It was predictable that Labour, even under its supposedly new leader Joseph Muscat, would follow the usual ploy, so beloved of Alfred Sant, of resorting to "the streets" before the budget, instead of telling the country what its vision really is.
Reminiscent of October Labour demos in the past, which in the 1970s and 1980s ended up in the violence for which Dr Muscat keeps refusing to unconditionally apologise, the present leader's call to a public manifestation is truly a diversion from international reality.
It is, first of all, a diversion from the reality of the global financial crisis that the world has passed through in the past year and that has brought countries big and small to their knees. Iceland comes to mind: the same country Dr Muscat had specifically targeted in an article he wrote in Iceland's main newspaper pompously pronouncing his "God forbid" to Iceland's European Union membership.
Maltese who have investments in Sterling know as well what consequences the financial crisis has wrought on a relatively big economy such as Britain's. In contrast, Malta has weathered the global financial crisis well, with our banks in the top category for strength and stability, mostly because of Lawrence Gonzi's foresight in 2005 to go for early euro adoption, which Dr Muscat had argued against.
Dr Muscat's call is also a diversion from the reality of the international recession. Even though our economy has weathered this deepest international recession in 80 years relatively well - with the unemployment level in Malta half of what it is in similar countries and a third of what it is in Dr Muscat's Spanish socialist model - we cannot hide from this huge fact that affects our principal economic pillars: exports, manufacturing and tourism.
Labour's call is a diversion as well from the twin realities of climate change and the price of oil. Dr Muscat cannot refuse to acknowledge that even we in Malta must do our bit to reduce carbon emissions, a substantial proportion of which comes from electricity generation. Labour's dream of living in a world that subsidises electricity waste is living in an altogether different universe.
A related reality is, naturally, the price of oil. The dream that someone in the world will sell us oil products at a discount "because the wages in Malta are not high" is just that, a dream. Reality is, unfortunately different.
The oil price in February was $35 a barrel but it has now more than doubled to $80. Anyone who believes this will not be reflected in the prices Malta has to pay internationally to buy fuels to produce electricity and water and to fill up our cars just wants to deceive people.
That is why "the streets" are a false solution. Coming from pretentious politicians who pose as new messiahs, false solutions are a dangerous diversion from the real solutions we need in order to come out stronger from the present international situation and ride the wave once the international economy gets going again.