But was the President at school during these last 25 years?

It’s the priority focus of the starving peasant.

The reasoning that ignores the implicit, and ethical codes, is the same reasoning that fails to see the connections and the thought processes behind such formalities.

Specifying the dress code in wrong in and of itself.

This is a state lunch. The sort of people you invite are expected to know what to wear.

To specify a dress code is to suggest that they are uncouth and ill-educated, and constitutes an insult to the guests.

Dress codes are specified ONLY when there might be ambiguity: for example, a special birthday party or anniversary, when guests have no way of knowing whether they should wear a jacket and tie or just a jacket or no jacket at all unless you let them know.

In addition, dress codes ALWAYS address ONLY THE MEN. They are codes as to whether the men should wear formal dress, a jacket and tie, a jacket but no tie, or shirtsleeves.

There should have been no dress code on this particular invitation, as the men are expected to know that they should wear a dark suit for a state lunch (it makes you wonder what sort of people were invited).

But on occasions when the need is felt to specify the Maltese equivalent of ‘dark suit’ (how insulting), it should clearly be ‘libsa skura’. And the plural of ‘libsa’ is ‘ilbiesi’ and not ‘lbies’. ‘Lbies’ means ‘clothing’.

Unfortunately, the sort of people they invite will interpret this to mean that the women should turn up in dark dresses.