Wonders never cease. The latest that falls neatly into this category is a gem of a political charge. Labour leader Joseph Muscat is blaming successive Nationalist governments for the people's scepticism in politicians because, according to him, they lied to win elections.

The accusation automatically triggers a subsidiary question: Does the Labour leader mean that Labour had never politically lied to the electorate at election time to win votes? It is not the substance of the question or, indeed, of the answer, that matters most here, but Dr Muscat's sheer audacity in putting the question at all.

Rather than putting his party in a good light, his political dig rebounds like a boomerang and adds scepticism in, and disenchantment with, politicians generally as a class. Hard-core supporters of both parties revel in such accusations, particularly at election time, but the country is not in the midst of a general election and many, including possibly all uncommitted voters, would not be amused at this kind of talk when the election is still so far away.

Many will no doubt be of the opinion that, in such an intervening period before an election, and in such a micro, and financially fragile state as Malta, politicians ought to be more circumspect and moderate in their political talk.

Funnily enough, the growing disenchantment with politicians and with politics comes in the wake of promises by the leaders of the two largest parties that they mean to introduce a new style of doing politics. Has anyone noticed any difference in this since Nationalist Party leader Lawrence Gonzi promised this on his election as leader?

Dr Muscat promised a new political season. When, exactly, does it start?

It is amazing how the parties continue to promise so much in this regard and deliver so little, if at all. Thankfully, we have no physical political violence today; nor do we have the kind of political tension that gripped the island for so long in times past. But this is not to say that there has been any particular new style of doing politics, or that we are living in a new political season. We are not.

The pettiness that so often characterises Maltese politics is sometimes hard to believe, and it is doubtful whether the parties want to stamp it out.

So, to twist a bit the theme of a talk given by the Labour leader, "What does the politician expect from journalists", last week, what does the electorate expect from politicians? One point made at the talk (not by the Labour leader) was that politicians deserve to be given greater respect by the media. Well, politicians ought to respect themselves first if they want to be respected by others. Voters are not stupid and can well see who does his work well and who does not, even though this may not always be reflected in the way voters in particular constituencies vote at election time.

Politicians will automatically win greater respect from the people if they work, at all times, in favour of the national interest, rather than, first, to retain their parliamentary seat. As one British newspaper put it so well when it analysed the MPs expenses scandal some time ago, politicians are not doing us an honour by sitting on the benches; we are doing them an honour by investing in them the power to make decisions about our daily lives as our elected representatives.