What is the election all about?

This election is the first one in a very long time without an obvious theme. What is it all about? I remember a few elections. The 1981 was getting rid of the Mintoff methods and tactics. The 1987 was a repetition of the 1981 election because of the "perverse result". The 1992 election was about continuing the work begun in 1987, that is to finish the work in progress and about entry to Europe. The 1992 administration lost its way. Europe did not open the door for Malta and Malta was left out. The Nationalist Party became complacent and arrogant as if they had a divine right to be the party of government of Malta. There was therefore no dominant theme for the election. This meant that the 1996 election was misread by almost everybody and Labour made a stunning comeback.

The Labour administration was a shambles. It froze Malta's application to join the EU. While it wanted to put right the Government's disastrous finances inherited from the previous administration, it shot itself in the foot by eliminating VAT thus losing substantial revenue. It could not hold itself together and quickly fell apart. The 1998 elections were dominated by the theme to get Malta back on track for the EU and to get rid of the incompetent Labour Government. The 2003 elections were really a second EU referendum.

This leads us to 2008 where as in 2006 there is no clear overall theme. European membership is no longer an issue. Government finances are also not an issue and could never be. Even if finances are bad no party would enter into an election with a pledge to raise taxes!! None of the parties seem to be talking about the economy. To tell you the truth I am lost. I have been wracking my brains to see what this election is or better what it should be about.

I have a few ideas such as democracy, social progress, citizen's rights, efficiency in public administration such as the running of schools, hospitals and the environment.