PN MP Claudio Grech in strong appeal against ‘reality TV politics’

Malta's most serious problems weren't created by the Labour government, Claudio Grech says 

Claudio Grech has urged politicians to tone down the mudslinging
Claudio Grech has urged politicians to tone down the mudslinging

Opposition MP Claudio Grech urged politicians from both sides of the House to halt the descent of local politics into a slanging match devoid of actual policy talk.

Speaking in Parliament during a debate on the proposed Media Bill, Grech warned that political debates on policy have become few and far between, while mudslinging and the exchange of insults have become the order of the day.

“It is much easier to debate through insults, because debating on a policy level requires research which is time-consuming,” he sad. “Yet the more time passes, the more damage this style of zero-sum politics is doing to our political context. It is as though Parliament has become a modern-day version of the gladiators or a reality TV show, rather than two political forces with a common goal to improve the quality of people’s lives.”

In a clear departure from the discourse of his leader Simon Busuttil, Grech said that Malta’s most serious problems had existed before Labour was elected to government in 2013.

Here he cited the “crisis” of measly pensions, a growing wave of mental health problems, school bullying, drugs, and the impact of immigration on communities.

He said he was inspired after his son questioned why MPs cannot do anything to help his friend who is suffering from a rare tumour.

“He asked me: ‘What difference can you truly make if you cannot do anything to help Zac?’ I tried to explain to him that we do a lot of work, but that incident forced me to ask myself about what we give most importance to in Parliament.”