“Communication breakdown, it’s always the same. Havin’ a nervous breakdown, a-drive me insane,” goes the chorus from Led Zeppelin’s 1969 hit song. And it’s how it feels watching the behaviour of the Nationalist Party.
A group of grown-ups who aspire to lead the country can’t get themselves in one of the many rooms at Dar Ċentrali to spell out their differences, shout out their objections and retract their positions to emerge as an opposition in one piece. It’s a communication breakdown when the former deputy leader of the party chooses to expose his grievances at the baptism party of his successor.
The silence that followed from the top brass must have given him a nervous breakdown, leading him to move his protest onto social media, burning the house down in the process.
It’s a communication breakdown when the former party leader chooses to support his former deputy on social media, having suffered from the same sniper attacks that cost him his job when in office. The deafening silence from the party’s administration to such a calamity drives you insane.
The PN has recently emerged from another trashing at the polls. It went through a leadership contest that failed to attract contenders except for the incumbent. It went through an exercise in musical chairs for the deputy leader post. Then, we watched in utter disbelief the communication mess when dealing with the IVF amendments, which led to three MPs defying the whip, only for their position to be backed by the new deputy leader some days later.
Now we have the former leader posting his press releases on social media because the party media machine failed to notice his position on the portfolio he was assigned to shadow. If this is not another symptom of a communication breakdown, then what is?
Sadly, the PN has been struggling for some respite for over a decade. It has turned itself into a figure of ridicule. Even those who voted for it find it hard to defend the nonsense that emanates from PN headquarters. The party members deserve better. The country expects an overhaul in the opposition ranks as quickly as possible.
The only way forward if the PN wants to survive, become a force for good and deliver change is to seek family therapy- Pierre Portelli
And, by an overhaul, I am not suggesting another change in leadership but for everyone to take a step back and consider the dire straits the party finds itself in and consider making space for some level-headed people ready to offer their time, energy and expertise.
The only way forward if the PN wants to survive, become a force for good and deliver change is to seek family therapy. Just like a distressed household, the PN should start by recognising it has a communication breakdown, not just with the electorate but among the family members. The situation is now beyond internal counselling. No grandfather or aunt loved by all can seriously heal the festering open wounds.
It is now a case to be handled by third parties, professionals in conflict management. At least three people from outside the party must be identified to mediate with all factions. A chairperson to lead high-level conversations between leading figures, another to lead the dialogue with the grassroots and a third to reach out to the disenfranchised.
Once the dialogue is restored and positions softened, a clear path can be mapped out in an experts’ report for everyone to follow. At the risk of repeating myself, I urge the PN to look for answers in its electoral manifesto and stop reacting to the government’s crafty agenda made to suit only the interests of the Labour Party.
If the current communication breakdown in the PN is not treated immediately, more voters will stop caring. If too many give up, the gap will be filled either by more people abstaining, or by the ‘If-you-can’t-beat-them-join-them’ new faction of the Labour Party, or by small extreme left or right parties (God forbid) that will fragment the opposition to Italian political (sub)standards.
Pierre Portelli is a former president of the PN’s administrative council, executive committee member and Media.link chairman.