The writing is on the wall

I did not coin the term that history repeats itself.  But it certainly does.

In the last weeks, I have watched and experienced a reaction from the Labour Party machinery that is both disproportionate and illogical. It was a reaction very similar to what the Nationalist Party offered when faced with worrying numbers or stories about corruption and bad governance in the years before 2013.

This newspaper has been carrying out surveys almost every month since 2002. The latest MaltaToday survey pointed to a small majority for Labour—less than 8,000 votes separate the two major parties. The figure had not changed much from the previous survey held before the budget. But it appears, that result, was far too much to fathom for some people in the Labour Party.

The sweet messages I received were clear; they accused me of cooking the numbers to benefit Alex Borg. Now that is a very serious accusation.

Months before when a MaltaToday survey led to the sudden resignation of Bernard Grech, I was also accused of masterminding Grech’s demise with others to precisely catapult Alex Borg into stardom.

To make things clear, I do not personally involve myself in the survey. It is produced by a team of very dedicated professionals working in the newsroom. The man who interprets and analysis the MaltaToday survey is James Debono, an experienced and upright journalist who has been in the business for over two decades, who upholds the highest of ethical standards. Our methodology is explained transparently with every survey.

I laughed off the accusations that I fiddled with the numbers, but I then realised that they truly believe their own words.

To me it was a déjà vu from the last years of the Gonzi administration when at MaltaToday we faced a coordinated attack from the PN and its acolytes. This time the hostility is coming from the Labour Party—paranoia and conspiracy theories were flying all over the place.

This Trumpian way of looking at stories and facts that do not ring a bell is worrying.

I will not waste time defending the survey numbers, but I will say three very important things that have to be noted. 

The first is that the electoral scenario today is very different from 2022. Today, there is another established party—the party of the non-voter. This ‘party’ encompasses anything up to 70,000 voters.

The second consideration is that in the MaltaToday surveys, this segment of non-voters is not discarded. We include them in our workings. The non-voter is not a completely irrelevant political animal; they still have an opinion. Which is why when we come to the trust rating for Robert Abela and Alex Borg, all surveys share the same numbers. When it comes to concerns, they are also similar.

A non-voter could state that they still believe Robert Abela could do a better job than Alex Borg as prime minister but will still not vote Labour or any other party for that matter.

The third consideration is that all surveys published recently, including the MaltaToday one, show that the budget did not change people’s views. There was no bounce for the PL after what was described as the “best budget ever”.

Instead of having an intelligent discussion about the numbers, the government’s approach has been to kill the messenger. The problem is aggravated when politicians surround themselves with yes men who never open their masters’ eyes to the realities around them.

The PL or rather its leadership refuse to accept the fact that the problem is not the hard core but the underlying direction of this government with the middle ground. The Joseph Muscat and Keith Schembri saga, Jean Paul Sofia, the Steward case, the planning reform fiasco and the indecent sucking up to the hard core has dented the trust factor among Labour’s new voters since 2013. These voters, who were attracted to Labour, are confused when they see the government embracing characters like Jason Micallef, Neville Gafa and Joseph Muscat, who was only recently interviewed on One TV for the first time in years.

You can see the frenzy that is going on when suddenly, all guns start firing volleys at a story and a satirical cartoon in sister newspaper Illum over the role Dom Mintoff played in the nationalisation of the National Bank in 1973—a good 52 years ago.

Here again, the reaction on One TV was unbelievable for its rage. I could feel that the news had left an impression on some elderly folk who still revere Mintoff.

When walking in the street the other day I was scolded by a group of elderly men in the town where I live. They called me all sorts of names as I walked by with my fresh Maltese loaf in hand. I let it go but only after shutting them up and telling them in some very colourful Maltese: “Did you forget how One TV treated Mintoff when he stood up to Alfred Sant in 1998.”  The old men looked at me in utter bewilderment. My mouth can be as foul as my determination not to sit down and take a beating.

When a political station reacts in such an aggressive manner to a story and a satirical cartoon, I start to worry.

This newspaper will shy away from the fact that it stood up to be counted when this country needed change. In 2003, we wholeheartedly supported EU accession; in 2004 we exhumed the Bical and National Bank episodes; in 2010 and 2011 we campaigned for divorce; in 2013 we were loud and clear about a need for political change; in the Panama aftermath and the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia we called for resignations and a clear detachment from Joseph Muscat; and in the latest Steward controversy we asked for transparency and humility about the facts.

The editorial of this newspaper has been unabashedly liberal and left leaning. But we do not openly favour any party and our newsroom is represented by individuals with different political viewpoints.

Journalism is a profession that few appreciate. The journalism at MediaToday strives to deliver the facts and an analysis of the facts. Nothing should be taken for granted and we ask our readers and audience to ask questions and seek answers.

But we are not in the business of fake news. That, I am afraid, is not up for discussion.

The refusal to ignore the arguments and the facts presented by the bona fide media is something everyone can do, but I guess there is a price for discounting the writing on the wall.