People who blog keep saying either how scared they are that the MLP might win the election, or how tremulous they are that the PN will stay in government.
I read blogs because they give you a feel of the public pulse. Some of it is waffle, but among the chaff one gets some enlightened views. Stephen Bezzina was my recent favourite blogger, because he hit the nail on the head. He wrote:
“It looks to me that not much has changed in politics since I left Malta 20 years ago. Political fanaticism is still rife... have the balls to tell the politicians what you think. Ask questions when you have stuff thrown at you and do not just accept it. Most of all before you vote next Saturday try to see what is under wraps because all politicians will say one thing before the election and do another after.”
Well, I think I have the accoutrements mentioned by Mr Bezzina and unlike the academics, who according to Monday’s Times editorial only agreed to comment on a recent report in The Times about Labour’s proposal for a reception class “on condition of anonymity!” And that “Contributions by academics are few and far between,” I am not scared to air my views.
I am troubled that arrogance and nepotism will reach new heights and corruption will not be adequately tackled, if the PN is returned to power.
Then, I am anxious that although the MLP deserves a chance to be in government, its leader and entourage might screw up.
Both parties are promising much. But unfortunately, it is only after the election that the packages will be unravelled and we shall truly know where the money to pay for all the goodies will come from.
Alfred Sant worries me because although he says he will fight corruption, which is positive, I find his attitude ambiguous, not to corruption, but in general he wavers between coyness and arrogance.
His Mr Cool stance makes me wary. Emotions need to be controlled but not suppressed; the latter is unhealthy. At some point a limited amount of steam has to be let out, otherwise like a pressure cooker it will explode.
I guess what Dr Sant lacks is passion. Not that Dr Gonzi overflows with it, but he is slightly less cool.
In fact, they are both similar to Vladimir Putin when it comes to charisma. And yet they are all popular with the masses, Putin despite, or perhaps because of, his suppressing the press.
People like him in spite of his record on human rights and going back on his word on what he would do, when he got the power.
Russians have put their wallets before fighting corruption and freedom of information and dissent, and voted in his man Dmitri Medvedev.
Getting back to the local scene. Another thing that causes me unease about Dr Sant is that when he is challenged, he tries to make out that whoever is questioning him, or his actions, is either dim or not well informed.
This pseudo intellectualism is an unfortunate trait also in evidence in the media opposing him.
However, he was right to walk out before the airing of the TVM press conference. It would have been a charade.
Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando has done a really good job of upstaging the rest of his colleagues by turning into a drama queen. He has used the alleged scandal to put himself in the limelight with the added dramatics of tears and prima donna behaviour.
The term “journalist” has become very flexible. I suppose that every politician who has an article published in the papers is now a journalist and that bloggers will be next.
Besides the fact that JPO is a candidate in the forthcoming election, only bona fide journalists - people who earn their living from that profession - should be present at a State Television press conference. TVM was wrong to allow JPO to stay.
Now let’s take a look at Dr Gonzi. At least he does admit to making mistakes and he is promising to right some of the wrongs.
But, he has not come out nearly strongly enough against corruption, arrogance and nepotism and was too late on certain much-needed reforms, especially MEPA. Those to my mind are the PN’s major failings.
It is up to each individual voter to weigh up what s/he thinks is right and decides which way to go, but, at the end of the line, one thing I do hope for is good winners and good losers.
It is going to be galling for the people who have worked so hard for their party to win to see their party lose, more so for the MLP because they have not had a chance to govern for so long, except for a short blip.
And the people whose party will win shall be more than a little elated. Of course jubilation is expected, but it should not be a time to avenge past grievances or gloating.
If only the next Prime Minister would make a genuine effort to tackle deep-seated resentments between red and blue, get rid of the political party stations and ensure that our nation thrives on meritocracy and not partisanship.

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