Todo por Ia patria!

Esto del joint sovereignty va en serio. and what mi Juan cannot understand es porque el Governation does not join the fight against it.

It is a valid point, my dear. Segun mi Charlie it is not a question as to whether or not eI Chief Ministron va a los talks, but rather if we are against or in favour of the sovereignty sellout.

Claro esta. The sooner we show our teeth, the better. What cannot be done is to do nothing and allow others to get on with their arreglitos about our homeland. Ya lo dijo un Spanish commentator on a radio station the other day, que there is nothing wrong con los Gibraltarians fighting for what they think is right. Claro que si. Cada cual pelea por to suyo, faltara mas.

I must say que al Hain lo pusieron de rico trapo en los Commons. No wonder que cuando el Doctor Joseph dijo en el Casemates que al Hain le habian dado una paliza. there was a great chorus of approval. Todos hablaron bien. La Lyana era una Leona, el Daniel 100% against el joint soveriegnty y el Bigote como en los tiempos antiguos. El Benyunes se llevo el gato al agua, it must be admitted.

What I don't know es quien conto, porque there were more than what was said. En otros demonstrations I have been to un similar crowd has been described as 5.000 people.

It was not only the crowd. but the atmosphere of not giving in. Yo Ia pase de buti. como que no era para meno. Bueno hija, lets keep the fight up.

Eso digo yo. porque what's ours is ours. Bye.

The Armando LaGrande column

La Linea's mayor has short memory

The mayor of La linea, who answers to the name of Juarez, is highly critical that Gibraltar should organise a demonstration at the frontier. That's not on, he cries.

Dear me, what a short memory he seems to have!

There have been numerous demonstrations on the Spanish side of the frontier for a variety of issues, some even unrelated to Gibraltar.

Remember the demonstrations over the fishing dispute? What about the more recent one against HMS Tireless - when even Campo mayors took part.

This Spanish gentleman appears to think that they can organise demonstrations at the frontier, but not Gibraltar!

Pain for Hain

What a walloping Hain got in the House of Commons at the hands of one MP after another, including those from his own party.

Given the threats and attacks from Hain, it was about time he was at the receiving end of pain.

Arithmetical nonsense

In an effort to belittle last Thursday's demonstration (because he was against it) Caruana generates the nonsensical impression that if, according to him, some 2,000 attended, then it means that 28,000 were not in favour, not interested or what-have-you.

The day there is a demonstration and 10,000 attend, presumably his arithmetical logic (?) will tell him that 20,000 were against.

Not only that, but if one million people take part in a demonstration in Britain, does it mean that the 59 million who do not are against, not interested or what-have-you?

Come on...

Chamber music

Callaghan of the Chamber is now getting stick from different directions, given his silly remarks about Gibraltar.

People like him can do Gibraltar a lot of harm because, given the position he holds, outsiders think he is important and carries weight.

We all know how important and how much weight he carries, but that's besides the point.

Paul or Peter?

The ex Deputy Governor's name was always a problem. Speller or Spellar? No one could spell it!

But the problem has reached new heights. Two ordinances were recently signed by a certain Peter Speller.

Peter? Dear me.

A correction has now been published in the official Gazette: The name should have read Paul Speller, not Peter Speller. 

 Talk of the Town

Beware of Foreign Office trap

The enormous level of support Gibraltar clearly enjoys in Britain would obviously be destroyed if Gibraltar opted for any agreement that gave Spain any share of sovereignty.

Since the Brussels process was re-opened, and it became clear that a deal on sovereignty was on the cards, the UK parliament, press and people have responded magnificently in Gibraltar’s favour.

It shows the extent of feeling that there is in Britain - ready to back the Rock and its people.

We have to be absolutely clear that we do not adopt positions that will weaken such support.

The parliament, press and people are behind us because of our Britishness.

The Foreign Office are only too eager to trade Gibraltar’s sovereignty in exchange for peace and quiet with Spain.

But that is not the right way out of a problem.

Not only that but if Gibraltar voted for a transfer of sovereignty to Spain, and subsequently the Gibraltarians had problems with Spain, the Foreign Office would be the first to say that it was OUR choice to accept Spanish sovereignty.

They would then add that, had we rejected the deal, Britain would have remained committed to Gibraltar, as the Governor reminded us in his Christmas message.

We must therefore not fall into the trap the Foreign Office are putting in front of us for THEIR own interest!

All the ‘goodies’ that are being displayed before us - as if we were little boys and girls eager to clutch a lollipop - are subject to a transfer of sovereignty.

If Gibraltar has problems in the EU it is because the Foreign Office are unwilling or unable to properly defend Gibraltar’s interests and rights.

The only way they can think of making progress - progress for them - is to capitulate!

Anyone can find solutions to any problem by giving in.

Mr Hain admits that had Spain treated Gibraltarians well - and the UK government had not failed in this - the Foreign Office would not be engaged in this process now.

So, Gibraltar must be careful that relations are not improved at the expense of ourselves - and that, in the process, we lose all the valuable support we have in Britain.

Then, we would be left naked in the world!

Point of View 

Sharing is not caring

by Denise MacMahon

To add to the list of practical issues that would have to be raised if a Sovereignty “sharing” arrangement were to be put in place over Gibraltar, perhaps these points could be considered by the powers that be:

1. Governorship - would Spain want a civil governor in place or a Spanish style mayor? If so, would he require to be resident in Gibraltar. Would a Timeshare Convent be convenient to all or should it be split into two self contained units?

2. Policing - Spanish police are armed. Gibraltar police (in the British tradition) are not. Would Spain be happy to adopt British style policing in the Territory or would they insist on implementing their own style of policing together with all the legal implications that would go along with that.

3. Education - Gibraltar has traditionally had an education system based on that of the UK. Would Spain want to see a change so that teaching is through Spanish and not through English? Also, would Gibraltarian children still be able to follow the National Curriculum and go through to take GCSEs and A levels to take them on to British universities and colleges, or would Spain want to see Gibraltarians sitting Spanish exams and attending Spanish universities? As all our teachers are UK trained, they are not prepared to teach from Spanish. They do not have the depth of knowledge in all subjects in the Spanish language. This would mean starting from Reception Year with Spanish teachers being imported and it would gradually make all our own teachers redundant (or necessitate a massive retraining programme). Think about it. Spanish History, Geography, Technology through Spanish. Even Mathematics. And English as a Foreign Language!

4. Hospitals - Imagine the chaos if Spanish doctors and nurses were brought in to run our hospitals. Who would be answerable for wrong treatments being given, or incorrect drugs being administered by Spanish doctors, while our nurses are UK or Gibraltar trained (in English). This would be extremely dangerous.

5. Sport - At which level would Gibraltar be permitted by Spain to participate? I don’t expect they would allow us our own international status but we would be relegated to provincial leagues and competitions.

6. Airport - I have not yet touched on one of the most important aspects of the Spanish claim - the joint use of the airport. In my mind, although expansion and growth of Gibraltar’s airport would economically benefit Gibraltar and the surrounding area, it is just not viable. The reason being noise pollution.

In the Sixties the area around the airport was a lot less developed. Laguna Estate was newly built, Glacis Estate was no more than a shanty town of Nissen huts, a legacy of the second World War. As for the Tower, their names mark them out historically - Referendum House and Constitution House.

The Varyl Begg Estate was water under a viaduct, Watergardens was an architect’s pipedream and as for Montagu Gardens, Harbour Views, Sir William Jackson Grove and the whole Europort area - all of which have been built on land reclaimed from the sea as recently as the late 80’s and early 90’s and were beyond the imagination of the time.

There were also less schools in the area. St Anne’s was a young school. Bayside did not exist, except as the old Lourdes School, neither did Notre Dame.

Westside and St Paul’s were again products of reclamation. The site which Bishop Fitzgerald and Governor’s Meadow schools now share was a school for Services children.

All these homes and schools are within hearing of any aircraft landing and taking off. Imagine the disruption to lessons, the impossibility of having civilised phone calls with aircraft noise constantly interrupting or in the background, holding a business meeting with the sound of planes overhead all the time.

It would also constitute a health hazard by affecting people’s hearing and also psychologically damage people in the immediate area in ways that are immeasurable.

In other words, the expansion of Gibraltar airport would very much be limited by international laws and regulations regarding aircraft noise etc. Ambitious plans can be made to have tunnels under the runway, to have a second terminal on the Spanish side, extend the runway even further out to sea, but in reality air traffic would have to be limited to around 4 flights a day or so. It is an idea best shelved for everybody’s sake.

While I am fully aware that my points on the airport may be seen by some fellow Gibraltarians as controversial, I would be much more at ease with a small, limited use airport under Gibraltarian (and British) control than have Spain controlling our airport in even the smallest way. If what I have outlined above goes some way to stopping Spain taking Gibraltar over by shared or any other means, I feel part of our battle will have been won.

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