Graffiti can be seen in Palma. | Majorca Daily Bulletin reporter

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Political battles are breaking out across the island. In Palma, the debate over the upkeep of the city centre and the wave of graffiti engulfing the capital is getting tense, as it is about all of the road works, while along the coast, politicians are at loggerheads over the blanket dismantling of beach bars. With regards to the latter, not only have many of these beach bars been around for decades, they have become part of the attraction of so many beaches.

If the government wants to deter sun and beach tourism, taking down the beach bars is one good way of doing it because millions of people who come to Mallorca every year thoroughly enjoy being able to eat and drink on the beach and, in some cases, while their feet dangle in the water - it’s a luxury few people enjoy in Northern Europe. Beach bars are part of the Mediterranean lifestyle, apart from creating jobs and generating money in areas which otherwise do not, would not, benefit from tourism. So, as I’ve said before, leave them alone.

And, while Palma City Council is considering spending some one million euros on new offices, city residents and businesses are crying out for something serious to be done about the graffiti which has turned parts of the city centre, even the old town, into an eyesore. I wonder what the hoards of cruise passengers thought when they visited Palma over the weekend. I think it’s time to be practical not political.