Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1303831
9 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 28 OCTOBER 2020 ANALYSIS ingness of right-wing EU governments, some of which members of the European People's Party of which the PN is a part, to take in their fair share of migrants. In fact, despite the serious reputational issues he was facing, Joseph Muscat him- self was successful in creating ad hoc co- alitions between EU countries willing to share responsibility over migrants res- cued at sea. Aspiring to anything more is unrealistic as long as hawkish anti-mi- gration parties remain in power in coun- tries like Hungary and Poland. Grech's limited talent pool While failing to excite, Grech has laid the foundations for future policy updates while giving the opposition a greater sem- blance of being a government-in-waiting, rather than a disruptive force bent on undermining the government at all costs. Yet this would also depend on strength- ening the PN's limited pool of talent by introducing new spokespersons who are not necessarily MPs. Grech has one big advantage over De- lia: that of already being trusted by the party's anti-corruption zealots. In this sense he does not have to prove himself and can focus on presenting an alterna- tive vision for the country. Yet in so do- ing he is falling short of exciting and fir- ing up his audience. One reason for this is that he remains over-cautious when it comes to choosing between conflict- ing interests, treading carefully between pandering to social and environmen- tal concerns, while avoiding anything which offends developers, hunters and big business. Still, by identifying the environment and quality of life as the party's main pil- lar aspects, he gave his party a more sol- id framework in which to build an alter- native vision than Delia ever did before with his rants on foreigners. At this stage Grech appears to be more reassuring and prime-ministerial than both Busuttil and Delia, but he still lacks the gravitas of Eddue Fenech Adami or the motivational pull of a Lawrence Gonzi. Yet by going into overdrive in de- riding Grech and depicting him as neg- ative when he was clearly not, Labour pundits may well be contributing to building his public persona as someone who can give Labour a run for its money. Ultimately it is Grech who has to prove himself worthy of the electorate's trust, and his caution in choosing between conflicting interests and lack of bold- ness, may further weaken his appeal as a transformational and decisive leader. To do this Grech needs to pick a few is- sues on which he can speak with author- ity and passion. Otherwise he risks being seen as bland and unexciting. speech: poor pitch for new vision Budget 2021 Bernard Grech's Speech Economy 46 Moneyval 7 Work/jobs 31 Agriculture 7 Health 25 Incompetence 6 Development 25 Wages 6 Pandemic/COVID-19 23 Energy 5 Education/schools 22 Electrogas 5 Immigration/Foreigners 16 Vitals/Steward 5 Tourism 15 Dirt 4 Culture 15 IIP/Passports 4 Poverty 11 Open spaces 4 Reputation 11 Corruption 3 Construction 11 Montenegro windfarms 3 Housing/Rents 10 Gozo tunnel 3 Finances 9 Crime 3 Quality of life 9 Xenophobia 2 Sustainability 8 Environment/nature 57 Investment 7 Top issues mentioned Inclusive, rallying terms A poverty watch unit independent of government Incentives for remote working Supplementary voucher for masks and sanitisers Full COVID-19 testing for tourists entering Malta Masterplan for development in Gozo approved by two thirds majority or a referendum before �nal decision on tunnel linking the two islands Commitment against any extension of building development zones Revision of Cost of Living Adjustment Students working for more than 20 hours a week should receive stipend Introduction of a living wage through a law Nine proposals