Yes there was a water crisis in the eighties and yes the Labour administration was late in coming with a solution. The solution was however provided by the same labour administration: desalination plants. As far as I remember the crisis was largely over by 1987. And yes the solution has been very much refined and perfected by successive Nationalist administrations and also by considerable scientific developments independent of the powers that be.

The water crisis was, incidentally, largely brought about by a huge increase in tourist arrivals during the 80s. The nationalists, of course, are also responsible for building upon the tourism industry since. I do not forget that it was a Nationalist administration in the 60s that started the tourism industry, as we know it today, in the first place.

As for disposible nappies. No matter what we would like to remember, during the 80s disposible nappies were still very much a luxury in most places in Europe and their use was not as widespread as we would like to believe. Malta was still, and let us not kid ourselves still is, a developing country. That is why we still have frequent power cuts, public transportation that does not deserve comment, an infrastructure that …. well we all use the roads, and that it is why eyesores have sprouted all over places that were still very beautiful up to the late 80s. The loss of the architectural gem that was Sliema is but one example. For this the PN shares the larger part of the blame.

The standard of living of Maltese households did improve considerably during the 70s. To deny the social revolution that took place during this period is simply to deny history. Beggars were still around in the early seventies and people were still emigrating from our islands because prospects in the late sixties were not as bright as some of us would like to remember. Were the Nationalists responsible for mass emigration? Of course not. Malta was in the process of transforming its economy from a Military based one to a real free market economy. The process continued throughout the seventies and eighties. SGS, which was for many years an important pillar of our economy, first invested on our island during the eighties. Malta had a lot of catching up to do in the post-war reality.

To its credited the Nationalist Party embraced the social agenda with stronger commitment that it had done up to the early seventies.

The introduction of civl marriage during the seventies was not without social protest. Some Nationalist MPs expressed strong dissent at the decriminilisation of homosexual acts.

Do I forget or deny the violence of the eighties? The silliness of many economic and pseudo social policies? Do I deny that the Nationalists coming to power in the late 80s was a much need breath of fresh air? Oh for the love of reason do I have to answer?

However violence was not new to Malta when horrible acts of violence were committed during the 70s or 80s. Terrible acts of violence, physical, moral and psychological, were committed during the 60s. The police and authorities of the era conveniently looked away and at times contributed to them just as they did in later times. Do we deny that the nationalist party was elected to power in the 60s also partly (no not just because of) orchestrated acts of violence and moral intimidation?

Let us remember that there was a time when reading a labour party newspaper was an act that was followed by serious social repurcussions. To lay the blame at the Church’s feet and to believe that the Nationalist party (and all the other parties in existence at the time) did not exploit this reality and encourage it tacitly is convenient but incorrect. It is tantamount to believing that pigs will fly or to have believed in Sant’s vision of Malta as L-Izvizzera fil-(or was it tal- ? I forget) Mediterran.

Am I trying to justify Labour’s past? No. Do I not remember it? Yes I do. Perhaps that is why I have never voted for the Labour Party. I do however regret that I have yet to see a Labour party that I could vote for. Democracy in political life requires checks and balances and at present there are very little to speak of.

I don’t think that PBO desreves your remark made previously on this blog. Afterall he won 4 consecutive mandates to run the capital city’s local council, moreover he was very nearly elected on the very tough 10th district in the last general elections. Not to mention his very active role in the PN’s executive committee, as seat which has occupied since 1990.

[Moderator – Ah yes, here we go again with reptilian humanoids who inhabit a hollow earth. The word ‘alienate’ has a different meaning in English to the Maltese ‘aljena’. I think the word you mean to use there is ‘distract’.]

[Moderator – Too bad our own dictator was both an economic terrorist and a real guns ‘n’ explosions one to boot. Margaret Thatcher may have been opposed to government funding of higher education, but as far as I know she never sent thugs to beat up students – or to burn down publishing houses and to ransack the law courts.]

Surcharge increases,petrol and diesel price increases and rises in food prices are not agreeable things for anyone.

But I think you must admit that these measures would be due not for bad local govt. policies, but due to global issues we all know about.

On the other hand, the ‘bad old days’ being mentioned here have been the fault of the local Socialist-cum-Communist govt.

While the rest of the world had its fair share of problems, they moved on. We (and by we I mean the Govt.) chose to stay put knee-deep in s__t.