There’s nothing I want more than a revelation from a sorely missed Opposition. I crave it, we all do, but instead all we’re ending up with is more of the same. Same old, same old. The situation is disheartening, to say the least.

While the cost of living crisis will continue having wide-ranging negative impacts on many of us for the foreseeable future, the lack of an Opposition has left us impoverished for the past years to such an extent that is has left our beloved State malnourished.

So please, let’s not insult people by carelessly making use of the word ‘apathetic’ to describe the electorate. Politics has a direct impact on our lives and we’re all very aware of it. It is because we’re so aware of it that we have unfortunately adopted a state of hopelessness and extreme fatigue.

For how long is the public expected to take on the role of an Opposition itself when there are elected people who are paid to do this job? We, the people, have spent years on end reliving the same cycle of shortcomings attributable to the State and being offered no credible and reliable alternative.

For example, the Opposition has made corruption its rallying cry but has failed miserably to provide us with proposals of effective counter-measures. Senseless mudslinging and relying on international authorities is not exactly the practical solution we’re seeking from a supposedly legitimate Opposition. Apart from the fact that international authorities propose measures (measures which one expects the Opposition itself to propose, mind you) which are usually a one-size-fits-all type solution for all States, failing to keep in mind that every country has a different system of procedure.

Furthermore, I’m not sure whether you have noticed, but I have: some representatives from our Opposition have no idea what they’re talking about. The subject would be oranges and they talk apples. This is how the Opposition manages to fall short of being, well, an Opposition.

I can’t criticise all elected officials on the Opposition benches but some, whilst having a slight interest in the subject matter they’ve been assigned by their party, just simply scratch the surface of their area and can never be a proper shadow to their respective Cabinet member if they hardly know what’s going on.

Such an argument can and may be extended towards government representatives, but it should be slightly adjusted because – generally speaking – they’re far more immersed into their sectors. They have an upper hand which, however, if used irresponsibly could become a manipulative one as well.

I genuinely understand that politicians may not necessarily be experts on the area they’re working on but they can’t wait for the experts to speak out on a grievance and then simply react. Shouldn’t there be an element of active participation by the persons who are representing experts in the sector?

Do we understand why there’s so much political fatigue among us? Do we understand now why so many untoward actions run rampant without consequence? Do we understand why many people are leaning towards a no-vote rather than voting for the classic ‘lesser of two evils’? Do we understand how many of us feel like the Opposition and each one of its representatives are just another brick in the wall?

I am uninspired, to a hellish extent. I am anxious to a painful extent. I experience fatigue to an almost destructive extent. And I’m sure that you do, too. What a sorry state.