Browsing through the property adverts from one of the continuously blossoming real estate companies that seem bent on maximising their profits at all costs, I came across one advertising the sale of a would-be villa. This may technically be a villa, perhaps, but certainly not the dictionary definition of “a large and luxurious” house. It looked more like a big IKEA showroom.

Still, it boasted spacious living quarters and the ubiquitous (if you’re ‘successful’, that is) pool. It had a kitchen with enough space for someone to actually cook in, a dining table which, while being far from anything remotely resembling luxury, was big enough to allow a family to eat their dinner in dignity, and the just as ubiquitous “open plan living room” to save space and sell a smaller house as a bigger one, err, I mean to “provide a holistic shared living experience and enrich the family ambience”.

So, while the interior would serve well as an illustrative collection of faux pas to those with interior design ambitions, the place still looked better than most of its matchbox competitors on the market.

Fancy a home like that? Well, it will cost you. Close to a million in fact. For a semi-detached nondescript villa. In the village.

But wait! Are you an honest, hard-working man? Then I am sorry, you’re out of luck. This advert is clearly not meant for you. Go look for something more, how shall I put it, ‘modest’.

For no matter how hard you work, how diligently you save, you will never be the target audience of such adverts unless lady luck pays you a visit.

How do I know this? Well, because I had once wondered the same thing, you see. I have worked hard all my life, getting a number of degrees (a couple more, I wager, than those running around the island in a Ferrari) and have embellished my curriculum vitae with all the bells and whistles one would expect to collect from a reasonably attractive career path, and with enough experience to warrant that bump in the standard of living we all yearn for.

And yet, when a couple of years ago I complained about the lack of quality houses available at a decent price in the ridiculously inflated Maltese property market, my fears were brushed away with a dismissively optimistic answer: “Oh you can still find a small two-bedroom apartment for around €200k, if you look hard.”

Now let us step back and have a good look at what that means, in reality. €200k would at best get you some cheap-looking, cheaply-built abomination at the heart of some heavily congested town, light not included. Pollution is likely to be included, however, and the high levels you get at that measly price makes it a bargain.

A heavy sprinkling of empty buzz words and meaningless jargon does not make one a socialist

So, essentially, what this fellow suggested was that I work my whole life in order to pay back a loan I incurred to pay for something that I really do not want. Wow, what a champion of socialist ideology this wise young man was!

Indeed, while interviewing Fr David Muscat, Simon Debono, the Secretary General of the Federation of Estate Agents, puts an entry level house at around €250-€300k: that’s entry-level, not some lavish mansion.

This means a whole life of hard work and achievement to only be able to barely save enough for an entry-level domicile and beg the bank for financial assistance.

Meanwhile, other characters pursuing activities of a dubious nature get to enjoy the perks of having drawers full of money – one of them being the perk of living in a dignified habitation.

Indeed, thanks to the wonderful passport scheme (which in itself may have not been such a bad idea had it been implemented wisely), we now have a number of loaded people who do not even reside in their local residence, increasing the demand and making it harder for those who are actually simply looking for a roof over their heads.

You know, the locals building families and such – the backbone of any society.

The latter are essentially screwed so that the former can get into the EU – that wonderful Union meant to make our life better – and so that those running around the country in a Ferrari can continue ruining it at the same time.

It’s not enough that I have to work hard to keep up with grossly inflated prices, always on the rise and always rising disproportionately compared to wages; I now also have to compete with Russian and Chinese buyers who do not have to face the rigorous laws of the land, as they say.

God knows how they made their money, but this is not really questioned: as long as things are ‘legal’ (and by that we mean legal provenance, according to what was considered legal in their own countries), then everything is fine and to hell with morality.

Exploitation of workers and abuse are not really factored when considering their ‘success’ – they are successful people with deep pockets who can enjoy the fruits of the West while not needing to adhere to any of its values.

You, on the other hand, dear worker, you’re another case, and you must follow the principles of just and sustainable development if you want to go into business. Unless you know someone, of course…

The current crisis may have woken some people from their slumber, regardless of the political ideology they subscribe to.

Naturally, however, it is to the socialist who the meek worker turns, hoping to at least find shelter from capitalism if not from rain and cold, and hoping that it would cost way below a couple of grand.

During this time, I have read a number of posts and articles from born-again-socialists – they invariably speak of the same thing: providing equal opportunities, more work, and so on. A heavy sprinkling of empty buzz words and meaningless jargon does not make one a socialist.

I have always had a strong socialist attitude to life: what that means is ensuring that the hard worker is rewarded for his efforts, not punished by importing unfair competition.

What that means is that the balance is restored, that the injustice suffered everyday by the worker is corrected. That the wrong is made right: that the working man is finally given what he deserves, and that his work is compensated in a just and equitable manner.

That is true socialism: fighting tooth and nail against the absurd injustices of the capitalist world.

Then, once the balance is somewhat restored, and only then, can we start speaking of ‘equal opportunities’.

Not that I expect something of the sort to happen anytime soon on our island. The advert that inspired this piece was probably referring to il-Mensija, but it would be just as apt if it referred to the village mentality that for some strange reason still dominates the people, in this age of internet enlightenment.

As long as the meaningless numbers behind our ‘economy’ keep rising, then all is well in the village, even if properties keep getting smaller and smaller, and their prices keep getting bigger and bigger.