Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Labour Party promoted the concept of “neutrality” as the best deterrent to war and the most effective security policy. The fewer weapons we have, we were told, the lower the risk of getting into trouble.
Individuals like myself, who studied history but specifically Malta’s neutrality, and its history, (as opposed to studying the criminal code and Maltese law) have repeatedly asserted the contrary: neutrality is not a substitute for a defence policy.
The self-appointed scholars on war and diplomacy, Alex Agius Saliba and Daniel Attard kept insisting otherwise. They also voted against the ReArm Europe programme on the back of grandiose claims they are defending Europe’s peace.
This over-confident stupidity by Labour politicians about serious matters is mostly due to lack of experience and zero accountability in Maltese politics. With Labour politicians you can see the Dunning-Kruger effect on steroids as they grow ever more confident in their ignorance after consistently failing to be held accountable for their grave errors and mistakes: unlike a private employee who can be fired from their job.
No one will be held accountable that Malta’s sea passageways are not safe and unguarded after Labour Party politicians abused of national security issues to hit out at the President of the European Parliament. However, we can look forward and in Labour a sense of distorted calm reigns at the moment. There’s an eerie feeling that something went seriously wrong: no one expected Israel to bomb drones or bombs at our borders.
Now, joining NATO is no longer far-fetched as those who are in power become ever more genuinely concerned of Malta’s security and its defence. It’s just the beginning of what will hopefully be a more mature discussion on defence than the one we’ve had so far.
Website Editor
Historian and Publisher
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