The Jihad and the common sense approach

We now have it black on white.

While the Labour Party draft strategy document on "Our role within the European Union" sets out to minimise the pains and maximise the gains of membership in the EU in the most equitable manner, a counter motion that is likely to be tabled during the party's annual general conference is nothing but a Jihad (a holy war) against the whole package negotiated by the Nationalist government with the EU as endorsed in the treaty signed during mid-April this year.

Were the MLP to follow this latter route, it would be playing straight into the hands of the Nationalist Party by offering them a plum opportunity to lambast the MLP as a fundamentalist party that does not even know the rules of the game.

While certain armchair critics have tried to give the impression that there is not much difference between Labour's position and that put forward by Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, closer scrutiny of the draft strategy document confirms why the MLP has made it clear that Dr Mifsud Bonnici's proposal is incompatible with the MLP's EU strategy.

Rather than calling for a renegotiation of the whole package - which is neither practical nor feasible - the MLP is proposing that, where certain situations may arise as in the case of the landfills issue where EU regulations might impact negatively on Maltese society on a socio-economic or environmental level, the MLP will feel duty bound to make strong representations with the EU on a case-by- case basis to "ease the pain" and mitigate the negative effects of such regulations.

To quote verbatim from the draft document: "Jemmen li minkejja kollox xorta jkun ghad hemm lok li wiehed jiddiskuti mill-gdid ma' l-Unjoni Ewropeja sitwazzjonijiet li jistghu jizviluppaw ahna u napplikaw ir-regoli ta' l-Unjoni Ewropeja, u jkun jidher car li l-effett ekonomiku, socjali jew ambjentali ta' dawn il-mizuri se jkun wiehed negattiv fuq xi settur partikulari, jew il-pajjiz in generali. Il-Partit Laburista se jkompli jaghmel dan f'kull kaz fejn il-ftehim negozjat ma' l-UE johloq problemi socjali u ekonomici f'pajjizna. F'kazi bhal dawn il-Partit Laburista se jimpenja ruhu li jaghmel minn kollox biex jiddiskuti ma' l-awtoritajiet ta' l-UE dak li jkun qieghed isehh, u jipprova jakkwista ghal pajjizna trattament ahjar li jtaffi jew jelimina l-effetti negattivi li jkunu se jsehhu, jew digà jkunu bdew isehhu, fuq pajjizna".

This stance has nothing to do with fully fledged renegotiation as Dr Mifsud Bonnici is proposing. What Labour is endeavouring to set out to do is to discuss with the competent EU authorities all those problem areas that might arise in the hope of countering the resultant negative effects. Deflecting the negative impact of certain individual cases has nothing to do with the full renegotiation of the whole treaty!

I personally believe that, although the KMB proposal does not recommend that Labour should consider leaving the EU, this has been implied in various statements he has made on Smash TV during the past weeks.

It is still not clear what path Dr Mifsud Bonnici and his backers propose to undertake and/or pursue should the EU refrain from negotiating the whole package anew. Could it be that this could be used as a pretext to turn on the "electorate" and exhort them to consider leaving the European Union after having come up against a dead-end?

Dr Mifsud Bonnici might be using a different language when addressing Smash TV viewers and Labour delegates, but I have a sneaky suspicion that the ultimate objective remains the same. A shortcut or else a long-winded road that both lead to Malta's eventual exit from the European Union.

I might not only be wrong but indeed hope that I am. In fact, I am still open to conviction. But I have a sneaky suspicion that this twin-track strategy has the same end in sight.

It is important that party delegates will vote in the country's best interest come next November. To do otherwise would be tantamount to playing straight into the hands of the PN by offering them gratis a new lease of life at a time when they are lifeless, dispirited and jaded in spite of having been in power for less than six months.

Labour would have committed a U-turn had it first pledged to respect the electoral choice of Maltese voters only to suddenly have cold feet about endorsing such a mandate.

leo.brincat@gov.mt