I am truly sorry for Mr J. Martinelli of London, Ontario, Canada (TMID, 7 November), and all those expenses he says he has to make do with. It is shocking he has to pay such electricity bills – why does he not use firewood to warm his backside, or is it too tough for him to saw the firewood down to size? Why does he not come to live in Malta, it will be much easier for him to fawn upon the government he defends so assiduously. And perhaps he can join Daphne Caruana Galizia and form a club of admirers of the government. Of course, in the extreme, he can always go and jump off Niagara Falls.

I am being strong in the writing, not because I do not see Mr Martinelli’s point, but because from the way he writes, Mr Martinelli is telling us to accept a lower standard of living without complaint. Our quality of life is deteriorating, and he is telling us to be gracious about it and keep our mouth shut. We all expected better from this lying government, after all the promises made only last March.

If Mr Martinelli cares to know, he should be aware that it is only the government’s Ministers who are growing fat – look at Austin Gatt, how chubby (and uglier) he has become. The rest of us are eating potatoes with the skin on, to make do.

J. Falzon,

Rabat