  |
The Foreign Office must defend what is British
|
The Government made a good point when they said that the Guardia Civil incursions regained new heights in 2009, unrelated to any fishing dispute.
Fishing has nothing to do with it; an attempt at furthering their claim to Gibraltar waters is what is at the centre of it all.
Irrespective of who was in power here or there, there is a string of incidents all pointing to Spain seeking to further their waters claim - incidents which did not receive a strong Foreign Office response.
And now we are faced in a more troublesome situation than had the Foreign Office acted with greater strength when it had to.
It is about time that the Foreign Office acknowledged their mistakes which have not been in the interests of Britain or Gibraltar.
They seem to spend their time extolling what they think the relationship with Spain means for Britain, without stopping for a second to extoll what that relationship means for Spain.
Do the Spanish want Britain as a friend? If the answer is yes, as it must be, then that dimension to the equation must also bring its weight to bear.
By appearing weak, all that the Foreign Office achieves is to encourage the bully to be bullier.
As everyone knows, Britain has a responsibility to morally and constitutionally defend Gibraltar and its people.
The evidence is that they have not been doing that. It could well be that the latest incidents in the bay will now make them think differently.
One hopes that will be the case.
It may not be a question of blowing anyone out of the water; but it is certainly a question of Britain defending, and being seen to defend, what is British.
25-07-12
|
|
|
|
