Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/906955
maltatoday SUNDAY 26 NOVEMBER 2017 16 Adrian Delia: Not a game of football When Birkirkara FC dumped Scottish football team Hearts out of the Europa League two seasons ago, few thought this was possible. There was, however, one man who believed his club could make history and become the first Mal- tese team to progress two rounds in European club competitions. Adrian Delia was then president of Birkirkara FC and known for his outspokenness and uplifting dress- ing room pep talks. He believed and Birkirkara did the unthinkable. Now at the helm of the Nation- alist Party, Delia may want to look back at that moment of glory and believe he can repeat the same feat in politics. To do that, however, he will have to overlook last season's faux pas that saw Birkirkara lose out on a place in Europe after the club missed the deadline for submitting the necessary paperwork – football aficionados blame Delia for this mistake. But even if the paperwork fi- asco is forgiven, Delia knows that the game he plays now has higher stakes and comes with compli- cated written and unwritten rules. Understanding people's concerns and aspirations is only one aspect of politics. Delia will also have to map out a way forward but most of all he must inspire enough trust in people that allows them to vote for him in an election. It will not be easy and everything suggests Delia has a hard slog ahead of him, not only to convince the people at large but also the PN's own hard-core supporters. A question of trust Since clinching the PN leader- ship last September, Delia has failed to make any inroads among voters. More worryingly for him is the fact that he has not even man- aged to convince PN voters. The latest trust barometer pub- lished by MaltaToday last Sunday saw Delia lose almost seven points over the October survey and this at a time when Prime Minister Jo- seph Muscat faced flak in the after- math of Daphne Caruana Galizia's murder. It also showed Delia winning the trust of only 39% of respondents who voted PN last June. Finding glory is going to take much more than sipping a cup of tea at the Siggiewi party club in the morning while reading the news- papers and speaking to people. The trust barometer is one aspect Delia would do good not to ignore. His predecessor never managed to overcome the trust gap with Muscat in four years, not even at the height of the Panama Papers scandal. Delia tried to portray himself as his own man during the PN leader- ship election. This he did by taking o n t h e p a r t y establish- ment. It was a move that many grass- roots Nationalists appreciated but roll forward a few months and in his first significant parliamen- tary speech in reply to the Budget, Delia delivered a hard-hitting dis- course that appeared to be a leaf out of his predecessor's hymnbook. Speaking just 24 hours after Daphne Caruana Galizia's murder Delia failed to project a statesman- like approach and instead headed for the political trenches. In an uncharacteristically short speech he closed off by calling for the Prime Minister's resignation. This he did hesitantly and to casual observers it appeared to be an out- of-character move. Since then, Delia has not called for Muscat's scalp again, which suggests the original call may not have been of his own making in the first place. To observers it appeared that Delia the anti-establishment cam- paigner had transmuted into Delia the leader of the status quo. Tackling dissent Admittedly, Delia's first keynote parliamentary speech came at a delicate juncture for him. It was not an easy start, as he had to contend with a restless back- bench where some senior figures, including ex-leader Simon Bu- suttil, Jason Azzopardi and Karol Aquilina stuck to the pre-electoral stand that placed anti-corruption discourse above anything else. Caruana Galizia's murder gave the PN's dissenting voices an even stronger platform to continue hit- ting out at Muscat and in a less than subtle way at Delia. The situation forced the PN leader to stay away from the dem- onstrations organised by the Civil Society Network. Along with Mus- cat and President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, he was a persona non grata at Caruana Galizia's fu- neral. Delia had been a target of the slain journalist over claims he held an offshore account in Jersey and acted as legal counsel for the Mal- tese own- ers of a Lon- don property linked to prostitution. While the shots were being called by the emerging Civil Society Net- work, buoyed also by the presence of senior PN figures who had op- posed Delia's leadership bid, the PN leader could only bide his time to strengthen the grip on the party. This he did in the weeks that fol- lowed. A majority of Delia backers made it to the executive council, Kristy Debono clinched the presi- dency of the general council and in a sly move, Clyde Puli was in- stalled secretary general without a contest. Delia's reluctance to give MPs a free vote on the motion put for- ward by the party to rescind a law granting leave to couples undergo- ing IVF treatment was his way of forcing his hand. It may not have been the best war to pick – the PN's stand continued to push the LGBTIQ community away from it – but Delia used the occasion to out the problematic MPs on his side of the fence. The whole ruckus painted a pic- ture of disunity that does little to bolster the PN's stand- ing among voters but for the time being, Delia's priority may lie elsewhere. Ensuring the previous party es- tablishment falls in line with his way of doing politics may be more important at this stage than grow- ing stronger in the polls. But in do- ing so Delia has to be careful not to kill the patient while the surgery is underway. If the PN's fortunes dip further he may find it next to impossible to scale back the gap with the La- bour Party in the May 2019 Euro- pean Parliament elections. An even worse result than the last election for the PN could deliver a mortal blow to Delia's aspirations. Financial disarray Furthermore Delia will also have to contend with the precarious fi- nancial situation the PN finds itself in. Selling off several party clubs – a plan concocted by the previous party administration to pay off debts – may plug the gap for the News COURT NOTICE The Registrar of Civil Courts and Tribunals informs that the Civil Court, First Hall ordered the following sales by auction: 6 th December 2017 10.30am - AZ 28/17 J. Zammit Limited C 37945 vs Ritianne Cardona Mckay ID 231972M 3, St. James Court, Triq Is-Sienja, H'Attard Vehicle of the make Toyota Yaris with the registration number GBP 648. 6 th December 2017 11.30am - EGL 26/17 J. Zammit Limited C 37945 vs Jonathan Saliba et. ID 392092M 55, Triq Ta' Għadmija, Mqabba Toyota Celica With The Registration Number FCB 378. 11 th December 2017 10.30am - EGL 9/16 AC Fuels Limited C 60673 vs Anthony Schembri et. ID 671761M Alfaran Complex, Triq Ħal Far, Birżebbuġa Truck Of The Make Bedford Blue And Red In Colour With The Registrazzjoni Number EAD 216. Further details can be obtained from the website: http://www.justiceservices.gov.mt/courtservices/JudicialSales/search.aspx The bidders taking part in the auction must present their identity card Rudolph Marmara' For the Registrar Civil Courts and Tribunals him in an election. It will not be easy and everything suggests Delia has a hard slog ahead of him, not only to convince the people at large but also the PN's own hard-core supporters. Since clinching the PN leader- ship last September, Delia has failed to make any inroads among voters. More worryingly for him is the fact that he has not even man- aged to convince PN voters. The latest trust barometer pub- lished by MaltaToday last Sunday saw Delia lose almost seven points over the October survey and this at a time when Prime Minister Jo- seph Muscat faced flak in the after- math of Daphne Caruana Galizia's It also showed Delia winning the trust of only 39% of respondents who voted PN last June. Finding glory is going to take much more than sipping a cup of tea at the Siggiewi party club in the morning while reading the news- papers and speaking to people. The trust barometer is one aspect Delia would do good not to ignore. His predecessor never managed to overcome the trust gap with Muscat in four years, not even at the height of the Panama Papers Delia tried to portray himself as his own man during the PN leader- ship election. This he did by taking o n t h e p a r t y establish- ment. It was a move that many grass- roots Nationalists appreciated but roll forward a few months and in his first significant parliamen- tary speech in reply to the Budget, Delia delivered a hard-hitting dis- course that appeared to be a leaf out of his predecessor's hymnbook. Speaking just 24 hours after Daphne Caruana Galizia's murder Delia failed to project a statesman- like approach and instead headed for the political trenches. In an uncharacteristically short speech he closed off by calling for the Prime Minister's resignation. This he did hesitantly and to casual observers it appeared to be an out- of-character move. Since then, Delia has not called for Muscat's scalp again, which suggests the original call may not have been of his own making in the first place. To observers it appeared that Delia the anti-establishment cam- paigner had transmuted into Delia the leader of the status quo. Tackling dissent tese own- ers of a Lon- don property linked to prostitution. ture of disunity that does little to bolster the PN's stand- ing among voters but for The Registrar of Civil Courts and Tribunals informs that the Civil Court, 2019 A POLITICAL ODYSSEY Polls show Adrian Delia is failing to inspire trust and Joseph Muscat at an all-time high trust rating. KURT SANSONE analyses the fortunes of both leaders in the run-up to a crucial year of reckoning: the European and local council elections of 2019 It is a known secret that Muscat has been eyeing a top post in the Union he once reviled, but that plan could have gone topsy-turvy after the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia