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9 BOOK REVIEW maltatoday | SUNDAY • 23 FEBRUARY 2025 that Eddie built and Muscat refurbished' Muscat. But I've come to appre- ciate Baldacchino's more cau- tious critique, which addresses the root causes of the crisis. In this sense, his critique is more radical than that of the rule of law crusaders, who were more concerned about who held the keys to the house than the structural works required to prove the debilitating influence of big money. What is the establishment? Baldacchino argues that Mus- cat, in delivering the economic growth he needed to sustain his majority and his plan to mod- ernise the country, found him- self refurbishing the very system he had promised to change. He became compromised by an "establishment" predating him, deforming his project. As Baldacchino puts it: "The house that Eddie built has been well maintained and refurbished by none other than Joseph Mus- cat. Many Nationalists know that, and they want it back." This doesn't mean Baldacchi- no was indifferent to the cri- sis. He was baffled by Muscat's gamble to retain Konrad Mizzi after Panamagate, and scathing in his critique of the establish- ment – not as a conspiracy but as a real network of interests transcending political bounda- ries. To govern, any party must come to terms with this estab- lishment, but it often leads to political parties becoming inte- gral parts of it. Labour was and is not immune to this. From agonism to antagonism He highlights the convergence of the two main parties around a managerial economic model delivering growth while fuelling inequality. This, he argues, has led to a resurgence of tribal an- tagonism, replacing the former agonism between conflicting visions. The more similar the parties became, the more antag- onistic they grew. In this sense, Baldacchino seems to favour a clear distinction between 'cen- tre-left' and 'centre-right' with- in big-tent politics, where both tribes encompass the entire spectrum, from the progressive left to the far right, through compromise. Baldacchino's insights explain why tribal en- trenchment has returned, pos- sibly undoing Muscat's most re- deeming aspect – his openness to a wider movement beyond tribal politics. In the absence of a grand struggle of ideas, we're left with a bloodbath of invec- tive, where people are forced to pick sides. In this environment, corruption becomes an accusa- tion aimed at proving the evil nature of the other side, which is not understood as a symptom of Malta's political economy. The ghosts of Egrant past Baldacchino cannot be ac- cused of being too soft on La- bour for withholding judgement on the Egrant allegation before the 2017 election. While he may have underestimated how deep the rot spread under Muscat, which came to light in the Vitals and 17 Black inquiries, his cau- tion on Egrant was vindicated by a magisterial inquiry. Baldacchino also swiftly rec- ognised the gravity of Daphne Caruana Galizia's assassination and criticised the Labour Party for aligning with the big busi- ness interests allegedly behind it. But he suspends judgement on Muscat, leaving us to won- der whether he is the Maltese equivalent of Tony Blair, Betti- no Craxi, or Lula da Silva. But ultimately, the bottom line for Baldacchino is that playing games with the establishment is always a dangerous game. Negative liberty and conviviality Baldacchino sheds light on fundamental changes in Mal- tese society. While endorsing secular change, he warns of the risks of "negative liberty," which frees individuals from an op- pressive past without fostering a new sense of conviviality, where people can truly live together, not merely beside each other. In a society where consumer- ism erodes social bonds, this re- mains a pressing challenge. Baldacchino debates issues raised by Archbishop Charles Scicluna, whom he never rep- rimands for speaking his mind, challenging the view among PL supporters that the Church should stay silent on political matters. At the same time, Bal- dacchino defends Laïcité, stand- ing firmly for women's repro- ductive rights and full equality for the LGBTIQ+ community. Ultimately, Baldacchino stands out as one of the few true public intellectuals in an increasingly barren political landscape, a point of reference for those who follow his com- mentary on social media. His book has made me feel less alone in trying to understand the complexities of Maltese so- ciety. Baldacchino's writings are an invitation to understand – echoing Spinoza's dictum that "to understand is to be free". But as Baldacchino asserts, un- derstanding sometimes requires stepping back to reflect and withhold judgement, a virtue we risk losing in a nation of Face- book warriors. Prof John Baldacchino