The outcome of last Saturday's parliamentary elections indicated a protest vote against the Nationalist Party in government, if the findings of an on-line poll on the website of The Times is anything to go by.
In the first two days of the survey (which, it must be pointed out, is not a scientific study), launched on Monday, 83 per cent of respondents replied in the affirmative to the question: "Do you think the outcome of last Saturday's EP election was the result of a protest vote?"
A respondent said: "The message was clear: Power is back to the people rather (than) to the politicians! We decide". Another remarked: "This was a wake-up call for the PN. People took the risk this time".
A respondent commented that the PN government concentrated on the EU and forgot about local issues like unfair laws, the inheritance tax, the forgotten 1939 rent law, the shelved changes to the Civil Code and unkept promises.
Another said he felt the EP elections would not affect national policy as such and, therefore, he chose not to exercise his right to vote. "I will not vote for Labour candidates because were it for the MLP, Malta would be in the non-EU qualifiers' league..."
Comments were many and varied. One argued that any vote, be it for or against, should be an endorsement for or a protest against the performance of the government of the day while another said it seemed that the PN campaign did not appeal to the people as it focused on Europe without pinpointing what benefits - if any -individuals would get. On the other hand the MLP targeted the individual.
"It has certainly been a protest vote, people may have protested on the state of the economy, unemployment and the environment," a reader wrote adding that in his view the Maltese electorate had also shown that what was most annoying was arrogance by those in power.
A respondent commented that the government has become big-headed, self-centred, bureaucratic and has lost touch with the people.
"We would have had an excellent team to represent us in the EU had Joanna Drake been successful and if all successful candidates join hands to work for Malta's benefit rather than get entangled in partisan politics. It would have been a good mix," he remarked.
A "Nationalist supporter", who says he did not vote, said he felt it was about time Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi took the bull by the horns and take stock of what is going on around him.
The respondent said he did not vote as he was not capable of switching to any of the other parties or candidates. "However I will vote for another party if this lesson is not learnt by you as a leader (Dr Gonzi), whose role is to lead not study or postpone."
"A blessing in disguise" is how a respondent described the result. He agreed it was a protest vote and another invited readers to have a look at the complete election results in Europe. It was a clear protest vote all over Europe. The governments are now directed to change their politics and improve their work.
"I am a Nationalist supporter who always voted PN but this time I voted Alternattiva as I wished they would obtain a say because the Nationalists are taking very harsh stands on us citizens and are taking us for granted. I wanted to protest," one remarked.
Another maintained that the people have had enough of being taken for a ride by the PN when it came to environmental problems. The result was intended as a warning to the PN.
Yet another remarked that in his opinion calling last Saturday's EP election result a protest vote was an insult to Arnold Cassola who deserved every single first preference vote he got.
The PN should realise once and for all that not all the votes they get in the general election were necessarily Nationalist votes but that a lot of them are just anti-Labour.
A protest vote is one way through which voters made their existence felt... "I am sure we have a competent government. EU means changes and ways of thinking."