After a day of fake smiles and feigning diplomacy, or whatever it is you were doing, we head to a building which we call home and indulge in our very own ways of relaxing. While for some of us, this could mean cooking, or shutting everything out, others enjoy nothing more than to catch up on all the talk surrounding the electoral campaign- this is one of those times.

What are we criticising?

It seems that Grech and Abela are detoxing from press conferences today and doing rallies instead. The Labour Party and the Nationalist Party will instead be going to the heart of Mosta and Zejtun, separately.

What do we know so far?

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to the European Parliament in an emergency plenary session. 
• Government confirms that COVID-19 travel regulations will not apply for Ukrainian refugees seeking asylum.
• Politicians clash while doing the rounds at a market and joke lightheartedly- finally, some civility.

Abela goes to the heart of Mosta

After a number of candidates spoke, Abela took the podium, sounding more optimistic than we know him to be. He starts by promoting himself as an optimist and mentions how the GDP as it stands, exceeded that of what it was before the COVID-19 Pandemic. 

Abela did say that a solid economic lead is imperative in any leadership, but does not really simplify as to why this is so important. However, he did mention that no matter the cataclysm thrown at the Government, the Party was always steady-hand-ready to tackle whatever it faced. What did we tell you? We will be hearing a lot about how the Labour Party Government tackled the COVID-19 pandemic (and with good reason too).

Abela did not hold back today- he criticised the Opposition for fear mongering and speculating an election, with no definitive date and claimed that the Nationalist Party’s purpose was to jam everything that prevents the State from functioning normally. Abela further mentions the Nationalist Party’s streak in going against the status quo and in doing so, did not keep its priorities in order. Abela uses statistics to demonstrate this and that the Labour Party not hesitating to take adequate measures and action were necessary and Maltese citizens’ optimism, is testament to this. Oh, mentions of the Budget and that even the national statistics prove the efficacy of the intentions and targets of the 2022 Budget. Looks  like our first guess was not wrong, Spring is a great season for new things, the re-generation of many things and a chance to start afresh- Abela knows this. Could be that’s the reason why he chose this date? We may very well never know. 

Abela encourages the audience not to be intimidated by fear mongering tactics and to remember what the Party and its supporters have managed to accomplish so far, immaterial of whatever was thrown at them and maintains that, if elected, he will do his best to continue on the work done so far. 

Let’s rank. 

Today’s Ranking 

Our rankings may be shorter than usual today, but bear with us. While Abela based his speech on comparing the Labour Party administration’s conduct in the last two years and a government as envisaged by Opposition Leader Bernard Grech, Abela did not go on the offence or adopt a confrontational tone in his words. He spoke ambitiously, portraying an image of a focused leader of a team who has a set of achievable goals. To add on to the depiction of ‘Team Malta’, Abela does not simply mention a team and leave it at that, but that just like any other team, moving forward together and putting in one’s best effort is the only way of winning and achieving desired results.

On the other hand, for the average enthusiastic reader of The Economist, GDP talk is surely good news. But for more common mortals, the importance of this requires further simplification and to be discussed in a way that everyone can understand, rather than just the suits.  Maybe this is something everyone can learn from. 

Solid Answers: 8

Pragmatism: 8

Clearly spoken: 9

Presentation: 7

Grech sticks to the South

Today, we will be heading to Zejtun. While today’s event is still very much a rally- the  focus is on introducing the Nationalist Party’s candidates for the upcoming election, rather than focusing solely on the Leader of the Opposition, Bernard Grech- not a bad start. Today’s setting is nothing out of the ordinary, but then again we are witnessing under-the-tent rallies, not a West End stage. After the candidates introduce themselves, Grech starts his discussion prompt by talking about the assimilations of the names of the towns visited so far. Great start..? 

Moving on, Grech gives recognition to prominent politicians who stemmed from the towns in which the Nationalist Party had their rallies so far. Grech commends the party candidates and maintains that politics is rewarding, when done with good conduct and that the candidates of the Nationalist Party are the optimum candidates for those watching. Grech goes on to say how, despite consultations with experts, the best experts are the people. Grech elaborates on how much he prioritises family values, but today the focus shall be on voluntary organisations. Ah, another investment for voluntary organisations, but not much of a plan at the same time. Let’s hope that Grech will take the time to delve into this in the near future, not just for the sake of keeping up appearances. 

Interesting, Grech mentions the arts and sports- hopefully an interesting proposal. Well, there was talk of sentiments which the majority will agree with and a proposal. Well, today, we learnt how society works by using the metaphor of a cake- who needs philosophy and facts, eh?

Today’s Ranking 

The one good thing about the Nationalist Party’s rally is that it is engaging and that everyone is amalgamated in one sitting- be it candidates or voters. Still very much traditional, this goes out for the setting too, but an improvement nevertheless. Grech’s attempts to be pragmatic by using simple examples, such as society resembling a cake, and without the essential ingredients, it will be easily deconstructed and bland, could be a hint that Grech is using everyday activities to explain matters and fundamental issues in his speech. 

Grech did well on explaining and introducing the candidates, one at a time, which adds on to his engaging rigour in today’s rally, however, his delivery was monotonous and unnecessarily long. At a glance, Grech also makes subtle attempts in his speech which aim at hitting several points at once, points which after all, everyone can relate to. However, his effort at getting everything right, might actually be what’s resulting in such an overzealous visualisation, rather than relatability. Then again, you cannot win it all. 

Solid Answers: 7

Pragmatism: 6

Clearly spoken: 8

Presentation: 6