Muscat’s Labour is no longer Labour

Tony Blair was accused, including by politicians on the same side of the political divide, of taking the UK’s Labour Party far away from its core principles. His predecessor, Margaret Thatcher, had gone as far as to say that her greatest achievement was “Tony Blair,” in the sense that he had followed in her footsteps – meaning that Labour, under Blair, had adopted policies which were closer to Thatcherism than they were to traditional Labour beliefs.

Joseph Muscat, who celebrates 10 years of Labour Party leadership today, has in more ways than one taken a leaf out of Blair’s book. The Labour Party is no longer the party of the workers; it is closer to businessmen than it is to the common people, and has been steered clearly away from the Mintoff years in terms of policies. Mintoff was Muscat’s idol – but the way Muscat has shaped Labour makes it unrecognizable when it is compared to Mintoff’s leadership years.

The irony in all this is that Muscat’s supporters are the same as Mintoff’s, and the thing is that they have not realised the party they or their parents supported 40 years ago is no longer the same party they are supporting today, except in name. For them, so long as it is still called Labour, they will still back it, irrespective of the fact that Muscat’s Labour is more of a “Nationalist” party. But they have been blinded to such an extent that they do not realise it, just as much as they have not understood the damage that has been caused to Malta as a country because of the way Muscat has failed to tackle corruption allegations.

Muscat, like Blair, has the gift of the gab. He is eloquent, faces cameras with confidence, and has the ability to twist controversies that are hurting him to his favour, often resorting to bringing up issues intended to act as smokescreens to cover what is really troublesome. Added to this, like Blair, he has a good section of the media on his side, which makes it easier for him to pass on the message that all is well while Malta is burning.

What Muscat also has is a tight hold on a party that makes it known to all insiders that any form of dissent or public outburst will not be tolerated. Anyone who challenges Muscat is ostracised, as happened to Marlene Farrugia first and Godfrey Farrugia later. But nobody else had or has the guts to speak out against the mighty leader.

George Vella, a former Labour deputy leader, had not confronted, at least publicly, Muscat on anything when he was part of the Cabinet, but since he retired from politics, it has taken him less than a year to come out with guns blazing against the Prime Minister on the embryo freezing law.

Muscat’s grip on the Labour Party, helped by a small number of close allies who will walk through fire for their master, is supreme, and nobody dares to speak up publicly against him or the party. This is probably the only common factor Muscat has with Mintoff, who was also known for his ruthlessness against any rebels.

But, aside from this, Muscat’s Labour is no longer Labour.