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Fishing Dispute: King in provocative visit!
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The Spanish Government have once again upped-the-ante regarding the fishing dispute.
The Madrid government have drafted into the fishing fray one of the ‘Big Guns of the Spanish Royal Family’ none other than King Juan Carlos himself.
King Juan Carlos is due to visit the guardia civil installations in Algeciras. The visit has been officially described as show of support by the King regarding the current operations being conducted by the guardia civil in protecting Spanish fishermen in Gibraltar Waters.
Spain’s Tunnel Vision Reasoning!
It’s all quite ironic really and another example of the wondrous and mysterious ways in which Spanish politics even confuses them. Although regarding Gibraltar they have no logic only their tunnel vision reasoning!
If you think that it was only a couple of weeks ago that the ‘not so diplomatic’ head of Spanish foreign services Jose Margallo met his UK counterpart William Hague in London after which, both foreign ministers agreed on only one point ‘the joint support for a local solution to the current fishing dispute in Gibraltar’. Mr. Hague said” Clearly our views on this differ, but we both recognise the importance of establishing a dialogue between all parties”.
However, since the meeting in London Margallo and some of his political colleagues have continued at every opportunity to stoke up the fire in relation the fishing dispute, with constant remarks like ‘the guardia civil are still protecting the fishermen’ other Spanish politicians practically demanding just one outcome ‘a return to fishing in our waters as Spanish fishermen have always done’ and other more familiar negative comments about Gibraltar regarding our financial centre, and the old money laundering allegations that ‘Spaniards still keep pulling out of the grimy old Franco-Engraved box of anti-Gibraltar tricks!
Stuck-in-Time Spanish Politics
The Diamond Jubilee visit by the Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex infuriated the Spanish, who in their own inimitable narrow minded style, thought the visit by the Prince and his wife had been purposely designed by the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Committee in London to provoke a reaction or inflame Spanish sentiments over Gibraltar. It’s a thought that in any modern thinking democracy or progressively minded national government would not have been contemplated. But unfortunately, we’re not talking about a modern thinking democracy, but one, ‘who is Stuck-in-Time with their Politics of the Past’ and Outdated, Immature and
Outlandish Behaviour!
What on earth made Spain think, that the United Kingdom would have even vaguely considered taking any Spanish point-of-view into consideration prior to taking a decision, about including Gibraltar (a sovereign nation) into her majesty’s diamond jubilee programme, it’s simple a pathetic thought to even contemplate.
Although such a decision by the UK would have erroneously given Spain a level of recognition which they certainly do not qualify for. In fact, if Gibraltar had been excluded from the ‘jubilee royal visit ’ it would have handed Spain a sense of importance or mistaken belief that UK or Gibraltar was actively conscious of Spanish sensibilities, which as we all know, is not the case!
The King is Dragged Right in the Middle of Sensitive Negotiations!
“However it is another glaring example of Spain’s high level class of international diplomacy, that right in the middle of these agreed talks by the UK and Spain themselves, and at a delicate stage of the fishing negotiations between the ‘joint working group’ the Madrid government, in a further show of patriotism and another provocative act, have deemed it politically intelligent to drag the King of Spain to Algeciras”!
But if you ask me, the real reason for the King’s visit is to approve and endorse the hostile and illegal actions of their paramilitary forces in those waters belonging to another nation… British-Gibraltar!
I also dare say, that the King’s visit is another on going part of PP Government’s strategy to try and scupper or wreck the fishing negotiations. Any responsible government would not have sent such a high-profile figure like the King, to pay a visit to the very people or official body who in fact, are at the centre and directly involved (guardia civil) with the current problem and who have created a very dangerous scenario out in the bay by continuously infringing recognised international laws!
Gibraltar is facing a very obsessed Spanish nation, who you have to say is a Relatively Young Democracy! Spain in a Gibraltar perspective is a country, who more often than not, finds it difficult to move away and forget and discard past and failed Spanish policies that originated, from another era and political regime, aimed at only capturing Gibraltar…Well it didn’t work then, and it certainly won’t work now!
You also have to say that this Spanish government also appears to care very little about the welfare and security of the many thousands of their countrymen, business and others who are earning a decent living in and from Gibraltar. This is something (work and money) that Mr. Rajoy and his many confused ministers are unable to provide the six million Spaniards unemployed at the moment. The PP government do not obviously care about their own people in this region; their continued actions are confirming this!
Spain have just been (temporary) financially rescued, although in the best bullfighting spirit, Mr. Rajoy determinedly preferred not to refer to it as a bailout, but it certainly was one. Madrid has been careful not to call this a bailout, but financial assistance for its banks, It is, in fact, a bailout for Spanish banks worth €100 billion, but Spain is too proud to use the “bailout” word ‘they at times display a political ego much bigger than their present national bank balance’!
In fact Spanish diplomacy was again at its best when Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy sent an SMS to his Finance Minister during the bailout negotiations regarding the terms of the so called assistance for Spain’s banks, in which Rajoy urged his finance man to get a good deal for the country. He ended his message by saying: “We’re the number four power in Europe. Spain is not Uganda”. Understandably, Rajoy’s remark caused a storm of protest in Uganda. Spanish diplomacy shining through again!
A Tit-for-Tat Royal Visit to Heighten Tension! But it’s obvious the King’s presence in Algeciras is all about heightening tension even further, another cheap political ploy to try and destabilise and wreck the on going fishing negotiations no doubt!
But it’s also obvious, that the Spanish royal visit is also a petty tit-for-tat stunt from Madrid in sending its own monarch down here only a few days after the Prince and his Wife left the Rock.
If the PP Government really wanted to use the King for something useful, they should have sent him to the numerous towns and cities around Spain to reassure and placate the mood of the Spanish nation, who are logically beyond themselves with concern regarding the current financial turmoil and personal predicament many of them find themselves in!
But none of this is how Spanish minds work, particularly regarding Gibraltar!
Although if you think about it, the Spanish government’s Gibraltar strategy is pretty much predictable, just by checking up on old Franco Gib Policies you can more or less guess their next move.
But I feel it’s all about the deep rooted envy many Spaniards have for Gibraltar and its people…they would like to be like us, they cannot understand ‘why we prosper and they do not’
Funnily enough, the King’s presence across the bay , reminds me of an old song from a Broadway Musical, the hit show ‘Annie get you gun’ about the life of Annie Oakley a female cowboy/girl sharpshooter, the well known song I’m referring to “anything you can do I can do better, I can do anything better than you’
Sadly at the moment, Spain is unable to do anything better for anyone, particularly the Spanish people themselves, and especially those that live in this part of the Spanish Peninsula.
Because Spain with its present approach regarding Gibraltar:
Can Only Make Things Worse ‘MUCH WORSE’ Particularly for its Own People!
20-06-12
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