When the late Oliver Friggieri published his masterpiece "Fil-Parlament ma jikbrux fjuri" (No flowers grow in Parliament), it was 1986.

The country was in turmoil, on the verge of a civil war. The Labour Party had retained the seat of power in spite of garnering fewer votes in the 1981 election, and there followed years of strife and uncertainty. Violence was the order of the day. Freedom was curtailed. Democracy was under threat. Some of the institutions, including the police, were not functioning as they should.

Friggieri's book addressed the political tribalism of those years, a country that was divided in two, a nation that was stifled by conflict and hate, a State that was broken by tear-gas, batons and bombs.

Fast forward nearly 40 years, and the situation has not changed much. Thankfully, what's missing is the physical violence that characterised those dark years. Some would argue that a kind of violence still exists in the form of psychological pressure that is put by the majority on the minority. The way Prime Minister Robert Abela speaks, for example, the kind of tone he uses and his choice of words expose him as someone who is more intent in pursuing his interests and those of the party he leads, rather than act as a PM for all the country.

As for the rest, the country is still divided, democracy remains under threat, the rule of law is in dire straits and some of the country's institutions still do not function properly, again including the police.

And then, when you have a Prime Minister who speaks of freedom - and he will lead Labour's string of events to mark what is known as Freedom Day all through this week - but refuses to publish his assets declaration and those of his Cabinet of Ministers, one realises how much he wants to keep things hidden. He has even blocked a freedom of information request, increasing suspicions about what's in those blessed documents.

The government is happy to spend almost two full parliamentary sessions bashing the Opposition for its "negativity", speaking to the wall on a motion to condemn MP Karol Aquilina for his behaviour after all his Nationalist colleagues stormed out of the chamber in solidarity with him. But then the government is afraid to have a debate, a real one, on how more than 100 kilogrammes of cannabis resin were stolen from an AFM compound, and why a minister who is politically responsible for the AFM's shortcomings (and other things) remains in his place.

The Opposition has taken a strong stand against the Speaker of the House of Representatives Anglu Farrugia, saying the way he is managing Parliament is hindering it from fulfilling its role. The PN used tough words, saying the people deserve to be represented in a Parliament that is run "impartially, seriously and democratically, rather than with political bias", going on to list the "multiple occasions" in which the PN says Farrugia rendered himself "a partisan and anti-democratic political tool in the hands of Robert Abela".

In his reply, Farrugia said his decisions are not arbitrary but are rooted in the Standing Orders and the principle of precedent, adding that "he has consistently demonstrated an impartial and fair approach to his duties, ensuring that Parliament remains a space of constructive debate and legislative progress, and that any criticism should be measured against the fact that his rulings always indicate clearly the legal provisions and/or precedent they are based on."

The Labour Party was quick to jump on this exchange, hours later presenting a motion in defence of the Speaker which was put on the fast track and "debated" last Monday, with only government MPs taking part. It was an attempt to shift public talk away from the drug heist from the AFM compound and the PM's refusal to accept the resignation of the Home Affairs Minister, Byron Camilleri. The Nationalist Party described the government's motion as a "fascist move" that "attacked democracy" and aimed to "eliminate the Opposition" from Parliament.

We're two years away from the next general election, and it is clear that things are already heating up. The way the two major political parties are at each other's throats is indicative of the way they despise each other, at times verging on the personal, rather than just the political.

The Labour Party has been in power for 12 full years now, its arrogance reaching higher levels as time progresses, while the Nationalist Party, boosted by the results in the European Parliament and local council elections last year, is aiming to avoid what would be a fourth electoral defeat in a row. The social media then continues to be a platform where the vitriol spewed in Parliament spills into comments by hard-line supporters of both parties.

It will be a long, long time before flowers can ever grow in parliament.

Probably they never will.