Aspiration and disappointment will play a key role in selecting the next Prime Minister. Aspiration is being directly addressed by the two parties of government. Disappointment, understandably, is a trickier matter for them. But we do need to measure them by it, since it is playing such a major role in this campaign.
Disappointment is tricky even for those who are disappointed to deal with. It's easy to tell that one wishes the PN in government had done more than it did - no matter how much it did. Many of us are suffering from a sense of relative deprivation: thanks to the preparations for EU membership, and membership itself, the government's achievements on the environment and quality of life have been broadly positive but our expectations have risen even faster.
It is also easy to tell that Labour seems to be, at best, a fluffy alternative. At worst, it appears to be led by a leader who seems prepared to jeopardise our standing within the EU.
But getting beyond knowing that we are disappointed is less easy. Disappointment is a squishy mood, not prone to making important distinctions. But distinctions matter if we want to expel this disappointment.
If it is relative deprivation that is driving our disappointment, then the most important thing is to listen to what the two parties of government are promising to make the country really take off.
The minor parties, unable to govern, unable to drive any agenda except compromises over programmes, by definition cannot be in the driver's seat. They can only back-seat drive. The arithmetic of the electoral system this time round shows that, as with the European Parliament election, they can only have spoiler status.
But disappointment can also be driven by a sense of the perversity and futility of our current political system. A sense strong enough to make one disinterested in politics - enough to abstain from voting.
But if disappointment matters, then so do politics. The world will not stand still until Malta gets everything near perfect. Anyone who wants to dispel disappointment has a better chance of doing this by voting for the party that will govern best for the next five years. Otherwise, with the rest of the world moving forward, the gap between our expectations and sense of achievement can only grow, and grow enormously.
As it happens, there is a rough way of gauging which party has recognised our disappointment more. We should ask: What signs has each party given that they have got my message? If they do give important, convincing signs of such recognition, then maybe things are not so futile after all.
On this measure, the PN is trying hard to convince us that it has learned its lesson. Lawrence Gonzi has announced that sustainable development will be at the heart of his agenda in the next legislature. The carbon deficit will be dealt with the same way he dealt with the financial deficit - from the Office of the Prime Minister.
The EU-Arab League meeting that ended this Tuesday also showed the kind of international environmental initiatives his government is capable of taking. Sustainable development is not possible without projects undertaken together with all our neighbours. My conversations with some of the Arab participants in the meeting struck me with their enthusiasm; they said it went way beyond their expectations. The final statement barely captured the constructive discussions of the meeting. It seems that the EU's External Relations Commissioner is determined to continue to push the agenda forward.
What surprises me about Labour, on the other hand, is that they do not even seem to care to signal to me that they have learned any lessons. One year they make a hoo-hah about accepting EU membership; this year Alfred Sant indicates that he will, after all, seek "partnership" within the EU.
One week they boast about their good relations with the Party of European Socialists (PES). This week they dismiss the opinions of PES heavyweights like Guenther Verheugen and Javier Solana.
And even if I believe Charles Mangion when he says that overtime can be paid under normal rates, the fact that a short while ago he said something quite different in print to please employers suggests to me that Labour's policies still have that improvisatory quality they had when they last governed, between 1996-98, with such bad consequences for our economy.
I will continue to watch for convincing reassurance from both sides, however. I am sure that whoever convinces the disappointed will win the next general election. If neither large party convinces, however, then the next government will be led by Dr Sant.
ranierfsadni@europe.com