News | Wednesday, 28 April 2010 Issue. 161

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A bicycle made for three

JAMES DEBONO catches up with Maltese politicians from all three Maltese parties to share their assessment of an unexpected three horse race in the United Kingdom

Which party is coming across as having the most substance and which party is coming out as the most attractive to voters?

Evarist Bartolo (Labour MP): Labour has most substance, the Conservative Party gives the impression that it has but it does not and the Lib Dems have a lot to catching up to do to convince enough voters to support them in numbers that will make a difference... though the way the constituencies are set works to their disadvantage.

Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando (Nationalist MP): I will have to admit to feeling that the party which is presenting the British electorate with the policies most suited to the current economic situation is the Labour Party. The Conservatives may have peaked too early in the race and the Lib Dems have a number of policies which will not hold if subjected to close scrutiny: something which is to be expected in the final leg of the electoral race.

Michael Briguglio (AD Chairperson): The Conservatives are attempting to depict themselves as a catch-all party, thus lacking much substance, although it is also clear that behind their PR stunts, they would like the welfare state to be made smaller, thus creating more social inequalities, whilst making life much easier for the mega-rich who are already having it good. The Liberal Democrats have much substance on many issues and, above all, can hopefully break the two-party duopoly which is resulting in political stagnation. Labour, on the other hand, seems to have social and economic policies which have a direction. The Greens (who might be on their way of electing their first seat in Brighton Pavilion) have the most substance as they are merging quality of life issues such as people’s health and civil rights together with economic issues, for example by focusing on the creation of green jobs.

Francis Zammit Dimech (Nationalist MP): That is a matter for the British people to decide, and may the best party win the election.

Aaron Farrugia (Chairperson Fondazzjoni Ideat – a progressive Labour-leaning think tank):
Gordon Brown, leader of the UK Labour Party, has the most ‘substance’ by far. I think, though, that this term, spun a lot by the media, belies the enormous skill, experience and leadership that Gordon Brown has already shown… Brown`s downside is that he doesn’t look the most ‘relaxed’ and ‘PR man’ in front of the camera. Liberal Democrat Nick Clegg, on the other hand, is coming across as the most attractive, mainly as an alternative to voters. I may go so far as to say a ‘viable alternative’. He is at ease in front of the camera and to the majority of people he was an unknown entity prior to the debates, so didn’t have any expectations to live up to, or even comparisons that could be made of him.
Therefore in terms of substance, Labour is looking solid, in that they have well-costed, well-researched, real-world social policies, which they are presenting from a point of view of real-world experience of government. The Liberal Democrats are the more appealing to voters, with their policies (no income tax on the first £10,000, a ‘mansion tax’ to target the rich, a willingness to increase taxes to support health care and education. I dare say that they might be looking more labour than Labour. The Conservatives appeal is based on smaller government, big society (a concept that is not as yet understood by the electorate), efficiency, and change.

How do you assess the performance of the three leaders included in the debate and how do you assess the decision to include Nick Clegg in the debate?

Evarist Bartolo: As Clegg has performed so well they must be ruing the decision to include him in the Leaders’ Debate. Gordon Brown has improved and David Cameron has come across as slick.

Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando: Nick Clegg was the clear winner of the first leaders’ debate but the second round did not have a clear-cut victor with Gordon Brown coming across as being the most seasoned politician.

Michael Briguglio: I think that the decision to include Nick Clegg was very positive, as it gave way to more political pluralism. However, the inevitable question is: why were the Greens and other parties excluded?

Aaron Farrugia: The inclusion of Nick Clegg in the leaders’ debate is valid since the Liberal Democrats are highly likely to hold the balance of power. Additionally, the decision to include Nick Clegg in the debate was only logical. If one looks back over election results since 1992, the Liberal Democrats have on average been gaining seats and increasing their popular vote.
As for the performance of the three leaders in the debates, I personally think that Clegg has performed best, coming across as young and fresh and willing to engage directly with the voters.
Clegg also had the advantage because he was a total outsider and unknown to the vast majority of the public. Cameron and Brown had a degree of both expectations to live up to and an element of people being fed up with them. Clegg came along, eased and relaxed and woo-ed many of the electorate. Even if fifteen days ago he was not considered a serious contender in the press, he has now ‘fired up’ the election.
Cameron tried to do the same, but not so successfully and at times he looked frightened. He has been exposed as a lightweight. It was a succession of lines and slogans, not a vision for Britain that we have seen. Brown lacks charisma and is the least telegenic of the three. He acknowledges this (which is to his credit), prefering to focus on issues rather than presentation and style.

Who do you think will win the elections?

Evarist Bartolo: I think the Conservative Party will get most seats but will it be enough to govern? I hope that the result allows the Labour Party and the Lib Dems to form a coalition government, something they should have done in 1997 despite Labour’s landslide victory.

Michael Briguglio: It is difficult to forecast, but, all other things remaining equal, it might look like a Labour - Liberal Democratic alliance. In the eventuality of a hung parliament it is not yet clear as to what form a Liberal-Labour alliance would adopt.

Aaron Farrugia: probably the Conservatives by a whisker, or a hung parliament without an outright winner. In this case I expect a Lib-Lab coalition with Gordon Brown having the most number of seats and keeping the Conservatives in check. The price the Liberal Democrats will exact from Labour to secure Liberal support will probably be the appointment of Vince Cable as Chancellor, the appointment of Nick Clegg as Home Secretary or Foreign Secretary and the introduction of single-transferable-vote proportional-representation in the UK. Another possible outcome in this election is that the Liberal Democrats may well secure the most votes of any party but fewer seats than Labour or the Conservatives.

Do you see any similarities between the British protagonists in the election and their counterparts in Malta?

Evarist Bartolo: The Tories and the Partit Laburista are faced with the challenge of winning after long years in Opposition. The Conservative Party is trying to dislodge the Labour Party from government in power since 1997 and feeling that voters are turning away from Labour but not necessarily rushing to vote Tory.

Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando: Funnily enough the Euro scepticism of the Tories is reminiscent of the stance taken by the MLP (today’s PL) with regards to our relationship with the EU for a number of years.

Michael Briguglio: One similarity is that Britain has a two-party-duopoly (even though the Lib Dems are in parliament). If this system were done away with, Britain would join most of the rest of Europe in having a more pluralistic political system. Hopefully this would have an effect in Malta too, at least psychologically.
I would also advise against comparing the Conservatives and Labour to their Maltese counterparts when it comes to policy. Apart from the fact that in Malta we have a reverse situation (PN in Government, PL in opposition), I think that, unlike its counterpart in the UK, Labour does not have a clear direction and is resorting to catch-all strategies with the intention of appealing to everyone... I think Labour will do a Faust and ultimately its catch-all policies will backfire if it wins the next election and is in Government alone. The Nationalists, on the other hand, seem as unpopular as Labour in the UK, but with all their defects, arrogance and misuse of power, seem to have a direction... not a direction that I endorse, but nevertheless, a direction which unites traditional values with consumerist practices, support of big business interests, whilst maintaining some form of welfare in place.
The Nationalists can save their day if the economy recovers, yet, once again, if in Government alone in the next election, we can only expect more arrogance, disregard for the environment and lack of civil liberties and social rights.

Francis Zammit Dimech: One aspect which brings back memories is the prospect of the party with the lowest number of votes forming a government because it would have gained the largest number of seats through Britian’s ‘first past the post’ electoral system. While I respect the fact that the UK has its own traditions and systems that are in particular meant to safeguard stability and governance, this would be unacceptable. It certainly brings back memories of when we had to go through a thorny phase of our own history where the party with a minority of votes had a majority of seats. Since then, that has been rendered impossible in our system, and that’s apart from the fact that we have a system of proportional representation. I would imagine that the British sense of ‘fair play’ will prevail and that the British will be able to improve upon their electoral system in whatever way they deem best in the future.

Aaron Farrugia: No - not really: though Joseph Muscat`s charisma comes close to Nick Clegg`s, especially in terms of presentation, style, and the targeting of younger voters. In fact, a significant factor in this election could be Clegg’s ability to mobilise the UK youth vote.
When it comes to policies, the local Labour Party comes close to its sister party in the UK. The Partit Laburista, just like the UK’s Labour Party, is striving to support new industries and future jobs with job-boosting measures and extra help for families, businesses and home owners, protect frontline services and stand up for the many, not the few.
As things stand today, Alternattiva Demokratika can never emulate the Liberal Democrat`s performance as they have been faring badly in general elections ever since they ran for office for the very first time. As for the Nationalist Party, one can say that it approximates the UK Labour Party in terms of being an exhausted administration.

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