You want it darker

As the day progressed it became more evident that a big story was about to break. And it was clear that the story was about Clayton Bartolo. 

By Friday morning the hazy details started to emerge through leaks from within that the episode involving Bartolo would lead to his immediate resignation.    

Sunday newspapers arrive at my doorstep every week. I am probably one of the few people who continue to browse through all the newspapers. 

But The Sunday Times did not carry the story. I found it strange. But never mind. Throughout the day it was obvious from what I had pieced together what the story was about. I asked myself, "would Abela bite the bullet and ask his minister to walk the walk?". The proverbial shit eventually hit the fan and Bartolo resigned.   

The feeling in Labour was depressed and dark. “You want it darker,” said one minister who at least appreciated some of Leonard Cohen’s songs. 

No one could believe that Bartolo could be that dumb. Worse still, Bartolo seemingly believed that just because the money was transferred into a bank account, it was sort of legitimate.   

The same thinking process passed through Joseph Muscat’s mind when he received payments from a company connected to Steward soon after his tenure as prime minister was over.   

The nature of kickbacks or thank you notes is at the heart of what we call corruption. If that is not corruption, then what is? 

The sensation in Labour was one of shock and revulsion. There was little sympathy for the parties involved. Everyone was asking how is it that Castille did not know the FIAU and the police already had an eye on Bartolo. And many in Labour were scratching their heads, as they saw the bodies and institutions that their administration had set up now in full swing and actively involved in sinking them even deeper and deeper. 

It was like an autoimmune system that was eating away at the body. 

The reaction to all this led many senior Labour figures to accept the fact that they could easily lose the next election. They no longer considered it impossible for Bernard Grech to become prime minister. 

And though the Clayton and Amanda story was miniscule when compared to the Vitals scandal, this one had more serious ramifications, because people could easily understand and associate with the ‘in your face’ abuse. It had the same shock experience of the reaction to the Jean Paul Sofia tragedy.   

Worried as they were about Grech making it to Castille, the next question that they asked was whether Robert Abela was the right man to take them to the next election. 

That question seems to have reached Abela’s ears who responded to the nebulous rebellion by addressing the whole parliamentary group with an iron-handed response. 

That has not stopped Labour generals from asking the million-dollar question. Can they win an election with Abela? And they have concluded that at least for now their best bet is Robert Abela. Abela, they argue, is still far superior to Grech. He has a greater command of economics, is a better speaker, has more personality, and is more astute.   

But the flip side to this is the nervousness for Abela to change fast. First and foremost he has to widen his advisers and bring in some grey matter. He has to give more leeway to his ministers to be able to act, be serious and final about his decisions, and very importantly stop thinking like a lawyer. 

It is of course more complex than that. 

Inside Labour, there is a real fear that they could lose to Bernard Grech, not because the PN is better than the PL, but simply because people are tired of Labour and all its gambols.  Abela needs to send a strong message, but he is running out of time. 

And probably for the first time, Abela is praying that Christmas comes early this year. It is the belief that only Christmas and the timpana that comes with it can muzzle the wave of discontent that has gripped Labour. But will it?