Lawrence Gonzi was not the first politician to call for a new way of doing politics. But being so new in his post as Prime Minister he may have felt an urge to retransmit the message, as it were, in the hope that this time perhaps it would not fall on deaf ears.

If a survey were to be carried out tomorrow on how the public feels about his plea for consensus on major issues there is no doubt that most would agree with the Prime Minister. The reason is not hard to find; the electorate is tired of the style of politics we have developed and long for a change. But unfortunately the political environment does not seem to be ready for such change.

In fact, while Dr Gonzi's plea for consensus has generated some positive reaction in some quarters, it does not seem to have made any impact on the political class. As the situation stands today, the likelihood is that matters will remain the same as they have been for years on end, with both sides at each other's political throat. Yet, this is not what the electorate wants and the results of recent general elections have shown that, contrary to what many of the politicians may think, people are using their mind, not their hearts, when they come to vote.

Some may well argue the government is lacking in public relations but on the other hand an electorate can well see for itself if a government really deserves to be re-elected or not. For example, no amount of public relations would have persuaded the people that the administration was dong all it could to clean up the island of the rubbish that was accumulating in many areas so rapidly all throughout summer.

So, where do we go from here? With Labour still confident it has the support of the majority of the electorate, the political barometer is expected to stay as it is now. This is not in Malta's interest and the more independent analysts bring this up the greater will the people understand that Labour's political stance is damaging to the island's economic and social development.

This is not to suggest that Labour ought to hold back from criticising the government. In a vibrant democracy as that we have here, it is important that the opposition remains on the ball all the time so as to keep the administration in check, as should the independent media. But when so many problems are confronting the island at present, would it not be wise on the part of the opposition to draw a line and decide to give its contribution to the solution of key problems? If Labour wants to be considered as the alternative government, would not this be in its own interest too?

The electorate may be disgruntled at the way the Nationalists are administering the country but this does not automatically mean it would go for Labour at the next election. A wise electorate would not if Labour does not show it is a credible political party and proves it has sound policies.

Today's political battle is for the minds, not hearts, of the voters. It is this refreshing new development in local politics that is most likely to bring about the desired change in the way we do politics. The problem is that it takes time to come about.