Back in March 2006, when our children were students at a local private school, John Bencini had ordered a national teachers’ strike. Through a letter to The Times, I made the case that his action effectively denied them a service that had been bought and paid for privately, that his right to do this was questionable and that his action could have serious social consequences if emulated.

His reaction was to go ballistic and accuse me of arrogance, claiming I was an “isolated parent who does not know and does not understand what solidarity is all about”. He also made vile accusations about our children.

In response, I invited Mr Bencini to contact any teacher who ever taught our children to see for himself if their manners and comportment were ever anything but impeccable. He didn’t.

I humbly submit that an individual who shows marked symptoms of paranoia, and who makes baseless accusations when there is empirical evidence to the contrary, is eminently unsuitable for the post of chairman of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development.