Fading colours of politics?

Whenever a person who has a particular political party's hue crosses over to the other side, this is bound to cause some noise - and Marisa Micallef's recent change of heart was no exception.

This was interpreted differently - from a sign of victory by some to an accusation of opportunism by others. The fact remains that this is the result of freedom of choice and democracy.

Some international political analysts see these changes in a different light though - and they argue that political parties nowadays no longer stick to a particular colour or "wing", but rather, are themselves becoming a rainbow of beliefs. This may have seriously appeared in Malta thanks to the PN becoming a more social(ist) party in its recent history.

We are now experiencing a move away from ideologies - it is being argued - and therefore hot issues have changed their form. It's no longer left, centre or right that's the focus, but rather the policies being adopted. While the citizen's right of freedom in its various forms has been accepted by all in the democratic world, it is now the prioritisation of social, educational, cultural and fiscal matters, to take a few examples, that are subject of the political parties' agenda.

If this is so also for Malta, then we may not be so surprised if we see more prominent people crossing the political divide as they better identify themselves with the political party that, in their opinion, gets the priorities right. I bet that the million dollar question that the leaders are asking themselves is: Would the majority of voters follow suit?

But where does this leave those with stronger ideological bonds? Would they integrate in this "new" political environment? Will these elements be ignored? If so, would this be the start of new political movements emanating from the fringes of the "establishments"?

Will our politicians stick to "time will tell" or would they try to ensure that these are catered for in their party? Maybe this will depend upon the extent of the potential loss.