Those who on a Sunday in winter love to go up to Mdina will no doubt have remarked on the lawlessness that is evident there and which seems to have increased by leaps and bounds.

There was a time, long ago, when cars could not enter Mdina and a lot of hassle was caused to people with legitimate reasons to enter the Silent City. Even people who were guests at a wedding had to get special permission with papers to show the date and time of the wedding. Even the many distributors found it quite difficult to be allowed free access at all times.

There was also the constant contrast between the townpeople of Mdina who have always had rights, and the people coming in from outside. This is a very old contrast in Malta between the nobles of Mdina and the people from the villages. And when the townpeople only were allowed in, the contrast was strident.

Then, little by little, the blanket prohibition began to be nibbled at. And now the result is a general free for all. Cars enter at will, park wherever, and clog the streets.

The signs prohibiting entry are still there but people with children and unwary tourists have to watch their step as the narrow streets bring cars and pedestrians in close proximity.

There is a complete air of relaxed lawlessness – so much so that, at least last Sunday afternoon – the police station was closed.

The worst – maybe this is a personal opinion – was the roaring entry of a group of bikers roaring up the narrow streets.

It is undoubted that the many shops and outlets in Mdina are doing a roaring trade with this general relaxation of the rules. In fact, the numbers of restaurants and wine bars is on the increase, with the Maltese penchant of if possible parking just outside the restaurant.

But it is equally undoubted that Mdina is not made for cars and that with free entry for cars, let alone motorbikes, the poetry of the Silent City has gone forever.

The key point is law and order but it seems that in many areas, today and not just today, one just cannot tell off anybody, even if one has all the authority that is required.

And that is a very sad comment one must make not just about Mdina but about Malta in 2014.