There was an interesting snippet of news a couple of days ago, pretty much drowned out by the stench of alleged corruption wafting out of Castille. (Editorial note, you have to say "alleged" if you want to avoid vexatious libel cases)
The snippet was about how the PN got a million €uro in donations in 2016 while the MLP only got six hundred thousand or so. You might very well say that you believe that latter about as much as you believe in Tooth Fairy, but that's your privilege.
As far as I am concerned, taking the figures at face value, it means is that there are many more people willing to pay good money to see the back of these specimens than to keep them in the way of life to which they've rapidly become accustomed.
This trend of thought is also evident in the way so many people have thrown their lot in with the PN to fight the good fight. Some of these have been met with a raised eyebrow or two, such as Salvu Mallia and, more recently, Josie Muscat.
I'll admit to a fondness for Mallia, whose take on propriety and vanilla diplomacy is not a million miles from my own.
On the other hand, Josie Muscat's political baggage is such as to give me pause for thought, so think I did. There's no two ways about it: some of this particular Muscat's political mal (as opposed to bon) mots are not palatable, though there's probably more behind the sound-bites than we think.
At this point of our political history, the single most relevant thing is that the groundswell of opposition to Premier Muscat and his cronies continues to build and coalesce
At this point of our political history, the single most relevant thing is that the groundswell of opposition to Premier Muscat and his cronies continues to build and coalesce.
The focal point for this, recognised by everyone who has the national interest at heart, is Simon Busuttil's PN. The PD has recognised this and come on board, AD have stamped their little feet and refused, consigning themselves once and for all to political oblivion.
It is irrelevant, in the greater scheme of things, that Josie Muscat (or anyone else) has said things in the past that are pretty daft: the PN alternative to Premier Muscat's so-called Labour Party is what matters now.
The PN's policies are and will be those adopted by it, and the acceptance of what the less discerning see as 'rogue elements' means only - as in any truly democratic organisation - that you are free to express your views.
Just don't expect them to become the party's views. And don't expect people to support them.
Ironically, on the other side of the fence, it is the leadership's (read: troika's) antics and diktats that become the party line, to be supported and lauded willy-nilly by all.
Anyone who doesn't toe that line is shown the door, pronto. And don't expect anyone within Premier Muscat's Labour to support you.
The PN is, and always has been, a broad church. People tend to assume, wrongly, that because its exponents, present and past, express ideas that are not to their own taste, the PN is adopting them as policy.
This is not the case, clearly, as the divorce debate, back in the days when corruption and chicanery were not the order of the day, demonstrates. Elements within the PN, even MPs on its side, had expressed themselves as being anti-divorce, but what happened?
Divorce became part of our law, case closed.
People hold the PN to a much higher standard than that to which they hold Premier Muscat's iteration of the Labour Party and people feel free to say so. They certainly don't have such freedom when it comes to the "PMLP", for reasons that are well known.
What these people need to remember is that they have a choice as to whom they trust to run the country: the primary choice is between Premier Muscat and Simon Busuttil, but there is also the secondary choice, which is exercised when you number your preferences.