Summer 2023 is turning out to be quite a memorable season, albeit for the wrong reasons. As days roll by there is a growing sense that the situation is coming to a head, thus contributing to a sense of frustration, desperation and anger.

This sentiment is palpable on our roads with the number of road rage incident on the rise. Unfortunately, the holiday season did not bring about the much-anticipated reduction in traffic congestion. Instead, the mayhem seems to be becoming worse with arterial roads in complete gridlock from morning to night. In some areas like Msida, Burmarrad, Mgarr, Xemxija, Marsa, and Regional Road it is no longer a case of avoiding the morning or afternoon rush hour, as the situation has become impossible to handle all day long. The sense of frustration is compounded further by the complete disorganization in which road works are being handled. Overnight road closures, wrong signage of traffic deviations, trenching works which result in roads being left laid with concrete for months and at times unqualified staff manning the traffic, have become the order of the day.

Meanwhile, whenever the mercury column starts rising, households, businesses and commercial entities start holding their breath, in the hope they would not left be without power for hours. The situation has become desperate to the point that the only ones which are seeming to profit from this are those selling or hiring generators. The authorities’ response so far was weak, while employees are the ones huffing and puffing in the scorching sun to try and patch up the situation. In reality we are only papering over the cracks, as the sharp increase in population means it is only a question of time before the situation repeats itself.

Other issues which are a source of concern are the increasing crime rates, particularly violence and anti-social behaviour as well as the increase in the cost of living which is now exceeding the EU average.

All these factors are contributing to foment a deep sense of disillusion, with young people now more likely than ever to seek greener pastures abroad. 

In the late seventies, between November 1978 and February 1979 the United Kingdom was characterised by widespread industrial unrest, inflation and extreme weather. All this happened under the watch of a Labour government led by Prime Minister James Callaghan. This period was famously labelled as ‘the winter of discontent’. Judging by the current situation in Malta over the past weeks there are plenty of parallels. The way events are unfolding could make a strong case for Malta’s summer of discontent.