This ending week, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and The Times has barked menacingly to the one thousand and one complaint of Spain against the umpteenth abuse of Gibraltar authorities. The Government decision of canceling Queen Sofia trip to London to attend Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee last Friday seems to me not very able from a political perspective, anyhow, whatever the grounds are (which are not very clear: up to 3 different reasons I've heard). If invitations have been extended to several Monarchies (not certainly to the long-time-ago deposed King Konstantin of Greece, Sofia's brother, who was left out), it is not clear to me why Juan Carlos or his son, Prince Phillip, were not in the list, since the 1978 Spanish Constitution only recognizes the King and his Son, being Sofia just the King's consort. Why her? At the end, Sofia is the cousin of the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen's husband. Perhaps, she was doing it to spite incorrigible Juan Carlos and her dramatic marital status for more than 40 years or, who knows, maybe it was just a nice weekend plan, since she can be seen in Harrods every other Friday.
The British press does not seem very "eligible" to rejoice in the incurable infidelity of Juan Carlos, as that of all the Bourbons, nor in his last affair without naming it -Corinna Van Wittgenstein- because of Pat Kirkwood, the tampax file and some other cases of loose morality in the British Royal House, where a hereditary dynasty of lovers and mistresses almost run parallel to the Royal One. Nor they have any rights to seriously accuse Spain of something resembling Imperialism, because it might be taken as a joke. Gibraltar is just the last British colony in Western Europe: only 6 squared kilometers ended before the sea in a sudden rock of 425 meters in altitude. And the appeals to the rock's sovereignty seem to be a flexible heat pump that can be used as cooler in summer and heater in winter, as needed. The UK flag flaps at ease in Gibraltar and Fabian Picardo, the rock Chief Minister, shows recently no scrupulous in threatening with calling upon the Royal Navy or, even more, with a military conflict. The British journalists have barked, no less: it is an offense to our Queen!... Sovereignty??...
The Treaty of Utrecht (1713) was not very advantageous for Spain. It was like a death sentence that set the end of this country as a World Power. With the excuse of supporting one of the pretenders to the throne of Spain after the death of Carlos II (the last Habsburg), the English Almirant Rooke, at the head of an Anglo-Dutch fleet, occupied Gibraltar and Menorca in 1704 and tried to do so in Cadiz and Barcelona. Menorca was recuperated but, at the end of the War, the English did not return Gibraltar. The article no. 10 of the Treaty of Utrecht sanctioned the facto status-quo, but established some conditions: 1) no communication between Gibraltar and Spain; 2) England has no right whatsoever to the surrounding waters and the strait; 3) Gibraltar could only be property of the King of Spain or England. Additionally, the Treaty sentenced that Gibraltar would become Spanish again once it was no longer a British colony.
This so-praised Treaty has been violated countless times by the English, since its very beginning. Unfortunately, Spain has betrayed itself several times: no Spanish Ambassadors were present to sign the Treaty and was left entirely to the French and, in 1783, during the Peace of Versailles, when USA was recognized as independent from England, the Conde de Aranda, who ceased by himself the rock, lost the opportunity to re-gain Gibraltar. Many years later, in 1938, in the midst of the Civil War, Indalecio Prieto, a very indecent man, head of the Socialist Party, offered the British a piece of Galicia and Menorca, again, in exchange of help against Franco.
The same year of 1938, the authorities of Gibraltar took a hold of the waters around the rock to build an airport, on the grounds of being an "Emergency Landing Group". It was a lie, of course, but it was not the first. In the year of 1815, during the epidemy of Yellow Fever that affected the rock, the Spanish accepted the petition of the Gibraltar government to set a provisional camp further north, which became part of the territory after then. In 1865 the Spanish acceded to sign the first Agreement upon sailing in the waters of the strait; the last one of 1999, also regarding fishing policies, has been very recently unilaterally scrapped by the Gibraltar authorities.
It seems doubtless to me that Gibraltar is important for the UK and, more than important, it is profitable. Most of the activity in the rock is illegal, illegitimate or controlled by mafias. Gibraltar is well-known as a Financial Paradise.This should be the focus of the Spanish Government. Gibraltar began being an inconvenient abscess for the British during the years of Franco dictatorship, when the border was closed. Franco was right in the policy. I would close the gate on the grounds of all the spurious activities going on in there (tax evasion, the nuclear waste storage, the responsibilities for the Prestige case in 2002, etc.) and negotiations will then be a matter of diplomatic ability. I always thought that Gibraltar is just an infected piece of rock, good for nothing, with only the attraction of monkeys (my parents took me there once and I think I can remember everyone seeing monkeys but me) and thought of the problem quite unimportant, but it sounds reasonable the warnings of certain commentators: contrary to appearances, a true cooperation between Spain and the UK will never be possible if the issue of Gibraltar is not seriously examined, instead of ignored and abused.
(PLEASE, LEAVE YOUR COMMENT).
The British press does not seem very "eligible" to rejoice in the incurable infidelity of Juan Carlos, as that of all the Bourbons, nor in his last affair without naming it -Corinna Van Wittgenstein- because of Pat Kirkwood, the tampax file and some other cases of loose morality in the British Royal House, where a hereditary dynasty of lovers and mistresses almost run parallel to the Royal One. Nor they have any rights to seriously accuse Spain of something resembling Imperialism, because it might be taken as a joke. Gibraltar is just the last British colony in Western Europe: only 6 squared kilometers ended before the sea in a sudden rock of 425 meters in altitude. And the appeals to the rock's sovereignty seem to be a flexible heat pump that can be used as cooler in summer and heater in winter, as needed. The UK flag flaps at ease in Gibraltar and Fabian Picardo, the rock Chief Minister, shows recently no scrupulous in threatening with calling upon the Royal Navy or, even more, with a military conflict. The British journalists have barked, no less: it is an offense to our Queen!... Sovereignty??...
The Treaty of Utrecht (1713) was not very advantageous for Spain. It was like a death sentence that set the end of this country as a World Power. With the excuse of supporting one of the pretenders to the throne of Spain after the death of Carlos II (the last Habsburg), the English Almirant Rooke, at the head of an Anglo-Dutch fleet, occupied Gibraltar and Menorca in 1704 and tried to do so in Cadiz and Barcelona. Menorca was recuperated but, at the end of the War, the English did not return Gibraltar. The article no. 10 of the Treaty of Utrecht sanctioned the facto status-quo, but established some conditions: 1) no communication between Gibraltar and Spain; 2) England has no right whatsoever to the surrounding waters and the strait; 3) Gibraltar could only be property of the King of Spain or England. Additionally, the Treaty sentenced that Gibraltar would become Spanish again once it was no longer a British colony.
This so-praised Treaty has been violated countless times by the English, since its very beginning. Unfortunately, Spain has betrayed itself several times: no Spanish Ambassadors were present to sign the Treaty and was left entirely to the French and, in 1783, during the Peace of Versailles, when USA was recognized as independent from England, the Conde de Aranda, who ceased by himself the rock, lost the opportunity to re-gain Gibraltar. Many years later, in 1938, in the midst of the Civil War, Indalecio Prieto, a very indecent man, head of the Socialist Party, offered the British a piece of Galicia and Menorca, again, in exchange of help against Franco.
The same year of 1938, the authorities of Gibraltar took a hold of the waters around the rock to build an airport, on the grounds of being an "Emergency Landing Group". It was a lie, of course, but it was not the first. In the year of 1815, during the epidemy of Yellow Fever that affected the rock, the Spanish accepted the petition of the Gibraltar government to set a provisional camp further north, which became part of the territory after then. In 1865 the Spanish acceded to sign the first Agreement upon sailing in the waters of the strait; the last one of 1999, also regarding fishing policies, has been very recently unilaterally scrapped by the Gibraltar authorities.
It seems doubtless to me that Gibraltar is important for the UK and, more than important, it is profitable. Most of the activity in the rock is illegal, illegitimate or controlled by mafias. Gibraltar is well-known as a Financial Paradise.This should be the focus of the Spanish Government. Gibraltar began being an inconvenient abscess for the British during the years of Franco dictatorship, when the border was closed. Franco was right in the policy. I would close the gate on the grounds of all the spurious activities going on in there (tax evasion, the nuclear waste storage, the responsibilities for the Prestige case in 2002, etc.) and negotiations will then be a matter of diplomatic ability. I always thought that Gibraltar is just an infected piece of rock, good for nothing, with only the attraction of monkeys (my parents took me there once and I think I can remember everyone seeing monkeys but me) and thought of the problem quite unimportant, but it sounds reasonable the warnings of certain commentators: contrary to appearances, a true cooperation between Spain and the UK will never be possible if the issue of Gibraltar is not seriously examined, instead of ignored and abused.
(PLEASE, LEAVE YOUR COMMENT).
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