What’s the best song to listen to when experiencing a defeat? The Bee Gees You Win Again? Green Day’s Nice Guys Finish Last? Elton John’s Sad Songs Say so Much? I suppose it’s a song which will take the edge of the hollow feeling in the pit of your stomach with lyrics which offer a glimpse of hope during dark moments. The soundtrack which we choose to accompany us in our lowest moments is indicative of what happens next.

I remember an amusing episode which took place in the aftermath of the Nationalist Party’s shock electorate defeat in 1996. It was John Bundy’s turn to choose the playlist for his programme on Radio 101. Back then Bundy was the Nationalist DJ – with his squawking duck companion Bundinu – he was a cheerful presence on radio, fielding calls from the true blue fans and generally jollying things along during the afternoon wasteland hours. He was also emblematic of Radio 101 and the Nationalist Party. On that Sunday in October 1996 as the Labour votes poured in, outweighing the Nationalist votes, Labour supporters celebrated their victory with the usual carcades.

Stunned Nationalist supporters tuned in to Radio 101to find out why the promised ‘photofinish’ had turned into a walloping defeat. Exuberant Labour voters tuned in to see if Bundy had fled the country and had left funereal marches to be played on a loop.

And there instead of static or funeral dirges or some dusty recording of a programme about the history of Maltese elections, was John Bundy’s playlist of sad songs. They tripped out one after the other – from Abba’s The Winner Takes it All to The Whole of the Moon and then – self-piss-takingly We are the Champions. You had to smile. Even at the party’s lowest ebb, here was someone cocking a snook at defeat, at losing. And everybody knows what happened after that.

Wasn’t there one, single conservation-minded nature lover in the Labour Cabinet with enough spine to declare his or her support for the No vote?

I thought back to that melancholy medley last Sunday when the referendum results were declared. The anti-hunting lobby lost. Granted it was a close call with a mere 2,200 votes difference – but in referendums as in elections – a miss is as good as a mile. So the No vote lost. My initial feelings were of bitterness and disappointment. It seemed that once again we had failed to seize the opportunity to safeguard birds, beauty and the environment. It was intensely sad. But over the last few days things came into perspective.

The one thing that stands out in this ongoing saga is the repeated and disgusting betrayal of the country by political class. All of us – the pro- and anti-hunting lobby and even those who may be indifferent have been forced into this state of confrontation because politicians have refused to shoulder their responsibilities and enforce the law. They have tipped the balance so far in favour of hunters that they have given rise to deep-seated resentment in environmentalists.

This laissez-faire approach to law enforcement has also led hunters to believe that they can get away with anything – with the attendant repercussions on their reputation (And don’t shoot back with the severe penalties meted out to erring hunters this week – Those are a mere two cases as compared to hundreds of cases of unpunished offences).

Over the years Nationalist and Labour politicians shirked their duty to see anything was done, creating a pressure cooker of tensions which was – and may still be – bound to explode. This political betrayal continued in the run-up to the referendum when both parties campaigned for a Yes victory.

Let’s be clear about this. There were many things wrong with the No campaign – a complacent attitude, failure to connect with all segments of the electorate and a tendency to preach to the converted.

However, many of the party faithful follow the official party line and do their leader’s bidding. And the backing of the leader and the party machine is the one factor which has always tipped the balance one way or another in all elections.

Joseph Muscat is practically a political deity for his supporters. His fiat of the Yes vote is very influential. And I don’t think he can deny the professional party mobilisation of voters on voting day with the inclusion of phone calls, transport and whatnot. As for the Labour Cabinet, what can I say? Wasn’t there one, single conservation-minded nature lover with enough spine to declare his or her support for the No vote? Not Roderick Galdes with his enthusiasm to build a pet cemetery? What about the Invisible Minister for the Environment Leo Brincat? Or the early morning rambler Evarist Bartolo with his daily posts about the beauty of twittering birds?

Turning over to the Nationalist Party, it is clear that Simon Busuttil chose to try and outwit Muscat by declaring the same voting preference. I am informed that PN exponents who wanted to express their preference for a No vote were told that it would be better for the party to be seen as voting en bloc. What are the results of this pathetic decision? That not one single Nationalist MP publicly supported or represented the 124,214 voters who voted No. Not a single one.

And yet despite the total betrayal of the political class, the No movement managed to garner such wide support. It’s not enough but it should suffice to renew our efforts to strive for conservation and sustainability. If we have come so far, we will not falter now, simply because we care enough. To quote from a book I’ve read, “The centre will hold.” The protagonist claims. “How do you know?” his friend asks. “We are the centre.”

cl.bon@nextgen.net.mt