What ideology? Both parties have one ideology and that’s don’t do anything that will rock the boat. That’s why no one ever does anything about hunting, divorce etc etc

Both you and I know that most people who call themselves Nationalist or Labourite do so out of some misplaced sense of loyalty, probably handed down to them from their parents. The rest of us, vote with our heads. The parties call us floaters because we drive them nuts. It’s not a question of not having an ideology or political philosophy. I’ve never voted Labour, but I do not automatically vote PN either. There’s nothing wrong with the Labour party’s core ideology. Their problem, as you keep reminding us, is they keep choosing a bunch of nutters to lead them. That may never change, and I may never vote Labour. We’re not talking about some right wing Nazi party here. In that case, yes, it’s an ideology call. I would never vote for a party such as that on principle.

If anything I would call myself left leaning, which in any other country would mean I would probably vote for the Labour/Socialist/Social Democrat party, but in Malta the lines are blurred!

I am with Baxxter on this. I have always voted PN and will do again in the next election.

A voting preference forged in the 80s and further reinforced by Sant’s stubborn anti-EU stance. Factor in PL’s failed macro-economic and financial policies both in government and in opposition and I have no alternative. PL is simply not an option.

I do obviously agree with many policies espoused by PN but with all things equal I would be happier voting for a more liberal party.

The fact that Joseph Muscat would be elected detracts nothing from the unclear thinking of the PM and his u-turn/compromise. The two issues are unconnected, as my old professor of philisophy would have insisted. No cause and effect.

[Daphne – I did not connect the two. You did. You appear to believe that the statement ‘all clear-thinking people choose PN, but not all people who choose PN are clear-thinking’ can be disproved by a decision taken by the prime minister. If, as you believe, the prime minister is not clear-thinking, then he falls within the category of non-clear-thinking people who vote PN.]

So, according to your reasoning, whatever Gonzipn does is OK as long as the PL are not elected. Now how’s that for logic?

[Daphne – My goodness, your reasoning is really muddled here. I don’t think a professor of philosophy figured anywhere in your life, as you claim. I only have a maths O-level but even I can work this one out.

The country must be in deep doo-doo. I have serious doubts that you’re going to convince many to vote gonzipn with this kind of argument but then…eh… these unconvinced voters are not clear thinking, are they?

Many have trusted the pn for too long and will vote PL, clear and muddled thinkers alike.

[Daphne – By definition, there will not be a single clear-thinking person who chooses Joseph Muscat over Lawrence Gonzi. Doing that is a sign that you don’t think clearly, for whatever reason, be it tradition, family, prejudice, resentment, ‘hurt’, spite, disappointment. Muddled thinking is muddled thinking. I’m not here to convince anyone about anything. I’m here to try – desperately – to encourage people to think.]

Don’t you think that character assassination is a bit out of fashion? It worked in the last elections but only just… I guess one cannot exclude another tsunami of luck this time round and another pn victory, you never know. As someone used to say, poplu jitqanna bil-gvern li jixraqlu. Farewell! No hard feelings.

[Daphne – The only character asssassination attempts made in the last election were made by the Labour Party. I should know, as I was one of the targets, along with all three of my sons and now, my husband, my parents, and even my sisters. And they are private citizens. And am I right in undersdtanding that the Labour Party’s official newspaper, last Sunday, targeted – calling her a cheat and all sorts of things – the school-age daughter of a government MP? Shameful.]

Er, I think I have to agree with Steve here. Many of us who vote PN do not share the party’s political philosophy (what is it, exactly?), except its pro-European stance.

We just vowed to do anything to prevent Labour winning the election, after they destroyed the best years of our lives with their anti-European nonsense. And we can go further back to our deprived childhood, with Mintoff and Karmenu at the helm. So please.

On an administrative and ideological level, PN is the lesser of two evils, so there you go. I wouldn’t call myself a floater, and I have no problem revealing my voting preferences. (Would that my hand withered when I voted for Cassola in the first European election!)

I forecast an MLP win. Are the Nationalists aware that the good job they did could be reduced to nil?

Is democracy in peril again? Are university students aware of this scenario?

X’tahseb Daphne? Tghid nergghu ikollna pulizija twerwer lic-cittadin?

I’m in my forties, so have voted in a few elections/referendums etc. I have always voted Nationalist, but I do not consider myself Nationalist.

I always voted for those I thought most qualified to do the job of running the country.

That always happened to be Nationalist. Would I vote Labour if I thought they could do a better job? Of course I would, but it hasn’t happened yet, but who knows! That’s clear thinking!

[Daphne – G-R-O-A-N. I’ve broken off from watching Dallas Divas and Daughters, Kendra and the Kardashians, and then I find this. What makes you Nationalist, Conservative, Labour, Socialist, Communist, a Democrat or a Republican is not the way you vote but your political philosophy. First you work out what sort of approach you favour to things like the economy, educaton, welfare, and so on, then you work out which party espouses those principles. Then you vote for it. Political parties don’t change their political philosophy except over many generations, so if you switch from one party to another at every general election you might as well scream out to the wind that you don’t know what your own politics are. You vote Nationalist time after time almost certainly because you share the party’s political philosophy and approach to fundamental matters. If you shared the Labour Party’s political philosophy, you would vote Labour.]

Daphne in principle I don’t fault any of your reasoning in this reply. However I’m perplexed as to why it has to be always a choice between the lesser evil and evil i.e. Gonzi vs Muscat (as if that is a choice).

[Daphne – You don’t see why it has to be that sort of choice? It always is, where the choice is between two. Follow any election in the United States and Britain. It’s invariably a stand-off on those terms. And it is usually true.]

And why (when we are/were years away from an election) we can’t constructively criticise this government to improve its accountability (BWSC), sensitivity (honoraria increase), responsibility (ministers, party officials jetting/ferrying with businessmen) etc. You (together with Peppi, Lou etc) simply decide to accept these faults de facto. I find that illogical.

[Daphne – Funny how you mention three people who actually think about things unlike, say, John Bundy who doesn’t think at all, or say, Miriam Dalli, who thinks what the Labour Party pays her to think, at least on televison. I think it is absolutely hilarious when employees of a political party and propaganda hacks who work for Super One, KullHadd, Maltastar and the rest, accuse me of bias, or say that – cue spooky music – I am paid by the PN to write what I write. And they are….what, exactly? Paid by the Labour Party to promote Labour propaganda and target the party’s perceived enemies, like me. It doesn’t seem to occur to you that there might be other reasons why I don’t share your interest in a power station contract. It’s not interesting. Oh, and by the way – don’t be so ready to hoover up the gunge that the Labour Party feeds out as a substitute for policy. ‘Lou, Peppi and Daphne’ are not an item – not like, say, ‘Jeffrey, Bundy, Musumeci and Herrera’, who are.}

[Daphne – No. Vote Labour because the government didn’t fix the manhole and needs to be punished for it.]

You seem to be thinking of monetary policy, which is mostly in EU hands.

I don’t want to labour the point. But you made a statement there….that the LP has “…a committed stance against the EU.”

Well, to make that statement you have to back it up with chapter and verse.

[Daphne – WHAT? Are you for real?]

You have to tell us when and where did the LP and its Leaders declare that they will not feel bound by the EU’s and the euro’s financial and economic rules.

Just quoting Alfred Sant in the 80s and 90s wont do (when Malta was not bound by the EUs rules anyway), 20 years on.

Otherwise your argument would rest on the Maltese “”u iva..tal-Lejber mhux dejjem hekk..” basis. I do not find that acceptable to people who think clearly.