Time for the Nationalists to remember how they get elected
The Nationalist Party’s information director, Frank Psaila, had a good piece published in The Times yesterday (Social Liberal Agenda for PN).
This is the best bit.
The PN unanimously, through its executive, took an official stand against divorce. This seems to have taken many social liberal PN voters by surprise apparently disenchanting many in the process. Divorce, they argued, was a civil right, a personal choice and their party was wrong to take an official stand against it. They openly declared their intention to vote yes in the referendum even if that meant going against the party’s stand and despite the fact that Labour leader Joseph Muscat was vociferously in favour of divorce legislation.
Dr Gonzi did not render their choice difficult. He made it clear from day one that a free vote would be given to his MPs and that everyone was free to vote according to his/her conscience. The rest is now history. Many PN voters said no to divorce but a significant number of Nationalists (very significant to swing the pendulum either way in 2013) voted yes, clearly influencing the outcome of the referendum.
There is no denying that the Yes vote won the day thanks not least to thousands of Nationalist voters who said yes while thousands of Labourites did not bother to vote. For many Labourite voters it was a choice between Archbishop Paul Cremona and Dr Muscat. They chose none.
Perhaps it is still early days to decide whether the party did the right thing in adopting an official position against divorce legislation but right now what matters most is that the many social liberal PN voters who felt disappointed by the party’s stand return to the fold without undue haste.
For this to happen the party needs to forcefully put forward its social liberal agenda and urgently take up some very important issues that need to be addressed, namely IVF legislation and cohabitation laws, that would be the first step. Following that, more concrete measures need to be taken, not least legislating some much needed and long overdue civil liberties the country can’t afford to postpone any longer.
In no way does this mean that the party alienates its grass roots who tend to be more conservative by nature but it is a given that unless the party caters for many a social liberal it will have a difficult task come 2013.
The PN is synonymous with liberty, free choice, respect for human dignity and, above all, solidarity. A healthier social liberal agenda benefits the party but above all the country. The PN needs to win back the trust of many social liberal voters and it needs to do so now.
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I’m often accused of being dismissive of my fellow countrymen with top jobs, but I could write a hagiography of Frank. He’s that good. And he’s one of the few who started out with no connections at all.
He’s good … but can you leave out the “who started out with no connections” bit?
There’s nothing wrong in using your connections (especially in Malta). But it would be wrong to say that you didn’t use them.
No I can’t leave it out, because it makes a world of difference to a person’s abilities.
Those born with a ruddy big silver spoon in their mouth can reach the top even if they’re complete morons. And while “there’s nothing wrong”, as in “morally wrong”, I violently hate the well-connected, because I’m jealous, so it colours my judgement.
Rather than describing it as “a good piece” I felt that there were some highly irritating passages that would have been best left unpublished.
“many social liberal PN voters” voted yes “despite the fact that Labour leader Joseph Muscat was vociferously in favour of divorce legislation.” What a mindset – characteristic, no doubt of most of these party officials. ‘Despite the fact’ – how does this man’s brain work? Doesn’t he know that these voters voted yes IRRESPECTIVE of whatever Joey the goof’s position is. ‘Despite’ doesn’t come into it.
“Dr Gonzi – – made it clear that – – everyone was free to vote according to his/her conscience”. Oh thank you very much Dr Gonzi, I grovel before you in gratitude. If you hadn’t given me permission to do this I would have certainly obeyed the party executive’s position and voted no.
“Perhaps it is still early days to decide whether the party did the right thing – – – -” Can’t you get it into your thick numskull that the party screwed up bigtime.
“The party needs to forcefully put forward its social liberal agenda – – – – ” You mean like the PM is being forceful about committing himself and his cabinet to a social liberal vote on divorce in parliament? (hardly social liberal of course – just normal practice in normal countries). You mean like the PM is being forceful about removing the anti-divorce clause? ‘Not now – perhaps we’ll see later.’ Pathetic.
I’ll leave the other nits unpicked.
A bit rich coming from Frank Psaila who is far from liberal.
Good one, Gerald. Those who know him know that he goes with the flow. And he had done nothing in comparison to his predecessor’s team – Gordon Pisani and Jean Pierre Debono. The latter two on the contrary are two assets who work really hard.
I don’t think anyone should get personal. Everyone who is associated with politics of any kind knows the commitment it requires of him and his family. I believe all of the officials work hard to reach the common objective.