We are living in an age where branding is essential for survival. We do not only brand products, but also the country, political parties, organisations and individuals in order to be synonymous with one area or another.

The successes of the Nationalist Party throughout its history have led many to brand it as the party of crusades. The Nationalist Party successfully launched a number of crusades that were essential for Malta's survival.

It crusaded for Independence and was the party that believed that we could live and grow as an independent nation at a time when the Labour Party, among others, wanted integration, the total opposite.

Following Dom Mintoff's electoral victory in 1971, the Nationalist Party had to wage a crusade to safeguard democracy and justice under the socialists' oppressive government. As a little boy I was brought up living the injustices suffered by those who opposed the regime. I remember the weekly mass meetings of defiance; I remember the violence that marred our political history. Were it not for the determination of the Nationalist Party in those days, the country would have slid into either civil strife or dictatorship.

The last and most recent crusade was the Nationalist Party's successful quest to take Malta into the EU. This quest was turned into a crusade by the muddled policies of the Labour Party, which first froze Malta's application, then refused to accept the referendum result.

Those were years that saw the Nationalist Party draw the admiration and support of a huge number of people, many of whom also volunteered long hours of work at headquarters and the clubs, in the streets and in their homes.

As a person who is involved within the Nationalist Party, such people should never be forgotten or underestimated.

The Nationalist Party has now achieved normality for the country. Nobody doubts that democracy is fully respected and we cannot foresee a return to the dark ages in the near future. We are now members of the European Union and there is political consensus that this should remain the case.

Therefore, if the PN insists on continuing to brand itself as the party of crusades, and if it seeks to wage another grand campaign, it risks being perceived as tilting at windmills, like Don Quixote.

Political reality dictates that future election campaigns will be won or lost mainly on economic and social issues.

By the time the next general election takes place, in 2008, the new voters would have been born long after Dom Mintoff and Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici left Castille.

To these new voters, the Tal-Barrani incidents and the closure of the Church schools are history that makes interesting reading. They will not vote one way or the other because of something that happened when they were not even born.

The Nationalist Party must now brand itself as the Party of Solutions. Anybody who has been in office can vouch that solutions are not easy to come by. Most solutions rarely fully satisfy all those concerned.

Notwithstanding any criticism, I doubt that any serious commentator can say that the Nationalist Party has avoided taking decisions. Lawrence Gonzi's government has tackled issues that had been looming for quite some time, such as the liberalisation of cargo activities at the ports, the reduction of the deficit and the introduction of low-cost airlines, to mention a few.

As a party we should neither justify nor hide the fact that times have changed and the electorate should accept that the party is constantly and dynamically evolving. The natural expression of evolution is accompanied by the need to respond to current issues. These issues do not need an overdramatic response, but level headedness.

The Nationalist Party competes with parties that lack concrete policies. They excel in non-committal and in Punch and Judy politics that have bored us all.

The people want a party with solutions to the ever changing situations.

The Nationalist Party has changed from the glorious years of mass demonstrations and it will have to gear itself to respond to the aspirations of the public without much drama. The Nationalist Party wants to be relevant to those who are considering their future and are ambitious to improve themselves and the country.

Dr Mifsud is President of the College of Councillors of the Nationalist Party and is a candidate on the first district.