lists dangerously, many will start to abandon it and head towards what looks like a far safer ship.  That ship might not be steaming ahead but at least it’s not taking in water.

Apart from MaltaToday, The Times published its own poll. Less triumphant for the PN, the Times’ survey still showed the precipitous fall in Abela’s ratings. What both polls certainly agree on is that Abela is no longer the talisman Labour once thought he was.  His image of the fresh-faced energetic winner has faded fast.  Instead he’s become a loose cannon, a worrying liability for his party. Abela’s trust ratings never dropped below 6.5.  Now he’s at 4.3 out of 10. That’s a staggering 34% drop.

Abela’s hasn’t alienated just the floating voters and non-voters.  He’s scaring away his own core supporters. One in five of Labour voters rate his government poorly.  That has doubled in just 4 months. Less than half of Labour voters rate Abela’s government positively.  In July 2021, 80% did. That’s a 39% drop.

The fact that PN is now in the lead, according to Maltatoday’s poll, is practically the result of the nation’s disgruntlement with Labour. That will matter greatly next year when Malta heads to the polls to elect its MEPs.

Many Labour supporters will be inclined to give their own party a lesson, since the outcome might not matter much.  It is their chance to voice their revulsion at Robert Abela’s lies, U-turns and deceptions.  It’s their opportunity to express their disgust at his callousness and aloofness, to punish him for sailing away in the midst of a crisis and for choosing to party at Girgenti  immediately after those desperately sad scenes in and outside parliament. But it’s also the moment to vent their anger at the recent blackouts in the middle of a heat wave.

But people are angry for more important reasons. They’re livid at the dwindling purchasing power of their salaries as inflation bites.  They’re enraged at the deterioration in their quality of life, at the rampant development, the chaotic roadworks, the lack of protection of innocent lives, the stagnant traffic, the injustice and the flagrant squandering of public funds in useless vanity projects - film festivals, concerts, greening projects, self-promotion, paid adverts.

As the nation struggles to make ends meet, it watches Labour’s super projects fall apart - the American University of Malta, the hospitals concession, Enemalta’s takeover, the educational system, the Mozura windfarm. The promised hundreds of millions in investment transformed into millions of taxpayers’ money siphoned away.  They watch the man who promised them heaven on earth receive hundreds of thousands from companies who benefitted handsomely from his decisions when in power. As the people worry about how to pay for basic necessities, Michelle Muscat uploads pictures of herself in designer clothes in exotic places, having the time of her life.  And when she’s occasionally back on the island, she’s driven around in a luxury vehicle paid by our taxes by two drivers paid by government and seconded to her Marigold foundation.

As families worry about how they’ll pay their bills and where to cut down to make savings, Joseph Muscat makes hundreds of thousands from dodgy consultancies, working in refurbished Sa Maison sea-view offices fully funded from our taxes. His successor, Robert Abela, was responsible for this lavish generosity with our taxes. And he’s no better. As people struggled to breathe in stifling heat in total darkness and without as much as a fan due to widespread power cuts, Abela was sailing away in his air-conditioned luxury yacht.

And Labour is surprised at the revulsion of the people. It’s surprised by the precipitous loss of support.

The PN must work to become an acceptable vehicle for that revulsion. It must translate that anti-Labour protest into votes. Those upset at Labour must find a palatable option in opposition candidates.  They needn’t have overwhelming charisma or massive appeal but should be respected, respectful and inoffensive. They need to be fair, balanced and moderate.  They must show competence, diligence and integrity. They must dismantle any barrier for would-be defectors from Labour to feel welcome and secure in the knowledge that their brave move will benefit the country.

These polls are a shot in the arm for Malta. Labour can no longer ignore the people, safe in the knowledge of its invincibility.  A Labour defeat is no longer deemed impossible, indeed it’s within reach just a year after its massive victory.  In three years, if Labour keeps Abela and its current trajectory, and PN consolidate, Malta will get the change it needs.

The opposition has the time to articulate its vision for the future - one which is inclusive and respectful of all, irrespective of political views, social status or sexual orientation. PN must show that merit and potential will be allowed to succeed. It must make it categorically clear it has no bones to pick with Labour voters. Its criticism is not aimed at an entire party but at a failing leadership whose fatal decisions wrecked the country.

The nation has shown it is tiring of Labour. It’s love for Abela has soured. The long arc of the moral universe is starting to bend towards justice.