Why voting for Harry could lumber us with Freddie

For the past six months at least, I have worried and written about the problems that Alternattiva Demokratika could lumber us all with at the next election. I have repeatedly stated that two things are needed for this country to improve on the environmental and economic fronts.

First, that the main political parties have to adopt green policies for anything to succeed (one Green seat will change nothing!) and second, that we need EU membership which will give us some of the funds, incentives and penalties to sort out our economy and our environment.

But AD refuse to believe that anyone but them could be Green. And it is very easy to be Green when you sit on the fence; much more difficult when you are actually running or managing anything, something no Green has ever done yet in Malta.

Even when Nature Trust gave me the title of Green Politician of the Year certain Greens who actually are living off political masters of another colour wrote the most silly, spiteful stuff I could choose to remember or forget. It just confirmed one thing. Most people who want power eventually behave badly whatever their colour. Green does not mean holy!

A vote for AD can really only definitely achieve one thing. It can help bring Alfred Sant back to government and therefore ruin the EU membership dream for all of us - red, blue, green or floating.

If AD was attracting tens of thousands of Labour voters, the story would be different. But the reality is, quite simply and very sadly, that they are doing better in Nationalist areas than in Labour areas.

And the reason is simple. The PN is a very broad church which currently houses a very large range of people, from the stoutly religious to the staunchly liberal, from the conservative to the almost socialist. And the Nationalists have been in government a long time, which obviously makes them easier to criticise. People feel disillusioned, normally at least with a government, not an Opposition, although the past few weeks and Sant's antics might have changed that a bit!

And if there is one thing I can accuse this Green party of it is that it has spent the past few years, very unfairly, dishing out equal criticism of the reds and the blues. It has helped to create a wave of discontent against this government when it is perfectly obvious to anyone who is honest and has a memory that there is no comparison to be made between the democracy and prosperity we all enjoyed under the Fenech Adami years and the lack of all this we experienced in let's call them the Dom-ocracy years!

Only a few months ago, when I had already decided not to contest this election, AD asked me, in the 10th district, to work the ones and twos with them. As I was not planning to contest, there was no discussion, but even so it would have been unthinkable.

Unthinkable for only one reason. Right now we cannot afford to let Alfred Sant have the reins of power. Right now is not the time for AD to think of themselves.

AD cannot get the 3,500-plus votes in a district to get them a seat, so all they can do is lessen the number ones for the PN (as they attract more PN voters!) and therefore help to get Dr Sant elected. If AD, as is much more likely, take say 500 No. 1s in each district they contest they could cause serious trouble, get no seat and get Freddie back in!

And let's not get too personal about Alfred. Basically all we need to say about this man is three things.

1. He doesn't believe EU membership is good for Malta and we will not become members if he is PM.

2. He will not always or necessarily respect the outcome of our votes as he showed us on March 8.

3. He will pull a few stunts like storming into the counting hall and declare a victory when he lost.

Because of Dr Sant's behaviour on March 8 the next few weeks are not a judgment on how good a PM Eddie was, or what a nice, intelligent man Harry Vassallo undoubtedly is. The next few weeks are about keeping us sane and democratic, whatever imperfections in the PN remain.

Just keep these three things uppermost in your mind if you are/were planning to give No. 1 to AD:

The most likely outcome of that will be: 1. Alfred Sant as PM; 2. No to EU membership; 3. More silly stunts.

Is it a risk that you, the intelligent, originally Nationalist, Labour or floater voter are prepared to take?

Your vote can never matter so much again... So don't vote for Harry unless you really want Freddie to be PM again! Think about it...