The back room deals and shenanigans of forming a post-referendum UK Cabinet are gripping. Like a soap opera, the fortunes and misfortunes of a cast of familiar characters has unfolded through a series of intrigues, twists and short-lived alliances.

Once the dust settles, the big Brexit question is what deal will be struck. Britain wants free trade without free movement of people. The European Union says this goes against its principles and treaties. It also knows that a relatively painless Brexit would encourage others to follow suit.

Excessive migration of people can bring social and economic problems. But immigrants are enterprising and also create opportunities and wealth. The EU, warts and all, is a great and multicultural place. Turning one’s back on it is not the solution to any problem.

People have been migrating across the globe since the beginning of time. Even classical Rome was built by people who came from elsewhere, and different races moved through the ancient empire. Multiculturalism was a keystone to Rome’s greatness.

It is impossible to halt migration in the longer term. Numbers can be controlled in the short term, but it is human nature to always seek new opportunities and interaction. The speed of change can be limited but change cannot be stopped.

Malta has its own history of migration. As early as the 1850s, with a population only a third of what it is today, Malta was considered to be overpopulated. The British, together with Maltese senior administrators like Sir Adrian Dingli, racked their brains to try to identify suitable places to which Maltese labourers could emigrate. They hatched emigration schemes for Crete, Libya, Tunisia, Cyprus and even Jamaica. These early plans had only limited success or failed completely.

Her choice of Boris Johnson as foreign secretary was, however, so unexpected that it was first received as an unfunny joke, until reality sank in

Today Malta is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. In 1900, we had around 540 inhabitants per km2. Today, we have 1,300 residents per km2. The population density has more than doubled over the past century. No wonder we face so many environmental pressures.

After World War II, Commonwealth countries like Australia and Canada offered real opportunities for employment. Shiploads of Maltese men, women and children streamed out, never to return. We even had an Emigration Minister. Sixty years later, the Maltese diaspora is thriving and well.

Similarly, in the late 1940s and 1950s, waves of migrants moved to Britain which had labour shortages after the war. This included Poles and Italians, and also many workers from the West Indies. Years later, their personal experiences of migration have been documented, often in stories written by their descendants, who were born and raised in Britain.

British literature has been enriched by these writers, focusing on the experiences of multicultural communities. They reveal personal narratives that do not emerge in official documents. Andrea Levy’s acclaimed novel Small Island, for example, described the lives of black immigrants from the Caribbean like her parents in England, initially treated as second-class citizens, humi­liated and snubbed. Many had fought for Britain during the war, seeing it as the ‘mother country’. Yet they encountered prejudices and hostility and struggled to build their lives.

All this is, of course, history, and it is unnecessary to dig up unpleasant memories here. Many descendants of immigrants are now full British citizens and enjoy comfortable lifestyles with successful and respected careers. Others still struggle at the fringes of society.

It is easy to forget how recent all this is, just one or two generations away. It is therefore not surprising that racist and anti-immigrant sentiments simmer under the surface, especially among older people. It is what they grew up with. Different cultures were not readily welcomed at home by their parents. This was mainstream behaviour in many Western countries.

It is a sad turn of events that old prejudices against immigrants were stoked up and channelled into the Brexit referendum. This negativity has now partly determined Britain’s future outside the EU. David Cameron will not wish to be remembered for this, but he will be.

Theresa May has been presented as a safe pair of hands, but her past stand on immigration is not encouraging. As Home Secretary she was associated with the awful ‘go home vans’ that drove around telling illegal immigrants to go home and avoid arrest. The campaign was a flop, widely criticised as inflammatory and offensive.

I hope May rises to the occasion and manages to limit the potential damage caused by Brexit. Her choice of Boris Johnson as foreign secretary was, however, so unexpected that it was first received as an unfunny joke, until reality sank in. The safe pair of hands suddenly seemed less safe.

The privilege and responsibility of foreign secretary should go to the best person for the job. Johnson has offended or irritated enough world politicians already, and it is hard to understand how he was the top choice.

Optimists immediately speculated that it might be a clever tactical move, handing the broom and bucket to the naughty schoolboy responsible for the mess. But Brexit has serious consequences and people are in no mood to clap while Johnson clowns about on the world stage.

With May’s technicolour shoes and Johnson’s silly hairstyle one can be forgiven for feeling that the travelling circus has come to town.

petracdingli@gmail.com

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