The Malta Labour Party has for some time now been preaching to us about the need to have a new beginning. This catch phrase is at the very heart of the entire electoral campaign being conducted by Labour; or at least that's what Labour wants us all to believe. But just how new is Labour's new beginning?

Have we seen any significant change in the Labour Party leadership since Labour's last stint in government between 1996 and 1998? Have we seen any significant change in Labour's tactics during their stint in opposition from 1998 till the present day? Is Labour proposing any new ideas on which it will build the next administration if indeed the electorate trusts Labour to lead Malta during the next five years? Is Labour really going to offer us all a new beginning?

The answer without any shadow of a doubt is a resounding no. Labour's electoral campaign is no new beginning. It is an extension of its last years in opposition; a barrage of mud thrown against the government and a dependence on being elected by default rather than on actual issues.

Contrast this with the attitude of Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi. The PN has over the past years, since the election of a new leader and a new deputy leader, and even at this early stage of the campaign, already made it clear that his next government will be characterised by the presence of new blood. The Prime Minister and the Nationalist Party have not simply rested on the massive achievements of the last administration but are offering our country concrete and realistic proposals; proposals which are not merely electoral gimmicks but which have been welcomed by a vast array of social partners.

Indeed, Labour is right. Someone does need a plan for a new beginning. That someone is the Malta Labour Party and unless it truly does start a fresh page with a new beginning, then Labour is simply more of the same.

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