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7 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 31 AUGUST 2025 ANALYSIS Is the C word back in fashion? As Robert Abela's Labour Party grows increasingly tribal and inward-looking, James Debono asks whether the two PN leadership contenders can transform their party into an effective movement for moderates and conservatives. And where does this leave politically orphaned progressives? ONE of the greatest political experi- ments in recent Maltese history was Joseph Muscat's transformation of the Labour Party into a "movement of moderates and progressives." Sure, it was contradictory from the start and was held together by the charisma and political intelligence of a leader whose legacy includes cor- rupt hospital and energy deals and the political assassination of a jour- nalist. But it was a winning formula nonetheless, one which changed the country beyond recognition. Malta in 2025 is very different from Malta in 2013. The country has be- come a global leader on LGBTIQ rights. While still a laggard on re- productive rights, the decriminalisa- tion of abortion is now firmly on the national agenda. A bill on euthanasia is in the offing, IVF is easily acces- sible to couples and single persons, artists are no longer constrained by blasphemy laws, and people are no longer criminalised for consuming soft drugs but can instead buy weed from licensed clubs. And while the economic model sustaining these changes is replete with inequalities and the exploita- tion of an underclass of imported foreigners, Malta feels more cosmo- politan and less insular. Sure, ultra conservatives recoil and dream of turning back the clock while, mod- erate conservatives think it is time to apply the brakes. Progressives would argue that on many fronts, particu- larly on women's rights and inclu- sion policies, a lot more still needs to be done. Labour's identity crisis and the PN's opportunity Malta is at a crossroads, not just because the problems created by the current economic model are catch- ing up with us in terms of liveabili- ty, but also because of signs that the attrition of power is eating away at Labour's reformist drive. The PN faces an even deeper crisis but a new leader has the advantage of starting afresh. And even though Abela's Labour is still on top, there is a chance that under a new leader who plays his cards well, the Nation- alist Party may reclaim its position as a government-in-waiting. One major question is: Will the PN accept the realities of a new Malta while addressing the various chal- lenges it faces, or will it seek to turn the clock back? Unfortunately, the current leader- ship contest offers little indication of which direction the party will take. Both contenders hail from the party's more socially conservative wing, having voted together against pre-implantation genetic testing on embryos for IVF couples. Both op- pose euthanasia, though they would give MPs a free vote. But their discourse on abortion would come across as extremist in most European contexts—no ex- ceptions, no nuance, and a complete disregard for women's bodily auton- omy. Clues on the PN's future direction So, the contest only offers us vague clues on the PN's direction and no clear pattern emerges on who is most conservative in a choice be- tween Delia and Borg. Delia comes across as a politician of stronger convictions, more force- ful in rejecting Labour's econom- ic model and environmental track record, yet struggling to present a credible alternative. He also keeps >> CONTINUES ON NEXT PAGE