Running out of reason(s)

Almost unbelievably Alfred Sant is now turning to articles written in 1948/1949 to support his anti-EU stance! In his piece last week (Preposterous interference) he actually quoted from my grandfather's evening newspaper, The Bulletin.

He managed to draw a parallel between the reality of Malta colonised by the Brits, and the proposed (in his view) colonisation of Malta by the EU. He would have us believe that the EU will become like our old colonial masters, the Brits.

Funny that... I can't think of one EU country where this has actually happened, but how sad that a supposedly modern Labour Party with a hopefully liberal soul should try to scare people in this way? Dr Sant also admitted to actual sympathy with the views expressed by this columnist even though he admits this writer was a "staunch conservative and anti socialist."

Not surprising really that Dr Sant is running out of valid reasons not to join the EU when the only people who really agree with him are the far right in France or in Switzerland or in the UK. How odd in Malta to have a potential socialist PM whose views tally with the far right in Europe, at least as far as the EU is concerned.

The other important group who agree with Dr Sant are of course those staunch Labour voters who just believe what their leader tells them, and will happily change their mind about the EU if Labour decides to change its mind if a referendum goes in favour. Political analysts in Malta should never forget that even after all those years of Labour slump and oppression and years of bullying, the Nats only won with a one seat majority in 1987.

Nationalists have only won elections after that because people actually experienced Nationalist administrations where money was free flowing. People want money in their pockets and in a pure propaganda war between the PN and the MLP the latter win hands down. People don't vote Nationalist because of legislative achievements as some seem to think. People in Malta voted PN because they were better off under the PN, particularly financially. Now years of carrots have been replaced by two years of sticks via taxed fringe benefits, lost children's allowance and raised tax rates. This could lose us EU membership, a reality some parts of the PN are only just waking up to.

But back to Labour floaters or thinkers. How on earth does the intellectual class within the modern Labour movement reconcile themselves with the xenophobic stance of the MLP? How do they honestly feel about Dr Sant's views on Europe, as well as his apparent determination to ignore the result of a referendum, or whatever wheeze Labour are planning for 2003?

Clearly many of these will not vote or perhaps vote Alternattiva Demokratika come the referendum, as AD has always been a refuge for disillusioned Labourites rather than disillusioned Nationalists.

What Dr Sant and his cronies are saying ad nauseum is that we as Maltese and Gozitans must solve our own problems. This is actually the nub of Labour policy, rajna f'idejna in propaganda terms.

Well of course, no one can disagree with that! But let's be clear. Problems will always be with us. Solutions to problems almost invariably create new problems, as the environmental problems caused by increased consumerism and affluence invariably demonstrate. Joining the EU is not about letting foreigners solve our problems

But it is about allowing some help in. The help can be in the form of expertise. The help can be in the form of hard cash. The help can be in the form of us not having to reinvent the wheel, which means adopting tried and tested standards.

Most important of all perhaps is money. In a country with a deficit, in a country where we all avoid taxes if we can, does refusing money make any sense! This simple argument should be at the heart of a simple propaganda war from the PN

Point one. Who in his right mind would turn down financial help from Europe? Only the MLP.

Point two. Where will the money come from otherwise? Your and my taxes of course!

Point three. So what will a Labour vote get you? The privilege of paying even more taxes to clean up our environment?

Or a potential Labour government that will not even invest at all in our environment for fear of losing votes from hunters or industry or consumers who will one day have to follow the consumer pays principle?

There is no doubt that there is nothing solid behind Dr Sant's determination to keep us out of Europe other than pure partisan pique. That and a lack of reasoning and reason. It seems that he has no other aim for this country other than to pay the PN back for taking power back in 1998. Never mind the good of this country. This is on the back burner for the time being. Of course the losers in all this will not be the PN or the MLP. This country is itself on a losing and loser's track... a fast track to sharing the same glorious fate as our neighbours in North Africa.

That in a nutshell is Dr Sant's dream for us. Switzerland in the Med has been shelved. The promise is now of North Africa in the Med.

Voters should remember that while Switzerland in the Med is unrealisable, North Africa in the Med is entirely possible.