Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1541557
7 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 23 NOVEMBER 2025 OPINION I did not coin the term that his- tory repeats itself. But it certain- ly does. In the last weeks, I have watched and experienced a re- action from the Labour Party machinery that is both dispro- portionate and illogical. It was a reaction very similar to what the Nationalist Party offered when faced with worrying numbers or stories about corruption and bad governance in the years before 2013. This newspaper has been carrying out surveys almost every month since 2002. The latest MaltaToday survey pointed to a small majority for Labour— less than 8,000 votes separate the two ma- jor parties. The fig- ure had not changed much from the previ- ous survey held before the budget. But it ap- pears, that result, was far too much to fathom for some people in the Labour Party. The sweet messages I received were clear; they accused me of cooking the numbers to benefit Alex Borg. Now that is a very serious accusation. Months before when a Malta- Today survey led to the sudden resignation of Bernard Grech, I was also accused of master- minding Grech's demise with others to precisely catapult Alex Borg into stardom. To make things clear, I do not personally involve myself in the survey. It is produced by a team of very dedicated professionals working in the newsroom. The man who interprets and anal- ysis the MaltaToday survey is James Debono, an experienced and upright journalist who has been in the business for over two decades, who upholds the highest of ethical standards. Our methodology is explained transparently with every survey. I laughed off the accusations that I fiddled with the numbers, but I then realised that they tru- ly believe their own words. To me it was a déjà vu from the last years of the Gonzi adminis- tration when at MaltaToday we faced a coordinated attack from the PN and its acolytes. This time the hostility is coming from the Labour Party—par- anoia and conspiracy theories were flying all over the place. This Trumpian way of looking at stories and facts that do not ring a bell is worrying. I will not waste time defend- ing the survey numbers, but I will say three very important things that have to be noted. The first is that the electoral scenario today is very differ- ent from 2022. Today, there is another established party—the party of the non-voter. This 'party' encompasses anything up to 70,000 voters. The second consideration is that in the MaltaToday surveys, this segment of non-voters is not discarded. We include them in our workings. The non-voter is not a completely irrelevant political animal; they still have an opinion. Which is why when we come to the trust rating for Robert Abela and Alex Borg, all surveys share the same numbers. When it comes to concerns, they are also sim- ilar. A non-voter could state that they still believe Robert Abela could do a better job than Alex Borg as prime minister but will still not vote Labour or any oth- er party for that matter. The third consider- ation is that all surveys pub- lished recently, including the MaltaToday one, show that the budget did not change people's views. There was no bounce for the PL after what was described as the "best budget ever". Instead of having an intel- ligent discussion about the numbers, the government's approach has been to kill the messenger. The problem is ag- gravated when politicians sur- round themselves with yes men who never open their masters' eyes to the realities around them. The PL or rather its leadership refuse to accept the fact that the problem is not the hard core but the underlying direction of this government with the mid- dle ground. The Joseph Muscat and Keith Schembri saga, Jean Paul Sofia, the Steward case, the planning reform fiasco and the indecent sucking up to the hard core has dented the trust factor among Labour's new vot- ers since 2013. These voters, who were attracted to Labour, are confused when they see the government embracing charac- ters like Jason Micallef, Neville Gafa and Joseph Muscat, who was only recently interviewed on One TV for the first time in years. You can see the frenzy that is going on when suddenly, all guns start firing volleys at a story and a satirical cartoon in sister newspaper Illum over the role Dom Mintoff played in the nationalisation of the National Bank in 1973—a good 52 years ago. Here again, the reaction on One TV was unbelievable for its rage. I could feel that the news had left an impression on some elderly folk who still revere Mintoff. When walking in the street the other day I was scolded by a group of elderly men in the town where I live. They called me all names as I walked by with my fresh Maltese loaf in hand. I let it go but only after shut- ting them up by telling them in some very colourful Maltese: "Did you forget how One TV treated Mintoff when he stood up to Alfred Sant in 1998." The men looked at me in utter be- wilderment. My mouth can be as foul as my determination not to sit down and take a beating. When a political station reacts in such an aggressive manner to a story and a satirical cartoon, I start to worry. This newspaper will not shy away from the fact that it stood up to be counted when this country needed change. In 2003, we wholeheartedly sup- ported EU accession; in 2004 we exhumed the Bical and Na- tional Bank saga; in 2010 and 2011 we campaigned for di- vorce; in 2013 we were loud and clear about a need for political change; in 2015 we took the lead in a referendum calling for the abolition of spring hunting, in the Panama aftermath and the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia we called for resigna- tions and a clear detachment from Joseph Muscat; and in the latest Vitals and Steward scan- dal we asked for transparency and humility about the facts. The editorial of this newspa- per has been unabashedly lib- eral and left leaning. But we do not openly favour any party and our newsroom is represented by individuals with different politi- cal viewpoints. Journalism is a profession that few appreciate. The journalism at MediaToday strives to deliv- er the facts and an analysis of the facts. Nothing is taken for granted and we ask our readers and audience to ask questions and seek answers. We are not in the business of fake news. The refusal to ignore the arguments and the facts presented by the bona fide me- dia is something everyone can do, but I guess there is a price for discounting the writing on the wall. The writing is on the wall THE Labour Party and the Na- tionalist Party are locked in a stalemate with MaltaToday's post-budget survey mirroring the results of last month's poll. The PL now leads by 7,600 votes, which is marginally lower than the 8,400-vote lead it had in October, before the budget. The survey carried out over the past two weeks shows that the PL has not benefitted from a post-budget bounce de- spite enjoying strong trust in the running of the country's finances. The November survey shows Labour consolidating its vote in its strongholds in the southern re- gions but losing support in other districts. Moreover, the party is still being penalised by abstention, which shaves off a tenth of the sup- port it obtained in the 2022 gener- al election. The survey, the second since Alex Borg was elected PN leader, shows a renewed sense of optimism among Nationalist vot- ers. And while the PN has made inroads in Gozo, the northern and western regions, it still strug- gles in the south of Malta.The sur- vey indicates a slight narrowing in the trust gap between Robert Abe- la and Alex Borg—from 13 points in October to 10 points now. The post-budget survey also shows strong appreciation for Labour's financial management, with near- ly half of respondents saying they trust it on this crucial aspect of government. Only a fifth of voters trust the PN with the country's fi- nances. The survey also shows a favour- able assessment of the budget and the performance of Finance Min- ister Clyde Caruana, even if 41% say their personal financial posi- tion has not changed. YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT SUNDAY 16 NOVEMBER 2025 • ISSUE 1359 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY JP Fabri maltatoday Low emission zones Gun licences Study evaluating impact of limiting polluting vehicles from town centres SEE SURVEY ON PAGES 7-14 No budget bounce for Labour leaves parties in a stalemate €2.20 Count Country must move ry must move beyond short-term beyond short-term fixes fixes INTERVIEW MT2 PAGE 3 Over 20,000 people are licensed to keep firearms PAGE 6 VOTING INTENTIONS Momentum: 1.2% | ADPD: 4.1% Turnout: 81% TRUST Robert Abela: 45.2% Alex Borg: 35.3% None: 19.5% GOV PERFORMANCE 3.1 out of 5 PL 48.7% 46.1% PN JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt You can see the frenzy that is going on when suddenly all guns start firing volleys at a story and a satirical cartoon in sister newspaper Illum over the role of Dom Mintoff in the nationalisation of the National Bank in 1973—a good 52 years ago The latest MaltaToday survey pointed to a small majority for Labour—less than 8,000 votes separate the two major parties. The figure had not changed much from the previous survey held before the budget. But it appears, that result, was far too much to fathom for some people in the Labour Party. Saviour Balzan Founder and co-owner of Media Today, publisher of MaltaToday, he is a TV host and pollster