Alittle over a year ago, Lawrence Gonzi steered the PN to victory at the polls. Despite the fact that it was a marginal victory, it was enough to make some people gush about how he was an iconic Prime Minister, a perceptive statesman who takes brave decisions, and one who has foresight. As if that wasn't too over the top, we were treated to more effusive praise about how he was as charismatic as Lady Di.
These days, the same people who were raving about how Gonzi reminded them of Handel's aria See, The Conquering Hero Comes no longer gaze as adoringly at the Prime Minister. This disillusionment is reflected in recent surveys which show that his trust rating has dipped by eight percentage points since last year, down to 23 per cent. Then there's the fact that only 19 per cent of respondents judge his performance as Prime Minister in a positive light, whereas a year ago, 38 per cent thought he was performing well.
His backbenchers keep on rumbling ominously, and even ministerial wonderkid Tonio Fenech is busy deflecting (justified) flak about his jaunt sponsored by big business. What could have caused this nosedive in the Prime Minister's fortunes?
I find many parallels between the situation prevalent in Malta and that in Britain. There, too, Gordon Brown is considered to be a "dead man walking" politically speaking. Whenever opinion polls are carried out, the British Labour Party is found to be floundering.
Labour MPs are either bailing out, having to resign or trying to shake off blame for the party's dire situation.
It wasn't always like this. Following Labour's wilderness years during Margaret Thatcher's premiership, the party had soared to power with a landslide victory. It repeated this feat successfully in two subsequent ocassions. When Gordon Brown assumed the role of Prime Minister, his opponents were taken aback by the "Brown Bounce" as support for him spiked.
The effects of the recession battering Britain did not help Brown's political fortunes, but most analysts think that his downward slide is mainly due to voters' utter disgust at the spin-based politics practised by New Labour. Spin is the art of projecting a positive image to the media even when substance is lacking. Initially it worked for the British Labour Party, especially when coupled with the politics of fear.
Alistair Campbell - Labour's spinmeister extraordinaire - devoted all his efforts to portraying the choice between Labour and the Conservatives in Britain in simplistic terms, as a battle between good and evil, which had to be won by Labour. The PN has employed the same strategy in practically every recent election. It may have worked till now, but it now runs the risk of being tagged - like the British Labour Party - as the "say something, do nothing party". Spin can only take you so far.
The PN has found Joseph Muscat's declaration about Black Monday lacking. The Prime Minister himself brought up the subject in a speech which started off with his hinting at the possibility of a rise in the water and electricity bills.
He then veered off-topic and described Muscat's apology as the most hypocritical apology he had ever heard. Former President Eddie Fenech Adami weighed in as well, dismissing the apology as "generic". He also said no one had ever apologised for the violence wrought on his family and the damage to his property. Most of the people commenting on the Prime Minister's speech seemed to be more concerned about the possible rise in utility tariffs than crimes committed more than two decades ago. I don't share that opinion.
If an apology can go some way towards healing past hurts then it should be forthcoming and carefully worded. However, I get the impression that the PN is not ready to receive any form of apology - no matter how grovelling - with good grace. It continues to bring up the matter even when there hasn't been any manifestation of political violence in recent history.
I don't know how wise this is. Younger people who have not experienced the turbulent years first-hand don't relate to these episodes. They fail to see how they could happen again. Harping on about events which do not strike a chord with a whole sector of the population is a strategy which gives diminishing returns.
And if the exponents of the PN believe - as I do - that the political parties are indirectly responsible for the acts of violence committed to further their cause, then they should condemn and dissociate themselves from such acts, whether they are acts of physical or moral violence.
The Prime Minister should condemn the character assassinations, the rumour-mongering and the vitriol spewed out by his fans. His failure to do so would make his words about apologies ring hollow. Gonzi should go ahead and show that the PN is interested in national unity and not only in claiming a monopoly on martyrdom.
cl.bon@nextgen.net.mt