J’accuse was right. Nobody or practically nobody voted the J’accuse way. There, that settles that one. What else happened?
Disillusioned nationalists stayed at home. Turnout was around 79% and Labour got around 57% of the vote of the people who bothered to turn out. Of those who bothered to turn out it seems that the main incentive was to sing the Labour song of a New Government is coming – the political version of a Milan Supporter thinking his team is the best in the world because it wins a summer friendly. It can be safely assumed that the nationalist vote is made up of the hardcore, flag-waving, kerchief-carrying, rosary-bearing herd that had been ushered to the polling booths by the fire and brimstone spinmeisters.
The voters who did turn out to vote had no clue what they were voting for. The hijacking of the campaign by Muscat’s obsession with a trial run national election and the nationalist’s playing into his arms in this respect means that we still know jack shit about what the people think the ideal European parliament candidate is about. The six seats will in all probability be divided among the parties that give you unaccountable, push-button blundering candidates who do not give two hoots about keeping the Maltese Parliament in check or filling the legislative lacunae left by PLPN interests.
AD’s campaign fell through the floor. With the stakes of the campaign being set elsewhere AD were left in the sad situation of being compared to balloon pusher Lowell. As we had said after last national elections, AD would be better off investing time and money in a very local kind of programme based on the constitutional issue of representation.
There has been absolutely no shift in the way people think and vote in the Maltese islands. A nationalist party privately in shambles might have huge fault lines exposed in the coming weeks. This time it might be impossible to go on sweeping the evident lack of values and backbone under the carpet. Which will only mean double the work for the independent media and blogs intent on doing the work of an absent and disillusioned opposition. Our oppostion party might be about to don the illusional crown of a majority that gives it everything but an absolute certainty of government in four years time.
Timeo europeos et dona ferentes.
