While the Maltese general election may be three years or less away, the British election campaign has less than three weeks to go, and yet it might be opportune to risk drawing some comparisons that can be running in parallel in the two different political landscapes as well as others that might keep them apart.
On the age level, while both incumbent Prime Ministers Gordon Brown and Lawrence Gonzi will be almost 60 by the time the respective elections fall due, Gonzi will be up against a leader 21 years his junior, while there will be a 15-year gap between Brown and Cameron.
Although there is no doubt that the British election simply had to be about the economy, in Malta the cost of living, quality of life, environmental health and corruption are likely to be prominent agenda items too.
While it remains debatable as to whether Malta has actually moved out of the recession or not, the question many people are asking is how the utility bills will impact on our economic activity, as well as whether, on the other hand, we are well geared for an eventual post-recessionary scenario.
I am of the opinion that in both Malta and the UK, foreign affairs issues will hardly feature on the electoral agenda, although the way we re-position ourselves within the EU to meet the challenges and opportunities ahead - particularly in view of the forthcoming Presidency in 2017 - should prove to be pivotal.
In the UK some thought things were dreadful, but getting better, while others thought they were dreadful but getting worse. I leave it up to readers to figure out how they feel about the economic and political fallout that the current administration in Malta has generated.
Come election time a decisive factor in Malta will be the trust factor. In the UK the bad news for both key leaders is that some lack of trust remains.
On a different level, both leaders in the UK and in Malta stand to be judged on how successful they have and can be in getting certain messages and images into people's heads.
While recapturing Middle England voters will be of the essence, the fast eroding middle class in Malta will nevertheless have a major say in the final outcome. Particularly since many are middle class by self-definition.
The biggest task ahead of the key leaders in both countries is to ascertain who of them is believed to be actually telling the truth about the future.
In the UK no one in the political class seems prepared to engage in the real debate that most voters say they want to hear. I believe that in Malta things will work out differently. While the Maltese government seems to have lost the plot on many an issue, the PL has managed to put forward many new inspirational ideas, while offering a sense of vision that addresses people's needs and aspirations.
The problem with British Labour is that it has been in government far too long - definitely by its own yardstick - while in Malta's case the same applies to the Nationalist Party which has almost grown into an institutional government. But as time goes by, in Malta it is not only feeling the strains of having governed for too long, but there is the perception that it risks collapsing under the weight of its own inherent contradictions.
The worst thing that can ever happen to any government is when it becomes economically untenable and morally unacceptable.
Although pointers are quite clear as to which direction we seem to be heading in, only time will tell whether Gonzipn will manage to reverse the tide.
While the Tories are perceived as having peaked too early, the worst thing that could happen to the PL is for it to go through the same experience. Complacency would be the net consequence - something for which it could have to pay a stiff price.
The subliminal effect of the attacks on the PL is that of trying to erode the sparkle of novelty of the new leader while whipping up a haze of cooked up uncertainty. The nature of the fog of uncertainty still wreathes around the Tories in the UK.
At day's end I predict an American-style campaign in Malta where the new media will play a pivotal role. On current performance the PL has a leader who has shifted to delivering messages of optimism, offering a modern alternative while looking dynamic and energetic. Can one say the same for Gonzi?
In the final analysis, in both the UK and Malta the decisive three factors will be: hope, fear and/or change. I have a nagging feeling that next time round people will have less time and patience for 'razzmatazz or shopping lists'. What they will seek instead will be the most compelling vision for the future.
brincat.leo@gmail.com
Mr Brincat is Labour spokesman for the environment, sustainable development and climate change.