Even though the far right in Malta does not have significant electoral strength, far right ideology haunts the political system and is at times embraced by elements within the main political parties, Green Party leader Michael Briguglio said this morning.

He was speaking during a seminar on "Populism and the Far Right", organised by the Green European and Ceratonia foundations.

The Alternattiva Demokratika chairman said examples included the PN's attempt to give the impression that Maltese society was homogeneous and characterised by a one-size-fits-all lifestyles, at the exclusion of minorities, Labour's attempt to give the impression that it could maintain wasteful practices and lower utility bills as well as the latter's immigration populism, where it attempted to sell the idea that Malta could do it alone and solve the 'problem' once and for all.

There was then the fiscal populism of both the Nationalist and Labour parties, who promised expenditure increases in areas such as social policy without committing themselves for progressive generation of revenue.

"Their staunch opposition to the financial transaction tax is a case in point. When elections approach, both PNPL increase populist propaganda, as was the case in the 2009 European elections when both parties gave a false impression on the immigration issue through cheap propaganda."

The main speakers of the seminar were Dutch sociologist and director of Bureau de Helling, the research foundation of the Dutch Green Party Dick Pels, anthropologist and head of Sociology Department Mark Anthony Falzon, historian and It-Torca editor Aleks Farrugia, and Maria Pisani from Integra Foundation.