Description
In this original study, Bartolo deploys the oppostiional concepts of inclusion and exclusion to explain the 2013 election result (and which was practically confirmed in the 2014 election to the European Parliament). Bartolo’s argument, backed by an extensive discourse analysis of visual, electronic and print media, is that the PL succeeded in convincing the electorate of its credentials for governability by presenting itself as the inclusive ‘big tent’ political movement. It tapped into the basic human need to belong but also suggesting a willingness to listen to and accept the participation of various minority or socially disadvantaged groups. Here, it may have lifted a page from the PN’s 1980’s campaign in favour of dialogue, solidarity, and social justice. Three decades later, the proverbial tables, it seems, have been deftly turned. This publication makes a valuable addition to the select scholarly literature that critically examines the contemporary fortunes of Malta’s political parties.
