GIBRALTAR today Letters

Dangerous Air Cargo – An Open Letter From The Station Commander RAF Gibraltar

There has been a great deal of speculation in the media over the last week concerning a so-called "Hot Load" at RAF Gibraltar. I thought it would be right and proper if I gave you the facts about the so-called "Hot Load". There are regular flights into and out of RAF Gibraltar by both military and civilian scheduled aircraft that carry what is termed Dangerous Air Cargo (DAC). The term DAC refers to a material or substance that requires special arrangements for carriage by an aircraft and can range from explosives, through gases, flammable liquids, and batteries to matches and fireworks.

The DAC in question was, in fact, a very small quantity of explosives. Before any explosives arrive (or depart) at RAF Gibraltar I am required by my Armament Licensing Authority (Headquarters Strike Command) to carry out a risk assessment. The Licensing Authority also provides very clear guidelines for the risk assessment, and requires me to work to the ALARP (As Low A Risk as Practicable) principle. Everyone should bear in mind that explosives (or other DAC) are contained in special packaging such that even if dropped they remain in a safe condition. However, under the ALARP principle I must remove personnel who are not essential for the operation of the aircraft from the vicinity (the distance is determined by the type and quantity of explosive) of the work being undertaken. In the case of the explosives load last week the safety distance was calculated and included the area where civilian workforce of Mowlems (the Airfield Refurbishment contractors) have their works offices. Even though the risk to Mowlems staff was extremely small they were asked to vacate their offices for half an hour. The quantity and type explosives was such that there was absolutely NO risk to other members of the public and there was no need to inconvenience members of the public by evacuating them unnecessarily.

Whilst it would be imprudent to publish the movement of explosives in the local press, the public can be reassured that the MOD does co-ordinate such activity with the relevant local authorities as appropriate. As ever, I remain available to provide expert advice to media commentators on all matters related to operations from RAF Gibraltar.

D J T-Ryder
Wing Commander
Station Commander RAF Gibraltar

Part of Britain

Gibraltar was considered an integral part of Great Britain in 1716, we may well ask when did Gibraltar cease to be integrated and become a Colony?

The following quote from a Document dated 29th October 1716 found in Hertslets Treaties and Conventions.

Now it is hereby agreed and fully concluded that from this time forward for ever, the City of Gibraltar shall be esteemed in every respect, by the Government and people of Algiers, to be part of His Britannic Majesty’s own Dominion, and the inhabitants therefore to be looked upon as His majesty’s natural subjects, in the same manner as of they had been born in any other of Great Britain.

Chairman
IWBM

People as pawns

*The following has appeared in Forbes Magazine:

Why is the current British government so set on turning Gibraltar over to Spain, even though this spit of land's 30,000 residents are dead set against the idea? (A plebiscite would find nearly 100% voting to continue British sovereignty.) The Crown acquired this speck of rocky real estate in a perfectly proper treaty nearly 300 years ago, 135 years before the US won California and much of the Southwest from Mexico.

It is not as if Britain is determined to shed the remnants of its empire; London has made it quite clear that the Falkland Islands will not be returned to Argentina. Yet Prime Minister Tony Blair's government is working hard to find ways to effectively cede control of 'The Gib' to Spain.

The politically correct crowd may want such a forcible transfer. It's one thing to return cultural artifacts, such ast he Elgin Marbles, to their original owners. But 30,000 unwilling souls? The Mother of Parliaments should not be party to such a shabby, undemocratic deal.
Steve Forbes

GBC does not care about the deaf

Dear Sir,

I am a deaf person who every year pays for the GBC licence, but unfortunately I cannot hear anything so I do not know what is happening because they do not provide any sub-titles or headlines for me to read.

I only ask to be respected, and to be able to know what is going on.

Can something be done about it?
ER. Apap

Obscene venom

* The Irish paper 'Sunday Business ~ ' published scathing attack on Gibraltar, after National I)ay, to which PANORAMA drew attention a the time.

Ken Weslmoreland has had a reply published in the Irish paper as follows

How kind of Sean MacCarthaigh to subject the people of Gibraltar to the obscene venom usually reserved for Ulster Unionists. who also have the temerity to wish to remain British.

Indeed, who could be even more deserving of ridicule and scorn than the Gibraltarians, the only people in the world educated by the Christian Brothers and yet loyal to the British Crown.

Gibraltarians do not converse in Andalucian Spanish, but rather change between their own patois, llanito, and English mid-sentence without difficulty. Unlike Ireland, bilingualism is a reality, not a meaningless fiction that requires subsidies, like the Irish language.

Gibraltarians are also bicultural; they may support FC Barcelona, but they also watch BBC 1. They may have houses in Spain, but their children go to universities in Britain.

They are far better Europeans than many Irish people can ever hope to be.

If colonies are not good for the 'real' British in Britain, then perhaps MacCarthaigh might like to tell this to the real Spanish in Spain, who exercise sovereignty over two enclaves in Morocco which they claim as national territory, but Rabat regards as an affront to its territorial integrity.

Houses in Spain

Dear Sir

There are people from Gibraltar who have houses in Spain, some with gardens and all. But this is not a reflection of better housing in Spain for the average Spaniard, but a reflection of better incomes in Gibraltar which allows people from here to buy better houses there - than even the Spaniards can.

This is the point that is often missed by some. Just look around in Spain and see how many Spaniards live, certainly worse off than anyone lives in Gibraltar.

Just because the income of some here allows them to buy what average Spaniards themselves cannot buy in their own country is, as I say, a reflection of our greater purchasing power.

How long would that greater purchasing power remain if Gibraltar became Spanish? I would venture to say that, like many Spaniards in Spain, we would end up being the same -and would then not be able to buy a better house in Spain!

Think about it.
Yours sincerely,
A Gonzalez

Have GBC won the lottery?

Sir

A brief observation if I may. I notice that the public-funded GBC have announced a number of vacancies.

May I ask if they have won the lottery, because it is difficult to conceive that the Gibraltar Government has dished out more of the hard-earned tax-payers money so that they can push down the drain.

Thank you. L. Robinson.

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