PN Government: My Part in Its Downfall

"People should be more appreciative" - Lawrence Gonzi (PM)

from today's Sunday Times

"The Maltese should be more appreciative of the government's work and, most of all, its lobby for Malta's EU accession instead of taking things for granted, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday.

"It is not at all for granted that I, as prime minister of this small country, sit around the same table with leaders of huge European countries. And you should feel proud to walk through the fast queue at airports and not be sidelined like citizens of non-EU states," Dr Gonzi said."

Thank God for the Nationalist Party. All together now...

Hail nationalist full of grace, the euro is with thee, blessed art though among parties and blessed is the leader of thy fold, Gonzus. ...

Our parliamentarian who art in Triq Herbet Ganado, hallowed be thy name, thy Europe come, thy will be one, in Victoria as it is in Bubaqra, give us this day our daily blinder and forgive us our grumblings, as we forgive those who gurmble about us, keep us away fom the green path, and protect us from red monsters.

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Life in the Fast Lane
Meanwhile, following the Gonzi intervention at Le Meridien a Nationalist press release called Onesta' u Trasparenza reminded all honest citizens who want to feel proud while walking through the fast lane at the airport to have their Lm40 (100 euro) worth of departure taxes, airport fees, backhands etc to be at the ready if they had not already done so at the time of purchase of their ticket.

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On the Other Hand
If proof that life outside the power lanes has sobering effect was ever needed, this time it comes in the form of the Man formerly Known as Johnny Cash. A more realistic way of thinking comes from this, most unexpected source. I never thought that I would say this but today reading Johnny D made sense while reading Lawrence G brought tears to the eyes... and I still can't decide whether to laugh or cry.

Obviously Johnny has the advantage that in his analysis the Nationalist party's losses could be attributed to the reshuffle that sidelined his operations. But that aside it sounds more like the way the PN should be thinking if it is to have any chance of retaining government for the next five years (did I just say that?). Here is what Johnny Cash says:

Electoral reflections

Why has the party been faring so badly at the ballot box in the past two years?

One thing is sure. It is not because Labour is doing so well. Labour has also lost votes this time around when compared to the last local elections of the same localities. It is evident that the major factor in the result was the high number of abstentions, and not any noticeable shift of allegiance.

We can search for the various reasons at a local and national level, which could have disgruntled voters and kept them away from the ballot box. However, we must also see whether there is an underlying current that is disenchanting people. I think there is.

As I wrote in this column some months ago, there is a feeling of despondency in this country. I think that this must be understood and acted on since the people deserve a better deal. We must also look within the party organisation. Is the organisation up to it? Have we depleted our resources to a point where the deficiencies are now becoming critical?

Has the purge that took place shaken the efficiency of the party and rendered it ineffectual? How is this going to be corrected? This will be discussed, I hope, in the General Council, which the party will be holding in Gozo next weekend.