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maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 16 MAY 2018 6 NEWS ANALYSIS PN leader Adrian Delia did not single out foreign workers or lash out at elit- ists within his party as he did in the past weeks. Instead, at his concluding speech at the PN's week-long General Council, he delivered an inclusive message bear- ing the imprint of soft patriotism, some marks of conservative identity and an emphasis on opening up the party to people's daily problems. Speaking on Mothers' day, Delia con- stantly referred to Malta as a mother whose honour, health and identity are in various ways threatened by Muscat's government. Comparing Malta to a mother that has always loved her own children, he insisted that the government led by Joseph Muscat was on the other hand determined to sell her soul for personal gain. In this way he had taken the tra- ditional Mediterranean honour and shame code to a new level. By harping on nationalism Delia is al- so fighting on Muscat's turf. But while Muscat's patriotism is highly pragmatic emphasising Malta's economic success, Delia's is based on a defence of national identity – a flexible concept which also caters for increased concern on envi- ronmental issues and corruption. Delia also speaks a Labour-friendly language, repeating the Mintoffian mantra of "our country (pajjizna) first and foremost." He fends off attacks on his MEPs – depicted by the Labour Party as trai- tors – by referring to them as the ones "defending" Malta's honour by fighting corruption. Yet this issue may become problem- atic for Delia, whenever Article 7 – a mechanism which censors EU mem- bers with rule of law failures – is in- voked by MEPs, especially those hailing from the European Popular Party, the PN's political family. To counter the perception that his nationalism is pandering to xenopho- bia, he also evoked the image of Malta as the welcoming nurse of the Medi- terranean during World War I. He emphasised that while there was noth- ing wrong in attracting foreign labour where this is needed, the focus should be on improving working conditions of those who already work here. This comes in the aftermath of Delia's visit to the Farsons plant during which De- lia was reminded that the company would not have been able to cope with last year's export demands without its complement of foreign workers. From Latin to Maltese identity Perhaps to counter the impression of elitism conjured by his own reference to 'Latin' identity in last year's Inde- pendence speech, he came up with a stanch defence of the Maltese language. Despite his linguistic fervour for Mal- tese, Delia, whose extensive use of the Italianate legalese word "trapass" is fre- quently made fun of, could not resist using the Italian "ignoti" (unknown) with reference to the mysterious own- ers of Vitals. It was not clear to what linguistic threat Delia was referring in his speech although one could presume that he was referring to an educational reform which could see Maltese being offered as a vocational subject. The reform, which has been shot down by a number of academics, aims at making Maltese more accessible to children not used to speaking the language. By harking on the defence of the Mal- tese language, Delia showed an ability to redefine his party's historically elitist concept of identity. The party of itali- anità, which was later associated with the English-speaking middle class, is now re-inventing itself as the party fighting for the Maltese language. Women and the unborn In another cavalier remark towards the female gender Delia has accused the government of turning women into objects or "vehicles". In this way the pro-life politician is trying to use a feminist argument against surrogacy, which is probably the most ethically controversial aspect of the proposed IVF bill. Yet there is a flipside to the feminist argument; it is also the other side of the coin of the demand for reproduc- tive rights. Ironically countries like Sweden which ban surrogacy also offer abortioon demand. Delia has linked the defence of the unborn to one of the five pillars he out- lined in what could be a clear message that those who believe that zygote is a cluster of eight cells with no attributes of personhood, have no place in the party. The fact that nobody challenged this fundamentalist retrenchment in the general council does not augur well for a party whose voters are more plural- istic than the party when it comes to moral issues. On the IVF issue the PN faces a fun- damental problem. Can it afford to sac- rifice the pursuit of happiness of people seeking a more effective remedy to in- fertility problems on the altar of a very rigid ideological point? One way to tone this inherent con- servatism involved a couple of token references to the LGBTI community and single mothers but in both cases Delia did not say anything substantial. Where will the money come from? Delia was at his best in delivering a strong social message. He gives an im- pression of being in synch with popu- lar concerns on rising rents and the realities faced by separated people who have to pay for court maintenance from meagre wages. He is also in synch with popular concerns on traffic, pollution and endless construction. Yet again Delia did not present any concrete so- lutions. One of the running problems with De- lia is that he rambles on from one topic Brand Delia: Saving 'mother' Malta Delia presented his 'brand' of soft nationalism and his popular touch is giving his party signs of life but his vision of the future remains foggy, says JAMES DEBONO Delia made no reference to these 'do or die' elections. Instead he recognised that the party faces an "uphill struggle" Flowers for mumsie: Adrian Delia's mother sends him his love