Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1025219
maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 12 SEPTEMBER 2018 6 NEWS ANALYSIS DELIA'S speech on Sunday suggested that migration will be at the top of his party's agenda in the year preceding MEP elections. On social me- dia some even raised compari- sons between Delia's 'alt right' and 'far right politics'. But what exactly is the PN leader saying? In a nutshell Delia is saying that Muscat's economic boom is the result of an increase in population: "no new industries or new ideas, just new people." He suggests that current eco- nomic growth is the result of importing "cheap labour" not innovation. Such a critique is not par- ticularly rightwing. In fact, even left-leaning NGOs have made similar observations. The creation of an underclass composed of precarious for- eign workers with little sense of belonging and rights does not bode well for social cohe- sion and except for those ben- efitting from exploitation few would agree with people living in cowsheds. Unlike one of his MEP candi- dates (Dione Borg) who seems to have a problem with shops in Hamrun being owned by foreigners, Delia suggests that he has no problem with for- eigners who "don't just come for a few months and leave" but want to "integrate with us and want to become Maltese like us." The problem is that Delia does not stop there. He also presents foreigners as a threat to identity and val- ues; arguing that the govern- ment's strategy of bringing in more and more foreigners "is eroding our values and our principles and is causing havoc with our Maltese identity". He also called on supporters not to be afraid to stand up for "their Christian values". It is not clear how values are influ- enced by migration rather than by other phenomena like the social media, the worldwide web or Netflix. So, does Delia's stance rep- resent a lurch to the far right? Sure enough Delia is not a neo-nazi who incites racial hatred against foreigners. Like Muscat he believes in the "hu- manitarian responsibility to save people from drowning." But he does hit two familiar notes which characterise the European populist right wing. While these parties have gen- erally replaced rabid racism with a more moderate dis- course, their distinctive mark remains the depiction of for- eigners (especially migrants from Islamic countries) as a "threat" to security and iden- tity. This theme is present in some of Delia's speeches. PN supporters are being asked to "stand up" against the changes brought about by mass migration. Moreover – like Donald Trump – Delia is also in the habit of lumping unconnected things together under the theme of moral de- generation, Delia's "soulless state". In a Facebook post, which was later edited De- lia referred "to knife fights in Hamrun Marsa and Tarxien, a police injured in St Julian's and "a newborn baby abandoned in Bugibba". These events were weapon- ised as signs "that we are losing the battle against criminality" and that "Malta is becoming a soulless state." The reference to the abandoned baby was lat- er removed in a sign that Delia may have been alerted to the bad taste of weaponising a per- sonal tragedy. This approach is also symptomatic of a nar- rative of moral degeneration, which characterises Trump and fellow travellers. This has also been a running theme in Delia's speeches since his memorable first speech in which he coined the "soulless state" motif. But morality and ideological nuances apart, has Delia fi- nally given his party the effec- tive battle cry it lacked or is he committing an own goal? Sure enough since Malta joined the EU in 2004, the PN has lacked an effective battle cry which unites the various par- ty factions and appeals to the centreground. But a divisive theme like migration may well backfire. 1. PN may lose moderates This approach gives Muscat the opportunity to present himself as a moderate cen- trist who stands for openness in line with European main- stream politicians like Emma- nuel Macron. Centrism was traditionally the ideological space the PN used to occupy. For although conservative on moral issues at face value the PN also stood for humanitar- ian values and was tradition- ally open to foreign labour in contrast to Labour in its Euro- sceptic days. Delia also seems to ignore the fact that social values are in a state of flux and that change may be unsettling for some but an opportunity for others. He also risks sounding rigid. Mus- cat's empathy with the woman who abandoned her baby in Bugibba contrasted with Delia's reckless comment on Facebook the previous day. Although De- lia may be in synch with pub- lic sentiment on migration is- sues, he may also lose support among those Nationalists who expect their party to be a voice of reason and compassion. 2. The PN may be outflanked from the right The PN risks legitimising a kind of discourse, which can be easily appropriated by a far-right group, which is not constrained by the limits of political correctness expected of a mainstream political party like the PN. In the same way as right-wingers constantly harp on Muscat's failure to de- liver on "push backs", they will present themselves as the true warriors defending Maltese identity. In short by contribut- ing to make migration the top issue in next year's MEP elec- tion, Delia may risk being out- flanked on the right. 3. The PN may have to speak more on asylum seekers Delia seems to be mostly con- cerned with foreigners work- ing in Malta but polls show that the Maltese are less concerned with foreign labour than ir- regular migrants. A MaltaTo- day survey shows that while 41.5% of Maltese have no con- cern at all over foreigners who legally work and live in Malta, 41.2% fear that asylum seek- ers are 'invading us'. This may explain why last Sunday Delia ambiguously used the word 'foreigner.' He also claimed that no one knows where these migrants are coming from. But by doing so he may well end up propping anti-immigrant Deciphering Delia's tough Polls suggesting migration could be Joseph Muscat's Achilles' heel increase Adrian Delia's temptation to weaponise the issue to save his skin in the 2019 European elections. JAMES DEBONO lists five reasons why his tough talk on foreigners could turn toxic for his party with its own voting base