A leading legal practitioner, who made his fair contribution in the fight for the rule of law and democracy in the dark days of the 1970s and early 1980s, has a theory about elections.
He estimates that a political party in power loses about 8,000 votes every election – though that certainly was not the case with Labour in the last two general elections. If that theory holds, Labour will continue to occupy Castille for the next 25 years.
Still, as Winston Churchill is supposed to have remarked, a week is too long in politics, so a change in government may happen before a quarter of a century from now.
The point being made is that, as the government-in-waiting, the Nationalist Party must always be prepared but it should not rush. Unreasonable haste, French playwright Molière warned, is the direct road to error.
The announcement made by PN leader Simon Busuttil after the June 3 election that he would step down once a successor was elected must have caused some headaches at Pietà. It was a commendable decision and Dr Busuttil did well to stick to it, even amid calls from various quarters for him to reconsider.
He did his utmost during his four-year stint at the helm to lift morale, put the party back on track and, hopefully, restore its winning streak. He read the election result very well and called it a day. Under his stewardship, the party deserved a better showing at the polls but the electorate remains sovereign and its decision must be respected.
The PN is now faced with a challenge that is more formidable than the elections itself. With hand on heart, it has to take a good look at itself and take all the decisions that are crucial if it is to be considered as a meaningful alternative.
Its first task is to choose a new leader. Nominations will be received between Monday and Wednesday. Two – Adrian Delia and Chris Said – have already put themselves forward and a third – David Thake – has been making noises in that sense. More could emerge.
This time, the leader will be elected by all paid-up members and the first question they need to ask, even at this early stage, is: what sort of people does the PN of the future need to have at the very top?
Should they be the type who portray the image of a fresh party, which, while retaining its core values, can use modern-day language, just like Pope Francis does?
Dr Busuttil’s departure caused headaches because it was suddenly realised no proper succession campaign had taken place. It must have been argued that once he would have managed to narrow the gap between the two parties he could stay on and build on that success. Still, that did not happen and there is no use crying over spilt milk. What matters now is the future.
Those who truly cherish the good of the party – and, more so, that of the country – should, before Wednesday, look well within all the PN structures and beyond and see whether there should be other nominees.
Somewhere, even perhaps among Nationalist councillors, there could be that right person able to engineer a bright future for the PN.