Traffic apart, crowding has become significant in Malta's main streets. I was surprised recently when visiting foreign friends commented about the crowds they met almost everywhere they were inside Valletta's. This happened early in spring.

Naturally, crowds are to be found mainly in the island's busier and more popular spaces - the capital and commercial cities - Mdina - Sliema - and why not, Cottonera? - in the museum and on the beaches - as well as on public transport. All that cannot be helped. By itself, the prevalence of crowds will generate a new mentality among the Maltese population, giving rise to dissatisfaction... indeed, is already doing so.

However, according to a friend of mine who understands how socieities adapt to changes in their circumstances, people will get accustomed to crowding. What will not be so easily taken on board is the emerging need for more resources dedicated to the cleaning and maintenance of the locations involved, including new practices to safeguard public health and hygiene.

Support for Israel

Quite a while ago during a meeting with an Israeli ambassador, I mentioned that over the years, I had noted how the wideranging and strong popular support Israel enjoyed abroad up to the end of the 1960's had shrunk. He showed little concern about this. It was well before the Hamas attack of October 2023. Since then, negative views about Israel among millions of non-Arab citizens in Europe and the US have continued to spread.

It seems that many Israelis still believe this is due to persisting anti-semitic pressures. Which is why they claim that there is a need for Israel to remain very strong: in order to serve as a protector of Jews worldwide when they come under anti-semitic attack. But some other Israelis are worried about what is happening and have warned that Israel cannot end up as an agent that appears to be itself provoking the rise of anti-semitism.

The same

The suspicion exists that a fundamental problem for the Nationalist Party today is that its policies are hardly any different from Labour's. At least by way of claims and arguments, in practice PN leaders seem to align themselves along the same wavelength as the Labour Party - in matters related to economic and social policies, as well as foreign affairs. True, they do sometimes refer to new economic sectors they'd like to hatch and promote. But when one examines closely the substance of these proposals, it is difficult to see them as really innovative.

Actually if I have understood correctly, the difference the PN seem to insist upon is more in the sense that were they in government, they'd do a better job. One fails to see how this approach can sound convincing at a time when the government is successfully maintaining an impressive economic growth rate coupled to a "generous" social welfare policy. Quite naturally citizens have every incentive to keep their trust in whoever is already achieving the current results, rather than in whoever promises that if entrusted with the same responsibility, he'd be delivering the same results.