The new Balearic authorities are still enjoying a honeymoon period and so far they have escaped much criticism. They have also done little so they haven’t been grabbing the headlines. But one man who has made an excellent, albeit controversial start is the new president of the Council of Majorca and former mayor of Esporles, Miguel Ensenyat. The Majorcan nationalist politician was born in Britain and appears to have a no-nonsense approach to local politics which is quite refreshing. Over the weekend he slammed the Madrid government for treating the Balearics like a colonial state when it comes to funding. The funding issue between the Balearics and Madrid has been a bone of contention for many years and the problem has become so pronounced that the new local government is looking at the possibility of introducing a tourist tax because of the lack of cash. Ensenyat has also taken a business-like approach to his new role and appears to have plenty of ideas. I suspect that he will be one of the better local politicians involved in the regional authorities. The Council of Majorca will soon have even greater powers because it will take over tourism promotion. Ensenyat speaks English and of course has an important knowledge of Britain. In fact, in his household traditional British food names are still retained, such as roast beef or rice pudding. I am sure that he will cut a controversial figure but above all he has ideas and will speak his mind.