Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/313770
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 18 MAY 2014 XI Europe 2014 individuals involved in the respec- tive sectors to make the most of the opportunities. In a sense the same applies to politics, where success is often down to the particular capa- bilities of the people involved. "Lately I have found myself more inclined towards politics, even be- cause – and this is part of my nature – I have a tendency to look at a situ- ation and put myself in the position of the person involved. How would I handle this if it were my problem? What decision would I take? So it became almost natural to take that tendency one step further." Shaw also confides that one of his aspirations is to challenge the pre- vailing cynicism towards politics in general. "There is a widespread perception of politicians as being aggressive, hostile, hypocritical, but it doesn't have to be that way. I be- lieve there is a section of the elector- ate out there that would appreciate and understand a different style of politics." It would be fair to say, then, that Jonathan Shaw looks at the political milieu much as a businessman would look at a potential market - with a view to identifying a niche. But what makes his own brand of politics par- ticularly different from any other? He responds with an outline – not unlike a business model, come to think of it – of how he intends to operate if elected to the European Parliament. "An MEP has to work along three dimensions. One, within the context of party and country - in my case, the PN and Malta. An MEP has to report not only to the party he or she repre- sents, but also to the government of the day, even if the MEP hails from the opposition. It is crucial to main- tain a professional rapport especially on issues that would be highly topi- cal for the nation." At the same time, he adds that you can't only represent your constitu- ents and party. "An MEP has to go beyond this. Local organisations and NGOs are experts in their particular sectors, hence a scheduled and con- stant rapport is not just important but crucial." The second dimension concerns the broader political grouping one is affiliated with - in the PN's case, the European People's Party (EPP). There is a manifesto of political be- liefs, aims and commitments one has to work within and again, Shaw is confident that the experience gar- nered from the business arena would stand him in good stead. "It is the na- ture of the European parliament to work towards consensus politics. For this you need to build and maintain networks and alliances." It is in this area that the bulk of an MEP's day-to-day work will be con- centrated, not just in the forging of such networks but also in the various committees he or she will eventually sit on. Speaking of which: has he set his eyes on any particular commit- tee? "Naturally it is not a question of picking and choosing your preferred committee. You have to lobby to get chosen, often against a lot of compe- tition. But if I had to choose, I would want to sit on the EMPL (Employ- ment and Social Affairs), IMCO (In- ternal Market), CULT (Culture and Education) and TRANS (Transport and Tourism)." I point out that his areas of interest cover practically the full spectrum of European concerns. Mightn't he be aiming a little high? Shaw responds as if there is no other way to aim but high. "I don't want to be misunderstood, or to come across as cocky or any- thing like that. But if I decide to do something, then I'd want to do it properly. I want to add value to what- ever I try to do. It's the same with my approach to business. I refuse to feel intimidated because I'm just an in- dividual, or because I come from a small country. If I aim to be an MEP, then ideally I'll want to be a cham- pion MEP." At the same time he acknowledges that one must also be realistic and this, too, is concomitant with his overall business philosophy. "In business you also have to un- derstand your limitations. And Mal- ta has its limitations which we are all too aware of, namely our size and limited resources." Within the framework of this re- ality, Shaw argues that the ability of a single individual to make a differ- ence assumes an even greater impor- tance. This brings him to the third di- mension of European politics - the individual level. "As an individual MEP one must also be driven to con- tribute to shape Europe and operate within a personal dimension with his own values, beliefs and ideas." Malta's particular circumstances make this dimension arguably more crucial than it would be in the con- text of larger countries. "It is a fact that Malta only has six MEPs yet each one of the 751 MEPs is equal. It is then up to the individual to add value and go beyond, in our case, just Maltese issues or anything that will only interest us." Fair enough, but so far we have been talking on a largely theoretical level. How does this approach to pol- itics actually pan out in practice? "This is where emotional intelli- gence comes into the picture. Poli- tics at European level is ultimately about solution-sharing. Place me in a room with MEPs, where we have to network and collaborate in order to achieve our aims… that is gener- ally what I do, what my experience in work has all been about, really. And this is the direction the EU is now taking. We need to take stock of how the European Union is changing, and see how to cope with new challenges. And this involves adopting a Euro- pean mind-set." Jonathan Shaw's slogan for this election is, in fact, 'Think European, Act Local'. Certainly he succeeds in imparting a sense of personal enthu- siasm on both fronts but I put to him that his own energy and drive ap- pears to be lacking among the wider electorate. There are indications of waning interest in this election as Shaw himself has noted in his recent press contributions, where he re- marked that "we're all a bit fatigued as it feels like we're constantly in election mode in this country." Is he concerned with what appears to be disenchantment with the EU? And how does he account for it him- self? "We might have oversold EU mem- bership as being mostly about mon- ey," he begins. "But the reality is that it was about much more than that. One other aspect we perhaps should emphasise more is the improvement to environmental standards since accession. The state of the environ- ment may not be perfect, true, but just imagine what it would be like if we never joined..." Here he rattles off a list of benefits that includes, among others, the EU- funded waste recycling plant, which was only made possible thanks to EU funding. "I think most will agree that Malta has gained on the envi- ronmental front. But we have to also acknowledge that some people have been negatively affected by other as- pects of EU membership. The main difference made by accession was the opening of the market and removal of trade barriers. The consumer has benefited from greater choice, price competition and other factors. But some have clearly found it hard to adapt." Here Shaw returns to his earlier point that, at the end of the day, it is up to the individual to face up to individual challenges. "The biggest benefit of EU mem- bership is the sense of belonging to a community of 500 million citizens. But that is in itself also a challenge. How do you translate the benefit in- to something tangible that can be felt on an individual level? This is where individual ability comes into it; being able to speak the language, to net- work and communicate, to be close to the people and institutions." For all this, Shaw's insistence on a European dimension appears to contrast with his own party's way of thinking and acting. PN leader Si- mon Busuttil has in a sense imparted the very opposite message, arguing that voters should use this election to 'give the government a yellow card', relegating the European dimension of this supposedly 'European' elec- tion to the benches. And Shaw himself may be out of synch with his party on other issues, too, namely spring hunting. Early in this campaign he was asked point blank how he would vote in a referendum, and his reply was an unequivocal 'yes' to ban hunting in spring. Yet his party has since com- mitted itself to honouring previous promises to the hunters, which in- clude a permanent spring season. Did he discuss this matter with his party before going out on a limb like that? "Yes. When I was interviewed [as a prospective candidate] I made it clear that if I asked my opinion, I would say that I'd vote yes in the referendum. I felt it was important to come clean about my values and beliefs from the outset." At the same time he also suggests this issue may have been blown out of proportion. "I wouldn't want people to vote for me only because my posi- tion of spring hunting. At the end of the day I was asked how I'd vote and in a referendum you can only vote 'yes' or 'no'. It's not as though I've campaigned against spring hunting, or collected signatures for the peti- tion..." Paradoxically he claims that his openness on the issue has been ap- preciated even by hunters, who – like everyone else – are entitled to know what views the various candidates actually represent. But at the same time Jonathan Shaw dismisses the notion that there is any kind of 'mould' for National- ist Party exponents, arguing that the idea of complete conformity among candidates representing the same party is not only an old-fashioned way of looking at politics, but also counter-productive to the sort of ap- proach that is required in the EP. "We're not photocopies of each other. And we shouldn't be, either. Malta needs MEPs from different backgrounds and with different ideas and approaches. At the end of the day it's like a toolbox: you need a variety of skills if you're going to be effective as an EP delegation." Arguably the least-known quantity in this election, newcomer Jonathan Shaw (PN) talks of delivering a 'new way of doing politics' DIVERSITY Who is We're not photocopies of each other. And we shouldn't be, either… It's like a toolbox: you need a variety of skills if you're going to be effective as an EP delegation A DIFFERENT STYLE OF POLITICS There is a widespread perception of politicians as being aggressive, hostile, hypocritical, but it doesn't have to be that way Politics is ultimat ely about people