Cyrus the conformist

I was not shocked by Cyrus Engerer's decision to resign from the PN. The confessional drift makes it hard for liberal minded people to remain on board. What shocked me was the ease with which Cyrus Engerer jumped ship to join the PL. There was not even a process of intellectual engagement, discussion of economic, political and social policies and an attempt to enter labour as part of a wider movement rather than as a trophy... The message he sent is that apart from differences on divorce and gay rights both parties are basically the same. It makes no difference that one day you were addressing the national council of the PN and a few days later being paraded like a trophy on One radio.
And by ditching one party for the other, he conformed to the maxim of tribal Maltese politics; jew mal-blu jew mal-ahmar. Perhaps he would have been more credible had he pushed his agenda by forming a current in the PN. Neither i expected him to join the greens if just a few days ago he was addressing the PN general council.
As someone with green and left-liberal inclinations I should be closer to the PL than Cyrus Engerer has ever been.
But my understanding of politics is different. When i hear labour talk about the economy I cringe at the lack of substance and myopia. When I hear labour talk about immigration I cringe at the emotions being stirred. When I look at some of labour's new candidates I cringe at their ties to the same old networks. When I talk to labourites on electoral reform they do not even look remotely interested. I do not see labour as my natural home.
That said i would like to see an honest dialogue between progressives, modernizers and liberals of all shades including who militate in Labour.
But any such honest dialogue must start on the premise that there is a category of people which is liberal, somewhat left wing but not ready to get assimilated in a tradition in which they never felt a part of or intend to be a part of. After all this is the european way of doing politics; coalitions are based on respect for diversity. This segment of the population might not have a critical mass today and is conveniently ignored. But tomorrow will be a different story as Malta is bound to catch up with the rest of Europe.