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): 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. 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. 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.
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