Two weeks ago we arrived back in the UK from a holiday in Malta, where it is usual for us to stay for three to four weeks. But this year we decided we should return after 10 days. We are convinced that it is our last trip to Malta. 

Over the last two or three years we have become aware of the terrible racism that is becoming more open. Without any provocation, complete strangers make the most outrageous comments about other nationalities and races. It is more like Nazism than racism; the graffiti on the walls in the stairwell leading up from the square in Valletta are most certainly Nazi.

Last year was the first time we became aware of how many people who had until recently lived in South Africa are now living in Malta.

These people would still be in South Africa if things had not changed, and they could still be lording it over the native South Africans.

In the space of no more than one weekend I heard people in the hotel where we were staying use the word "Kaffir" (a disparaging term for a black person) at least four times. One of the men told me he was born Maltese but had lived in South Africa for nearly 30 years. Another one we met who was London-born, and now lives in Malta, had lived in South Africa for about the same length of time.

We have many of this sort of people now living back in the UK, including from Zimbabwe and Kenya, one of the reasons we have seen an increase in racism here. It seemed that almost every time we met people from the UK now living in Malta, they were racist, or only interested in drinking. We did not meet one who was doing a worthwhile job; they all seemed to be either in pub work or trying to convince people to join some scheme (time-share and others).

The reason why this sort of people went to South Africa in the first place was because they could feel they were superior and entitled to privileged treatment. They never had any intention of assimilating with the natives of that country. It seems they are doing the same in Malta: they are always in the company of their own and very few, if any, have a real relationship with the Maltese people.

Malta was a place I could not promote enough. I felt the people were so honest and straightforward and had no shame standing up and announcing their working class political heritage. But never again. Malta is a small country that is going to become more racist, as with Ireland where we lived for a time, with its own people feeling they have the right to be accepted anywhere they go but condemning others because they are black, Asian or Arab, or for any reason they can think of to dislike a person. When we lived in Ireland we were insulted because we were British, even though my wife is Irish born, as were three of my grandparents and my mother.

Racists are so stupid.