Recycled Alfred Sant Budget response

Was it a Budget response speech or a political party mass meeting taking place in the room normally used as a Parliament? This is the question I ended up asking myself last Monday after having been subjected to the tirade of rhetoric and slogans dished out by Labour leader Joseph Muscat in what some may choose to define as a budget response speech.

Dr Muscat's two-hour performance in Parliament was anything but a budget response. His criticism revolved around individuals within the government and within government departments or companies. It was the same old criticism dished out to us by his predecessor Alfred Sant. The same old banter of the inefficient, tired and corrupt government who could be so out-performed by a Labour administration.

And if this wasn't enough to remind us of the good old days of Dr Sant he then even tried to get our Labour juices going by promising us a reduction in taxes and a reduction in the water and electricity bills. Sounds distinctly familiar to what Dr Sant used to say before the last general election, doesn't it? And yet this is the party which currently prides itself of being a movement of progress and change!

Dr Muscat also gave us yet another version of the "Labour says no" political thought. This time, rather than say no outright, why not agree in principle but then bring up a thousand and one defects to the actual reality of the proposal at hand? Ultimately, however, it's still the same old stale politics of Dr Sant of saying no to anything proposed by the other end of the political spectrum.

Dr Muscat's speech had a bit of everything: an allegation here and there, the odd, hysterical attack, an Alfred Sant proposal recycled for good measure; if only it actually had any comments about the Budget itself it would have perhaps earned the title of a Budget response. Alas it was like that little boy's essay who, while having impeccable English, still manages to get an F for being entirely out of point!