Politics, whether with a capital or a small p, is always a topical issue. At election time the subject is, of course, the topic of the day for a good number of weeks. The ongoing campaigning by the two large political parties ensures that issues of a political nature in their widest sense possible remain on the agenda. Alas, it is not unusual that what the electorate thinks needs to be debated is actually what the spin doctors push to the fore. This could include "controversies" meant solely to take public attention away from what really matters.
See what is happening now. The outcome of a meeting the Prime Minister had with Renzo Piano about the City Gate project, the upcoming national protest over the new utility tariffs, controversial divorce legislation and the package to bus owners serve to sway attention away from a serious situation developing in the political sphere and directly affecting the two big political parties. Not that such matters should be ignored but for people's participation in political life to really count - an essential ingredient in a healthy, living democracy - they must be allowed, and indeed encouraged, to focus on what is of the essence in terms of ensuring real choices when election time comes.
There can be little doubt that both the Nationalist Party and the Labour Party are far from ready to face an electorate and demand a mandate to run the country.
The PN in government increasingly appears to be out of control, shorn of new ideas and spending a lot of time managing an internal crisis that promises to continue growing.
On the other hand, the PL in opposition still lacks credibility and has yet to come up with a solid and robust programme on how it plans to address the issues it says are being mishandled by the Gonzi Administration.
In a nutshell, Labour is still daydreaming and the Nationalists face a nightmare.
That does not bode well for the future of the country and that is why the people must be allowed to focus on what really matters. The spin doctors are likely to label this as an exaggeration. They can do that at their own parties' peril.
Take the PL's general conference and the closing address by leader Joseph Muscat. What has emerged from that event to make the party qualify as an alternative government? What workable plans has Dr Muscat unveiled apart from the usual rhetoric and wanting to be all things to all people, all the time? Will the advent of a movement of progressives and moderates in addition to a party, a new emblem and an administrative head called by any other name but general secretary offer a real alternative?
Whether enough is being done or not, the Nationalist government is somehow handling the precarious economic situation the country is facing. As a party, however, things seem to be going from bad to worse. Whether it is because of lack of leadership, indiscipline, arrogance, fatigue or whatever, the fact remains that the PN must take stock of the situation and put its house in order. This is now an urgent matter.
The PN should not waste any more time to start thinking outside the box, look at the mirror, glance straight in its own eyes and see whether accusations of fatigue, arrogance, insensitivity and coteries are justified or not.
The political parties must perforce keep their ears to the ground and constantly feel the people's pulse. That is not happening.