A message in a ballot to Robert Abela

The MEP elections are a solid win for Labour, said Robert Abela, with a straight face. He failed to mention that he lost some 25k voters from the previous MEP election. This, in an election with 260k valid voters for perspective.

The electorate sent some clear messages, he added solemnly. But he didn't tell us what the messages were, so I thought I'd help him out.

No more rampant, shameless, and unfettered corruption and crime!

It's impossible not to see the corruption and crime around us, with a new scandal every other day. All countries have a mafia, but in Malta, the Mafia has a country, (as Garry Kasparov put it, in his case referring to Russia).

No more impunity!

The corrupt and the criminal can get away with murder - literally. With an Attorney General and a Police Commissioner whose main mission seems to be hindering justice, brazen impunity is the order of the day.

No more vilification of the pillars of democracy!

Enough of the assault on the judiciary and on the independent media. Enough of the erosion of our democracy.

No more favouritism such as in the dishing out of public contracts!

Public contracts should be handed out fairly, to those who deserve it, not in a way that favours friends and sponsors of the Labour Party.

No more cronyism and phantom jobs!

It's not right that people are given positions for which they are given exorbitant salaries when the only qualification they have for the job is their political allegiance.

No more vote-buying!

All the shameless vote-buying and pandering to voters before the MEP elections was despicable and reprehensible.

The message was indeed clear. This country has become unrecognisable. Malta has become a cesspit of corruption and crime, a haven for money launderers, and a den of iniquity, with its nexus being Castille. We want our country back.

And we will not rest till we have it back.