Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1491941
6 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 8 FEBRUARY 2023 NEWS NEWS ANALYSIS WITH the Nationalist Party rediscovering a sense of pur- pose and unity in opposing the part-decriminalisation of abor- tion, many expected the party to make some electoral inroads. MaltaToday's first survey of 2023 proved otherwise. Not on- ly did the PN shed support but the Labour Party registered its first increase since last year's March general election. The abortion issue provided the PN with an opportunity to unite and be in synch with a wider movement that included the church, traditional profes- sional elites and crucially, seg- ments of old Labour represent- ed by President George Vella and president emeritus Marie Louise Coleiro Preca. But in finding unity, the PN was also alienating key demo- graphics, especially younger and more educated voters. In the end, protests against abortion made a lot of noise but failed to rock Labour's boat. These are the five reasons why: 1. It's the economy stupid The abortion issue in the shape of a timid reform which only al- lows terminations in very limit- ed circumstances – if a woman's life or health is in danger - does not influence party choice. The PN is in the habit of cry- ing wolf on abortion, banking on surveys showing a vast ma- jority of Maltese opposing the introduction of what in most EU member states is considered a personal decision and a civil right. The PN has already done so on very flimsy grounds under Adri- an Delia when an attempt to turn the MEP elections in 2019 into a referendum on abortion was largely rejected by voters. This time around the party was at least reacting to a tan- gible change introduced by the Labour government. For a party desperately in need of a battle cry to fire up its supporters and possibly make inroads among more socially conservative La- bour voters, party strategists smelt an opportunity. Yet it may well be the case that while culture wars on abortion can trigger keyboard warriors, larger segments of the elector- ate consider such issues as sec- ondary to economic issues. So far Labour is still rewarded for navigating the ship in stormy international waters and miti- gating the impact through cash injections and subsidies often directed at the most vulnerable. Of course, some segments of society are feeling the pinch in terms of low income and hous- ing affordability but the PN hardly prioritises these issues. And voters worried about cor- ruption, inequalities and envi- ronmental degradation are now more likely to protest by not voting rather than support a PN obsessed by culture wars with no bearing on daily life. In difficult times voters are more likely to choose the leader perceived to be the better ship captain than to rally behind the anti-abortion cause. In such cir- cumstances the PN should be focusing on projecting itself as the responsible and fairer man- ager of the public good rath- er than a single-issue pressure group. 2. The silent majority Abortion touches the raw nerve of a loud minority but feelings are more nuanced Five reasons why abortion did not rock Despite the noise created by the anti-abortion lobby and opposition of stalwarts within its own ranks, Labour has gained a couple of points in the first month of 2023. JAMES DEBONO gives five reasons why Labour has survived unscathed Anti-abortion activists light red candles around a printout of a baby outside Parliament (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)