While warming up for a vigorous freestyle sprint across the 50 metres of the National Pool with Barber's wonderful Violin Concerto playing on my waterproof MP3, one of my aquatic friends asked me what I meant by "pink Nationalists" in last week's article. Somewhat reluctantly switching Barber off mid-note, I explained that many Nationalists have been politically pink for decades; if they hadn't, there would have been no PN victories in 1987, 1992, 1998, 2003 and 2008! In fact, it is precisely this string of victories that show that the MLP socialist and egalitarian ideology has been adopted with great success by the party that was reputedly right wing. Any blue that was in the PN has long been washed out despite the colour catchers. This is precisely why the MLP finds itself with the carpet swept from under its feet at each election bar one!
Because the PN has been so successful in swiping socialist ideology from the MLP, the latter has resorted to inventing all sorts of ridiculous ideals just for the sake of being different; things like un-negotiated partnership agreements with the EU, reception classes to emulate some school on the Isle of Wight and other impracticalities that, by rights, one usually dreams of and forgets minutes later. For too, too long has the opposition in this country not been able to offer viable alternatives and ended up by shooting itself in the foot time and again.
So, once we have all agreed that the PN is pink in spirit it will be a bit of a let down to discover that it is not really as pink in practice; more like purple or mauve. All over Europe the real pink revolution has taken root; the latest being José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's Spain with its preponderance of female ministers. It is interesting that the first thing I thought of when I read this news item was Pedro Almodòvar's fascinating film Volver starring the incomparably lovely and talented Penelope Cruz; a story of "sisters doing it for themselves" most successfully without any hindrance from men.
Hitherto traditionally macho Spain has indeed been turned on its head. This bastion of conservativism that was kept in thrall by General Francisco Franco for three post-war decades is now one of the most liberal countries within the EU, with divorce, abortion, gay marriage and the entire shebang of "civil liberties" and "human rights" that are, in this day and age, taken to be the norm in any civilised and enlightened society. Spain could do it because of two very important events that happened in its recent history; the attempted coup d'etat by the army that was foiled by the king and the Madrid Al Qaeda bombings that overnight overthrew Josè Maria Aznar's government because of its incompetence in dealing with the crisis and which unexpectedly brought Mr Zapatero to power. That el guapo has been re-elected just goes to show that his brand of liberal socialism has gone down a treat!
Therefore, once the MLP put on its agenda items like divorce etc instead of plans for new beginnings that had yet to be formulated, it is hardly surprising that the electorate chose the status quo, isn't it? One really cannot call a reception class an electoral winner can one? MLP apologists may argue that the margin of loss was so small, a mere odd 1,500 votes, and, yet, the relative majority was enough to ensure another five years of PN government which is beginning to look more and more like a benevolent despotism with as many isms as you like in its appanage! Unless the MLP can totally reinvent itself here and now and launch a successful appeal that eschews pussyfooting with the types who sent me the following e-mail this morning it will forever be condemned to the opposition benches.
The e-mail, signed Joe Zammit (Paola), whom I do not know from a bar of soap, loosely translated from Maltese read: Divorce is evil and destroys the family. It is for our own good that God is against divorce. Those who advocate divorce will find God challenging their plans.
Very enlightening news indeed Mr Zammit. I certainly do envy your having been granted a hotline to the Almighty by Go Plus or whoever. Did God mention me specifically, by any chance? I somehow doubt it. I have always been a little envious but appalled all the same by these individuals who are convinced that they know what is in God's mind.
As for divorce, in royal circles, Catholic ones to boot, divorce has been the norm for millennia. Look at the marital adventures of Eleanor of Aquitaine, for starters. We poor mortals have, for all this time, suffered the consequences of two weights and two measures in as far as the shifting rulings of the Catholic Church are concerned.
I will not go into the merits and demerits of the Lourdes Home case but here again it appears that we have a state within a state. If we Maltese (and Gozitans) are happy with that state of affairs then so be it.
Among the 300 and something electoral promises made by Lawrence Gonzi was one he made on Xarabank towards the end of the campaign when he was asked by the intrepid Peppi Azzopardi about cohabitation. The magic pink word "gay" was spat out in this context with the reluctance of extracting a wisdom tooth, but spat out it was and that deflected a flood of votes from going the AD way. As Minister of Social Policy, by now, one would have expected John Dalli to be in contact with the Malta Gay Rights Movement to discuss the issues that are so glaringly missing from the social pact with the electorate. As yet the invitation has not been forthcoming. Maybe Mr Dalli is waiting to be asked to the Gay Pride March on July 12?
As we Maltese evolve, slowly and painfully, from our traditionally ecclesiastical chrysalis, it is becoming increasingly obvious that we have deep, divisive and ultra hypocritical attitudes towards what the letter of the law is and what we do in actual fact. Emotionally, we are unable to stomach the inclusion of written laws that will regulate divorce, abortion, gay marriage, cohabitation etc but will quite happily close our eyes and let them happen. It is a question of attitude. Divorce, ironically, is being pushed by people who are so in favour of marriage that they would like to try it a second time; if not a third.
Far from being against marriage, divorce is an instrument that will enable people to remarry. Gay marriage, or as I prefer to call it, civil partnership, is also a form of marriage, a legal commitment to love, honour, be faithful to and respect one's partner, whether male or female, that has the blessing of the law. Ergo, both issues, far from undermining the spirit of what a marriage is, are pro marriage, aren't they? So, what's the problem? Just therapeutically think pink for a bit and the answers will fall into place.
kzt@onvol.net