Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/306555
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 4 MAY 2014 IX Europe 2014 on May 24? And could it be that her previous media presence may have hindered more than helped her chances, by reminding people of 'the other side of Labour'? Dalli resists answering the first question, pointing out how "a week is a very long time in politics, and there are still five weeks to go". But she suggests that her media pres- ence may have ultimately worked to her disadvantage. "Visibility on the media helps, I'd be lying if I said otherwise," she admits. "But from my experience in door-to-door campaigning I'm finding out that it is not enough to simply be recog- nised. You also have to meet people and talk to them. And they have to talk to you. Otherwise you're just a face on the TV." Moreover, her role as lynchpin for TX projected the opposite image from that which a candidate would want before an election. "On TX I was the one asking the questions. The protagonists, the ones who had all the answers, were always my guests. And I had to keep a bal- ance as the show's host. I couldn't express an opinion of my own. But people expect politicians to present the argument, not ask the questions. For this reason I have had to make the transition from the person ask- ing, to the person answering." The effect, she adds, was benefi- cial to her personally. "I've learnt a lot from meeting people these past few weeks. You start seeing things from different perspectives… ask- ing yourself how some people can live on as little as €400 a month… or how they cope with sickness or other problems. As someone who intends to represent Maltese families in the EP, I cannot realistically tell them 'I can't help from Europe'." Interestingly, Dalli attributes the aforementioned Eurosceptic challenge to the same overall con- cerns… arguing that this makes the PN's strategy of tarnishing Labour MEPs with the Eurosceptic label all the more risky. "We talk about EU scepticism, and how it's growing, and so on, but… is this a good thing? A bad thing? Is it a reaction to European bureauc- racy? Will it create problems to pass legislation through parliament? Or will it serve to keep the EU on its toes?" Dalli pauses as if trying to answer her own questions. "I will say this. Euroscepticism arises from the EU's failure to address issues that are of fundamental concern to citizens. For example, youth employment…" The EU's failure to create jobs for millions of its young citizens, she reasons, coupled with policies that are perceived to favour big corpo- rations against citizens and smaller businesses, has driven an assorted amalgam of special interest groups together… even if they have little in common with each other. "We also have to see how this grouping with come together af- ter the election. It's a very diverse group, which includes the extreme right, nationalistic groups from var- ious countries, people who favour protectionism for their own indus- tries… there isn't an automatic com- mon thread between them all. It's difficult to see how they will align themselves on particular issues." For all this, she concedes that Mal- ta's European election will be fought primarily on local issues. "And the result will be interpreted as a ver- dict on local issues, not on the EU. This is in a sense understandable. It is the first test one year after the election, and both parties have tar- gets of their own. The PL faces this test after a win, the PN after a loss. The PL wants to retain its majority, the PN wants to win a third seat – significantly, I haven't heard Busut- til claiming he wants a majority of votes. Yes, there has to be a Euro- pean dimension, and I believe our party is giving that in its campaign – we want a better Europe, not just a better Malta – but the reality is that many people will use this election to send a message to the parties." Miriam Dalli's prolific media career places her at an automatic advantage in the forthcoming European election. But has she been too tainted by her past antipathy towards the EU? PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ATTARD 'Not just a face on TV'