The country must be in a sorry state for Finance Minister Tonio Fenech to have to defend his handling of the economy (PL Strategy: Mintoffian Economics, The Sunday Times, September 2) through a newspaper article. Is there no one in the country who believes in his policies and can come forward to make the case?

It is becoming safer every day to say that Labour won’t work, Fenech writes, going back to the Thatcher years for a slogan which his party copied. From a government which preaches innovation and creativity, this is quite incredible.

Fenech refers to second-hand infrastructure, prompted, I presume, by the second-hand buses being used by Arriva, even though millions were spent on public transport reform. Very few people remember going to buy chocolate and toothpaste from Sicily, he tells us. I agree with this, because today people go to Sicily to buy medicines that are either out of stock or much more expensive in Malta.

Labour has condemned every significant investment, we are told, mentioning the Delimara power station. From the beginning, however, that investment was mired in controversies.

We had frozen wages then, Mr Fenech points out. Today we have precarious employment being offered by his government to protect competitiveness. Privatisation was objected to, as well, he points out. Who would not object to selling Mid-Med Bank at such a price? And who would not object to the privatisation of the post office, which was so efficient when under government control?