I have a question for you: If the 80s were so awful, why are there so many nostalgic “80s nights” taking place, all of which, I’m told, are extremely popular?

It’s simple really: a song is able to transport you back in time to what you were doing when it first came out, and for many people, the 80s was time of their youth. You recall that time, don’t you, when every Saturday night was exciting and your biggest problem was deciding which leggings to wear before fluffing out your big hair and heading out to dance the night away to Duran Duran?

So while some people prefer to focus on the negativity which, in their mind’s eye, the 80s will always represent, it is clear from the sold-out 80s nights that others choose to remember that time in their lives in a different way.

I sometimes wonder how the young people of today will remember 2008.

They might recall it as the year the lights went out and everyone was afraid to turn on the heater. Or the year when nurses, lecturers and taxi drivers went out on strike, protesting against a government that had not kept its promises. It was the time when those in power stopped caring what voters wanted, and just steamrolled ahead with really bad decisions. It was also the year, they will tell their kids, that we had to stop spending like tomorrow would never come, because “tomorrow” had come and, guess what, there was no money left.

But then again, a song will come on the radio one distant day in 2020, which will remind them of the year they spent staying out all night and binge drinking and having a ball. And for a fleeting second they will be young again and life is good.

We work hard for the money

It seems that, rather than clamouring for better salaries, the Maltese prefer to advocate for the right to work longer and longer hours.

This reasoning is beyond my comprehension.

The older I get, the fewer hours I wish to work, because basically I do not see the sense of clocking up all those hours only to end up too exhausted to enjoy the money I have earned. What, really, is the point of it all?

On the other hand, I am fully aware that there are people for whom overtime has become their lifeline. Their wages are so low that it is only by agreeing to work extra hours that they can hope to push up their take-home pay to an amount that will help cover the monthly bills.

This week the European Parliament ruled that there should be a restriction on overtime and decided that, for health and safety reasons, people should only be allowed to work an extra eight hours a week.

This has been met with dismay by the unions and employer associations here in Malta, with the Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise describing it as a “disastrous” decision.

In an unusual show of unity, all five Maltese MEPs voted against the motion, saying that it will damage the flexibility required by businesses, and that it is the “right” of employees to work as many hours as they wish in order to supplement their income.

Don’t we have this whole thing back-to-front, though? Shouldn’t we be demanding that, if we cannot get better salaries, at least our cost of living becomes more manageable?

I recently came across a description of Malta on the Internet by an American visitor, who said: “I did some research about the average Maltese family income. I was shocked beyond belief. It is way low. Low income, high cost of living, together with disastrous roads and (an) overall chaotic, overcrowded place to be.”

So, what else is new, right? We don’t really need an American to tell us what we already know. But somehow, hearing our country described like this from an outsider’s perspective brings the reality home much more forcefully.

When my brother visits and invariably starts to compare prices as well as the cost of living here (buying a house and a car, paying for schools, grocery and utility bills) he shakes his head in disbelief and inevitably says to me: “I don’t know how you manage.”

Well, for a start – people work overtime. Failing that, they hold down two or more jobs (preferably something which can be done on the sly).

Meanwhile, everyone is tired, anxious, grumpy and ready to snap.

I hardly think the increased incidence of violence and marital breakdowns is happening in a vacuum.

How low can you go?

Our low wages are taken casually for granted. On the website maltajobsearch.com, they bluntly advise those who are thinking of relocating to Malta that:

“Maltese wages are low in comparison to other areas in Europe. Be prepared to lower your salary expectations (this depends on the industry you are in).”

This is the same kind of advice that is given on Britishexpats.com to those considering packing their bags and moving here.

When faced with this status quo, people are going to do all they can to get more for their euro. It is not surprising, therefore, that as more and more Maltese discover the low cost benefits and convenience of shopping online, businesses are feeling the pinch. It doesn’t help matters that we are often met with shoddy service – salesgirls who are more concerned with inspecting the state of their nail extensions than seeing to our needs.

Surprisingly, one area that has not been hit by the credit crunch is the performing arts. (Ironic, considering the current debate on whether Malta needs another theatre.) From what I can gather, all three pantos (two in English, one in Maltese), as well as High School Musical and Swan Lake on Ice, are sold out. The Barney and Disney shows are also doing well.

My conclusion is that people are probably buying tickets to these shows as Christmas presents, which is a good idea when you are shopping for others. With any other kind of present you always take the risk that it won’t fit, or it won’t be appreciated.

With money being tight, and ticket prices being what they are, anyone would be grateful to receive a couple of free tickets in their Christmas stocking.

In fact, what better way to momentarily escape this rather drab, penny-pinching winter than by spending a couple of hours watching a colourful, entertaining show where we can laugh at our own foibles and try and not think too much about those bills which will soon be pushed through the letter box.

The debt factor

As a child, I used to be fascinated by the sight of the archetypical housewives Wilma and Betty on The Flintstones, making a mad dash towards the department store clutching their husbands’ credit cards, and shouting “Charge it!” I didn’t really know what it meant at the time, but I vaguely understood that it had something to do with buying what they wanted behind the backs of Fred and Barney, who clearly disapproved.

Setting aside the blatant sexism of the whole cartoon (these days Wilma and Betty would be career women with their own credit cards), I’m often reminded of this scene when I see how many people use plastic instead of cash.

In many households, even day-to-day purchases are paid for against credit cards. The younger generation (and here I’m starting to sound like an old biddy) think nothing of buying a must-have outfit with a flash of their Visa.

Clearly, those who have this mindset are not paying attention to what is happening internationally. How people are losing their jobs and are then going on to lose their homes, and everything else because nothing is really “theirs”. Like a house of cards that collapses in on itself, everything can be wiped out at a stroke. So far in Malta the banks have been kind with people who skip mortgage payments, but there might come a time when reality will bite.

This is not a matter of forecasting gloom; it is a matter of telling it like it is. Economic uncertainty has certainly cast a cloud over Christmas, but perhaps the cloud might have the proverbial silver lining.

Those who for years were warning us that we are living beyond our means are finally being heeded. The frenzied consumer culture and mindless spending is being reigned in.

While businessmen understandably view this situation with alarm, perhaps this is a good time for them to take stock and do an “inventory” of how they operate – do shops and people who provide services really cater for the customer, or is the customer supposed to simply hand over his money and shut up? In this climate, only be the best will survive as consumers “vote with their feet” and, for example, turn their backs on restaurants that serve mediocre food that is grossly overpriced and served by waiters who bang your plates on the table. Shoppers are learning to walk out when they ask for assistance and are met with a gum-chewing mouth, an arrogant stare and a loud “we don’t have your size, hi”.

As for after-sales service – OK, you can stop laughing now.

People will continue to spend, but will do so more cautiously and wisely. More than ever they will wait for goods to go on sale, confirming to themselves that the mark-up on many of the items was greedily over-inflated.

The property market, I hear, is at a standstill. So maybe, just maybe, those outrageous prices will start slipping down to more realistic, affordable figures.

On an island where there is too much of everything, but not enough of quality, this bleak Christmas will be a cold shower for those who, for too long, thought they could just grab the money and run.

However, this winter could also see a scenario where the customer finally – and at long last - becomes king.

Have a good Christmas.

[email protected]