Politicians never learn. However much people express dissatisfaction at the puerile manner in which they often attack each other, they tend to keep adopting the same old-fashioned tactics, probably in the belief they are pleasing their supporters. Life would be so much different if only they realise how irritating this has become.

A case in point was the recent Nationalist Party comment on the finance ministry’s statement on jobless figures.

Many are now bracing themselves for the usual political ritual associated with the presentation of the Budget, with many showing disinterest in the details unless these are of direct concern to them. Actually, the first real Budget of this Administration is awaited with keen interest because people are eager to learn how exactly it plans to raise more revenue through indirect taxation. That is a bridge that has yet to be crossed, though the political budgetary marathon will be as keen as the ones before it.

But to go back to the remarks over the jobless figure, most of the comments made by two PN spokesmen over the finance ministry’s statement were somewhat out of place.

Joseph Muscat’s government may be failing on some of the very important promises the Labour Party made in the election campaign, particularly meritocracy, but the country’s economic direction has not changed.

Again, the new Administration may be spreading its wings and seeking new avenues of economic cooperation with countries far and wide, to put it in the usual diplomatic jargon politicians are so fond of using, but Malta has not made any about-turn in its economic outlook, nor does it plan to do so. It was therefore inappropriate to say, as the Nationalist spokesmen did, that the finance minister was being insensitive to the plight of 7,619 individuals who are unemployed. The minister, they said, was ignoring these people, who all had a name, identity number and address and who were calling on the Employment and Training Corporation for a job.

Such talk is as empty as that which Labour politicians used to resort to with equal enthusiasm when they were in Opposition. It impresses no one except keen party supporters and gives politicians a bad name.

The remarks over the jobless figure arose after the National Statistics Office, itself the object of some criticism from Labour, said that the number of people registering as unemployed in September totalled 7,619, a rise of 750 over the corresponding month last year. The NSO was comparing like with like and could not be faulted. However, the finance ministry quickly remarked that Malta’s unemployment rate was on a downward trend and remained the fourth lowest within the European Union.

The EU statistical agency, Eurostat, gave Malta’s unemployment rate in August at 6.4 per cent. The ministry remarked that Eurostat also said that Malta’s unemployment rate dropped from 6.6 per cent in May to 6.4 per cent in August. Therefore, although there is a rise when comparing the figure for September this year with that of September last year, the trend for the period quoted by Eurostat does show a decline, which is all to the good.

Hopefully, the trend will be maintained and, if it does, this will be to the credit of all those who managed to generate the new jobs.

It is the job creators who deserve all the credit, though, of course, wise government direction helps.