Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/429113
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 7 DECEMBER 2014 10 News JUST as Joseph Muscat's Labour re- invented itself as an odd but effective ideological cocktail combining lib- eral, socialist, neoliberal, Third Way and even nationalistic values, there is no rule preventing the PN from re- inventing itself as a centre-left party. Muscat's drift to the centre-right is rooted in certain ideological anoma- lies: like Dom Mintoff's nationalist narrative, which actively promoted 'native' capitalism, and Alfred Sant's Blairite rhetoric of the 1990s and eu- ro-scepticism in the early noughties. PN deputy leader Mario de Marco's centre-left proposal is rooted in his party's endorsement of the welfare state after 1977. Both parties posture themselves to appeal to different cat- egories of voters. The PN tends to be more respon- sive to the post-materialist values of a category of its voters that is more sensitive to environmental is- sues, less inclined to nationalism on migration, and generally less au- thoritarian and devoted to the party leader: three characteristics common among centre-left voters In Western Europe. On the other hand, the machismo of Labour leaders resonates with a populist appeal which can shift from left to right according to the whims of the leader. And in both cases, the ideological shifts, although real, do not come without contradictions. Playing to the left and right For example, Muscat's very real shift to the right on various issues such as the privatisation of energy, is not reflected in various areas of social policy and public expenditure, where the role of the state as a driv- ing force is still affirmed. In this way the PL in its first two years in office has not only liberalised social norms through revolutionary steps like the introduction of civil unions; but it has also introduced new universal social services like free childcare. Therefore, categorising Labour as a right-wing party as de Marco alleged, is not correct. In the PN's case, de Marco quali- fies the shift to the left on the envi- ronment and workers' rights with a generic commitment to a "liberal economy", whatever that means. For while one can unfurl the banner of economic liberalism from the lib- eral left in defence of a social market economy against crony capitalism, one can also use economic liberalism as a justification for weakening envi- ronmental and social restraints. On the environment, while the PN can boast having conceived the first planning laws in the 1960s and in- troducing a Structure Plan in 1992, it carries the legacy of the 2006 build- ing zones' extension and it was com- petition from Alternattiva Demokra- tika (which shares the same voting base) that kept the party on its toes on this issue. Ironically, with the exception of the party's obscurantist stance against any reference to abortion in the Eu- ropean Parliament – which isolates it even from the European People's Party's mainstream – it is the trans- formation into a more socially liberal party which is proving to be the easi- est for the PN. Not only do tradition- alists have nowhere else to go, but the present party leader hails from the party's more liberal wing, mak- ing the transformation easier. It would also seem that the civil un- ions debacle on the eve of the MEP elections reinforced Busuttil's hand in the party; and the transformation of the Catholic Church under Pope Francis makes the transformation even easier. Still the party remains largely a fol- lower rather than a leader when it comes to civil rights. It even lost an opportunity in speaking up for the right of children of migrants to be granted citizenship during the de- bate on Muscat's passport scheme. One clear instance where the PN is more centre-right than centre-left is its fiscal policy, which has consist- Can the PN really become Echoing post-war Italian Christian Democratic leader Alcide De Gasperi, Mario de Marco envisions a centre-left future for his party. But how far left can the PN go without parting from its centre right identity? asks JAMES DEBONO Muscat's shift to the right on various issues, such as energy privatisation, is not reflected in various areas of social policy and public expenditure Alcide De Gasperi (above) echoed by Mario de Marco. Top right: Guido de Marco shakes hands with Eddie Fenech Adami and (bottom right) Austin Gatt (left) and Lawrence Gonzi.