The other day I walked into a local business and one of the staff commented that they didn't usually get visits by people wearing suits! It was a yachting company and of course I didn't really look the part. It must be said that you can count on a single hand the number of people who wear suits to work in Majorca. Smart casual is the dress code on the island. So why is everyone getting so upset over the attire of the new speaker of parliament, Baltasar Picornell? He is a member of Podemos, the left-wing party formed out of the anti-eviction movement and he doesn't wear a suit to work. In fact, it is more a case of baggy jeans and a t-shirt and he has shoulder length hair. He has been criticised by many because he has been appointed to a top job but doesn't look the part.
But what does looking the part in Majorca look like? The speaker of parliament should wear a suit and tie when the rest of the island doesn't? Is that the case? My biggest concern is whether or not Picornell is up to his new job, not what he looks like. Lord King, the former supremo of British Airways, was once quoted as saying that he couldn't take (Sir) Richard Branson seriously because he was always wearing a jersey. I remember attending a lunch hosted by Branson on the island, and my fellow journalists all arrived wearings suits and ties which was highly unusual, only to find that the Virgin tycoon was dressed in jeans and a polo shirt.
I am a believer in suits and ties but many are not and I respect that. If Picornell did try to look the part and dress in the way of his predecessors, he would have been equally criticised. So in fact he was in a no-win situation. His party is said to be one which represents ordinary people and Picornell would say that his attire is in keeping with its message. Perhaps so, but judge the man and his actions not what he wears.