Online poll on the Popular Labour Movement
Respondents divided over threat to MLP
Judging by the outcome of an online poll by The Times, the people are divided over whether the new Popular Labour Movement is a threat to the Malta Labour Party.
The poll, which ran for a week until yesterday, showed that 48.96 per cent of voters believe the new party to be a threat to the MLP while 51.04 per cent think otherwise.
One respondent said he could see the new movement as a positive development in the MLP's future. "If it manages to attract disgruntled Labourites and even more disgruntled Nationalists, it could then re-join the ranks of the MLP just before the next general election and ensure a resounding victory," he said.
Another said it was good to have a Labour movement, adding that the Nationalists should consider their options as well.
One respondent said that although the movement was not a direct threat, it could cause MLP leader Alfred Sant some worries because people who had seriously started thinking of voting for the Labour Party in the next election might change their mind "when they see that the MLP is up to its old tricks and divisions again".
Another commented that the efficacy of this new movement depended on whether it had the backing of former prime ministers Dom Mintoff and Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici and their respective anti-EU movements. "Many Labourites are still against the idea of EU membership and this movement, plus some nostalgia for the 'old Labour', could result in some surprising results."
One respondent commented that the new movement could be a threat to the MLP if former Labour MPs were to join.
Another said a lot of socialists feel they are no longer part of the Labour Party and the new movement could be a "refuge for the old Labour die-hards".
"Maybe with this new party evolving, we can also break away from the terrible two-party system."
A respondent said that with the right moderate elements, the movement can also be a threat to the Nationalist Party "as a long-awaited alternative government".
Another commented that the movement could be a threat since all the votes they would get in an election would be coming from the Labour Party. "The danger is that Malta could end up with two small Labour parties and one big Nationalist Party, making it difficult for both the new or the old Labour parties to win an election."