Much has been written in print and digital publications, and more has been said on radio stations and television channels about the three-minute wait to which the King and Queen of Spain, Felipe VI and Doña Leticia, have been forced by the delay of the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, who was leading the high authorities attending the central events of 12 October.
A large number of journalists, reporters and pundits blame the stall suffered by the monarchs on the Chief Executive's interest in hiding the heckling, insults, whistles, whistles, shouts and jeers directed at him. The solution: to coincide with the applause and cheers for the King and Queen on their arrival at the Plaza de Lima in Madrid, to preside over the tribute to the flag and the National Day parade. Did Pedro Sánchez miscalculate the timing? Was his delay conscious?
To think that he delayed his arrival to make the King and Queen wait for the King and Queen of Spain is an ill-intentioned interpretation. As is well known to all Spaniards, Sánchez is a fervent monarchist. Moreover, as President of the Executive, he should have been at the head of the line to welcome the monarchs, next to his Minister of Defence, Margarita Robles. And very close to his beloved president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso.
But the situation has to be put in its proper context: the King and Queen sitting inside their brand new black Roll Royce, stopped in the middle of the Paseo de la Castellana, with the rest of the authorities and the public wondering... where is Wally? After about three minutes Wally appeared, pacing wearily and looking at the ground. It seems that Sánchez's late appearance to occupy the preferential place that by protocol and precedence corresponds to him was due to the fact that he suffered a stomach indisposition, what we colloquially know as "retortijones" (cramps).
But it is also presumed that Pedro Sánchez's ultimate intention was to show deference to the monarchs. Well, so that Felipe VI would have time to spruce up his beard, and Queen Leticia could check her hair and make-up before getting out of the car. A detail of good taste.
Keeping the King and Queen of Spain waiting has managed to grab the attention of the national media, but has not had much echo in the global newspapers and television channels, which is what Moncloa apparently intended: that the image of a good-looking Pedro Sánchez would travel around the world, as the main protagonist of Spain's National Day. But it was not to be. The wait for the kings has remained in the domestic sphere, with some exceptions.
So I propose to bring fresh ideas to the ideologues of the Battalion of Advisors of the Moncloa Palace (BATAPLOF) and the loyal plumbers of Calle Ferraz, so that the PSOE's maximum leader and president of the government, the never well-weighted Pedro Sánchez, is the focus of world interest on the 12 October holiday, and not the King, his wife, the Princess of Asturias or the Infanta Sofía.
How can he be the centre of attention for journalists, photojournalists and television cameras? To achieve this, it is obvious that Pedro Sánchez must perform some striking action or attitude, for example, by choosing a stylish outfit or garment that stands out from the rest of the authorities and authorities.
The first is to wear a headdress. But beware: it would not be wise to choose a top hat, which is more appropriate for rich people who have been announced a new tax on their large fortunes. Nor would it be appropriate to wear a bowler hat, also known as a bowler hat, which is very British, as it could be seen as a nod to an alliance with the United Kingdom, which holds the Rock of Gibraltar and has made its exit from the European Union.
It would be better to wear a straw hat, like the one worn by the president of Peru, Pedro Castillo, or the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, leaders of the PSOE-Unidas Podemos coalition's governments of reference. On the other hand, it would reflect his immeasurable concern for a hollowed-out Spain.
Another alternative to consider in order to make headlines on a global scale is to arrive at the parade site by helicopter and land in the middle of the Paseo de la Castellana, just a few metres from the royal tribune, from where the royal family and the nation's high authorities watch the military parade.
The president would look very dashing for the occasion by attending the events of 12 October dressed in the typical Madrid chulapo costume: a white shirt with a handkerchief of the same colour knotted at the front of the neck, a houndstooth jacket or waistcoat trimmed in black, black trousers and a chequered beret, also in houndstooth.
And a red carnation in the buttonhole is a must. Inconvenient: such an outfit could be taken as a rapprochement with his beloved Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the mayor of the city, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, and therefore, the Partido Popular. However much some advisor or minister may whisper it in his ear, the lapidary phrase from Francis Ford Coppola's film "The Godfather" should be taken as a commandment: "whoever tells you to dress like a chulapo, that's the traitor".
But more effective but crude options must be ruled out. Sánchez should discard attending the parade dressed in shorts and a rolled-up flowery shirt. Mid-October mornings in Madrid are usually cool, cold or threatening rain. Nor is it appropriate to greet the King and Queen and watch the parade wearing a multicoloured scarf, as worn by the secretary general of the General Workers' Union (UGT), Pepe Álvarez.
For the same reasons he should avoid sitting on the floor, drinking water from a botijo or taking a sip from a wineskin in the tribune of authorities, even if these are actions of the "working middle class" he claims to defend. But Sánchez runs the risk of staining his jacket, shirt or trousers and would have to attend the subsequent official reception at the Royal Palace with a "lamparón". In all cases, the image would be front-page news on television news around the world, and would become the envy of Biden, Putin... and the neat and tidy Macron.
