This month marked 11 years of uninterrupted Labour administrations, split over three legislatures, two Prime Ministers and countless cabinet members. It has been a bumpy ride to say the least, but historians will eventually provide the ultimate verdict on the Muscat-Abela era. In the meanwhile, as a politician, all I can do is provide some observations on the performance of Partit Laburista in government.

Right from the Opposition benches, the Labour movement promoted an idea of a united front, welcoming everyone to the fold. “Tista’ ma taqbilx magħna, imma tista’ taħdem magħna” (we can disagree, but we can still work together), was the battle cry. A great chunk of the electorate actually took the bait, and effectively trusted Labour with their vote. And let’s be honest, many people did well with this new arrangement.

But this was far from the truth. This meant that you were welcome to switch to Labour, as long as you vowed complete loyalty to the movement. Anyone who slipped out of line, or was seen as untrustworthy, was thrown into the wilderness. This was probably the first big lie, which was exposed post-election.

The economy did well, no one can deny it. It did so well that we started importing thousands upon thousands of third country nationals, intentionally to keep wages low. This immediately exposed the lack of economic creativity of government, as the country’s economy was growing - not by going up the value chain, attracting better and finer, better-paying industries – but by producing more of the same, hence the unsatisfiable need for more people.

Not one single new economic sector was developed in the last 11 years. Gonzi’s last five years saw the development of at least four. And that was a government, which was hanging by a thread, and which operated in the middle of a fully-fledged global economic crisis, with war planes flying overhead from Sigonella to Tripoli.

Sadly, the element that characterised Labour administrations most, must have been the long, long litany of scandals that flowed incessantly. From simple errors of judgement which still were unacceptable in a modern country, to multi-million-euro scandals we are still unpacking and unfolding now – every week we saw some sort of clientelism, or obscene abuse of power, designed to fatten the pockets of the few.

The hospitals saga was possibly the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back for many of us, but it was only one chapter of a chunky, well-planned book. The shell companies in Panama were extremely carefully projected, as the scheme was enacted literally on the day after the electoral victory.

There isn’t much to say about how this country lost one of its own in 2017, with investigations getting uncomfortably close to Castille. Daphne was too much for them and needed to be silenced. This was the level of incredible impunity the regime had soared towards.

And what’s most upsetting, is that the authorities and institutions weren’t ever there to be found. The Police Force changed more Commissioners than socks in 11 years, and not one politician was ever charged or investigated.

We deserve better. It is time to send a robust message that this is no longer acceptable.