Europeans have had enough. Amsterdam and Venice have introduced restrictions to reduce tourism numbers that are suffocating them and spoiling the quality of life of the local population.

Local and national elections in Italy, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Norway and Denmark show big gains for the ultra-right wing parties, which campaign for less and better integrated immigration and more space for the national way of life.

The answer to these expressions of anger and fear among the populations of Europe is not to stigmatise the ultra-right wing as nazis or fascists (even though there is an element of fascism and nazism in the original founders) but to try to understand why normal voters who usually would vote christian democrat or even centrist liberal or socialist now feel unhappy with the excessive liberalism of the last 20 years.

Many minorities seem to have a voice that is much louder than their 10 per cent share of the population would normally give them. Of course, they have to receive equal treatment and fair wave time on TV or radio and in the press but having governments pander to them trouble the 90 per cent indigenous populations in most countries.

The same feelings exist in Malta and they are growing ever stronger day by day. In Malta’s case, what is more surprising is that the problem of too many foreigners is self- made, the result of a government policy that is based upon the Dubaisation of the Maltese islands by importing more and more cheap labour to replace the Maltese labour force.

Foreigners who bring some added value to a country have always been welcome. But even the influx of positive and enriching foreign persons is tainted because our governments since independence have had such an inferiority complex and attitude of servility towards ‘barranin’ caused by millennia of having been occupied by ‘so-called superior’ colonisers that we have given these foreigners privileges in the form of lower taxes or no tax at all to attract them.

We are now faced with the fear of losing our own character because there are so many of the culturally different workers manning our shops, old peoples’ homes, hospitals, schools, bars, restaurants , hotels, buses and taxis and, soon, also teachers, lawyers, judges, doctors and, why not, politicians that, if a tipping point is reached, there will be no chance to come back.

That is why Europeans are raising their voices and the threat that the ultra-right poises should be taken seriously by the christian democrats who are more conservative centrists as well as by the liberal and socialist centrists.

Policies to reduce the number of new foreign entrants to a country and sending back those who do not integrate within a given period of time by learning the language are good policies.

The problem of too many foreigners in Malta is self-made- John Vassallo

Reducing social benefits for immigrants who do not go to work within a given time frame of their immigration is another good policy. Obliging the use of the local language instead of pigeon English, which seems to become the lingua franca of Europe, is also a must.

These measures should be introduced now rather than wait for election victories like the ones of Geert Wilder in the Netherlands and Jimmie Akesson in Sweden or the possible victory of Marie Le Pen in France because, then, it will be too late.

These demagogues are attracting normal citizens who fail to see hope in their middle- of-the-road politicians who are so scared of the loud minorities pushing on the buttons of political correctness and ultra liberalism.

The wealthy and the internet giants like Google and X, TikTok, with their influencers, are one of the root causes of the failure of middle of the road politics because they infiltrate the minds of our youth and of new voters and work hard to undermine the values that our forefathers set out for what makes us Europeans.

All guests who wish to live with us are welcome but their numbers should be limited, they should live according to our way of life, work like the rest of us and abide by our principles and speak our languages.

Thus, the attack by Prime Minister Robert Abela on PN leader Bernard Grech for having the guts to tell the truth to the Maltese and to warn them of what they can lose if the present laissez-faire policies do not change is just due to political expedience and an absolute failure to listen to us Maltese.

Abela’s party sold its soul on the fourth floor of Labour headquarters over 10 years ago and is now so deep in the hands and pockets of investors, developers and foreign companies that it fears to change even a comma of their programme. And they call themselves socialists.

Apart from the intangible losses that I have described above, the present liberal economic models of many European countries are leading most countries, including ours, to borrow beyond their means to look good in the eyes of citizens by paying out as much as they can by borrowing more and more.

The future generation will have to pay back these loans with interest and may look back and curse us today for having been too complacent.