Anyone who follows British politics could not help noticing many similarities between Tony Blair’s massive Labour landslide victory in 1997 and Joseph Muscat’s landslide Labour victory last week.
We were elected as a movement and we will govern as a movement
There were parallels not only in the electoral campaign and in the aftermath of Muscat’s victory but also in the way Labour evolved over the past five years.
Upon Mr Blair’s landslide election victory in 1997 his first words to jubilant supporters were: “A new day has dawned, has it not?” He then remarked: “We were elected as New Labour and we will govern as New Labour”.
Soon after Labour’s landslide victory in Malta last Sunday Joseph Muscat told the media: “We were elected as a movement and we will govern as a movement”.
Later in the day he then told thousands of supporters at the Granaries in Floriana: “A new day has dawned where we can say that Malta belongs to us all”.
Mr Blair’s 1997 Labour landslide win came after after four consecutive conservative victories; the last one being in 1992, which was narrowly won by John Major, Margaret Thatcher’s successor, with a tiny (by the UK’s standards) 20-seat majority.
Dr Muscat’s landslide victory, on the other hand, came after three consecutive Nationalist Party victories; the last one being in 2008, which was narrowly won by Lawrence Gonzi, Eddie Fenech Adami’s successor, by 1,500 votes and a one- seat parliamentary majority.
Like Mr Blair, Dr Muscat changed the image of his party and opened it up to moderates and liberals and to people from all walks of life who previously could not identify themselves with Labour.
Dr Muscat also praised Dr Fenech Adami and the many political and economic reforms that he brought about after 1987. This was an attempt to get the vote of disgruntled Nationalists and was the same strategy adopted by Mr Blair, who praised Mrs Thatcher’s reforms while criticising Mr Major prior to the 1997 UK election.
That strategy paid off and Mr Blair got the vote of many traditional Conservative voters; likewise Dr Muscat also got the vote of many traditional Nationalists. There are other similarities. Mr Blair’s father, Leo, was once a Conservative and was also the chairman of his local Conservative association.
Furthermore, Mr Blair went to a public (private) school in Scotland.
These facts made typical Conservative voters feel more at ease with voting Labour.
The same can be said about Dr Muscat. He attended a Church school and his mother is said to have a Nationalist background.
Both these facts were used by Dr Muscat to show his Labour movement in government would be different to any previous Labour government.