Spain Rocks the boat: Britain furious as Foreign Office warning ignored

[joebloggs]

things are starting to kick off in Gibraltar :cwm25:

The first incident happened just hours after senior members of Spain’s Embassy in London were summoned to the Foreign Office in Whitehall and taken to task over Madrid’s decision last weekend to impose draconian checks on 10,000 vehicles – most carrying Spanish day workers and tourists - leaving the British territory.


read more here .. http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/419526/Spain-Rocks-the-boat-Britain-furious-as-Foreign-Office-warning-ignored?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+daily-express-world-news+%28Daily+Express+%3A%3A+World+Feed%29

[Pete/London]

I wonder what`s behind it, we should ask the EU to intervene.

[johncar54]

The delays are nothing new.

For many years there have been notices on the Gib side, where the cars queue to leave, requesting people to contact the EU to complain about Spain's behavior, seems to have achieved nothing.

Since the border was re-opened in 1985 (having been closed for 16 years by Franco in an attempt to make Gib submit) there have been many times when the queues leaving Gib have been artificially delayed. Often it seems to also happens in the couple of weeks leading up to Christmas, believed to be to discourage expats doing their ‘Christmas shopping’ on the rock.

I don’t visit that often now (as my wife is Filipino and thus needs a visa to enter. However, I recently discovered I can get around that as I have dual nationality, and as long as I do not disclose that I have British nationality along with Irish, she can enter without a visa as the spouse of an Irishman). On the last couple of visits when we returned across the border to Spain, the Spanish immigration control officer was reading a book and waving the line of cars through without even looking up.
When they decide to slow it down, they walk around the cars as slowly as possible, demanding every piece of paper drivers should carry, examining them as slowly as possible, looking into the boots, bonnet, under the seats etc. Not with any thoroughness, just slowly.

Maybe about a year ago, the mayor of La Linea (the border town) started constructing new traffic ‘barriers’ to start charging cars to enter Gib (the congestion is a real problem for the town and must cause substantial cost) but the Spanish government stopped her as they said it would be illegal.

I know there is an argument that Gib is Spanish as it is part of the Peninsula, but then so are Portugal and Andorra and France has a border too, so where would that argument stop?

Spain has two enclaves in Morocco which to everyone but the Spanish appear to part of Morocco but despite requests they will not hand them over. Kettle and Pot comes to mind.

[tiger31]

they are nuts with unemployment so high in spain they are hurting their own people as many of them work on the Rock .I was posted there during my navy days quite enjoyed the place back in the days when it was cheap to get drunk every night with so many pubs there ,it was a sailors paradise apart from the local girls they were impossible to pull lol :biggrin:

[Iani]

Most I'm sure know Gibraltar was handed to Britain after a military defeat, it's "possibly" right we should think of giving it back, as we shouldn't keep extremely old military grudges against a new neighbour.
BUT it obviously isn't as simple as that - as there has been a lot of history since, and the people living there don't feel Spanish, time has moved on, the place has developed its own cultural and social identity etc etc.

In short as we're all part of the EU, it shouldn't matter who on paper owns the place.

Now Spain causes a hugely expensive security headache to the entire EU by owning two parts of North Africa. In law, since they are Spanish, it means the EU has a land frontier against Morocco, and this as you can imagine is a magnet to anyone wanting to sneak into Europe.

We should state to Spain we will agree to talks about the sovereignty of Gibraltar (Talks mind, nothing else, they can talk all they want, we can provide the tea, they can bring the custard creams) WHEN they return Ceuta and Melila to Morocco.

[Iani]

Most I'm sure know Gibraltar was handed to Britain after a military defeat, it's "possibly" right we should think of giving it back, as we shouldn't keep extremely old military grudges against a new neighbour.
BUT it obviously isn't as simple as that - as there has been a lot of history since, and the people living there don't feel Spanish, time has moved on, the place has developed it's own cultural and social identity etc etc.

In short as we're all part of the EU, it shouldn't matter who on paper owns the place.

Now Spain causes a hugely expensive security headache to the entire EU by owning two parts of North Africa. In law, since they are Spanish, it means the EU has a land frontier against Morocco, and this as you can imagine is a magnet to anyone wanting to sneak into Europe.

We should state to Spain we will agree to talks about the sovereignty of Gibraltar (Talks mind, nothing else, they can talk all they want, we can provide the tea, they can bring the custard creams) WHEN they return Ceuta and Melila to Morocco.

[jonnijon]

Too much secret work goes on inside the Rock, its a maze of tunnels and bunkers, and listening stations. :wink:

[johncar54]

Hand Gib back ?

Great but what about the Gibraltarians wishes ?

The last referendum was in 2002.

Over 98% (on an 87% turn out) did not want to change their status

Gibraltar sovereignty referendum, 2002

Result:-

Choice Votes Percentage
No change ............ 17,900............98.48%
Change Yes ................187..............1.03%
Valid votes ..............18,087.............99.51%
Invalid votes ..................89..............0.49%
Total votes ..............18,176

Voter turnout 87.9%

Electorate 20,678

[grahamw48]

Spaniards are a pain in the Rs....always have been. Always will be. That's why we've been fighting with them for hundreds of years...and beating them.

Time to tell them to get off our land. :xxaction-smiley-047

This also demonstrates just what a total nonsense the EU is.

Then there's the Bull-fighting. :NoNo:

[Arthur Little]

Spaniards are a pain in the Rs....

That's why we've been fighting with them for hundreds of years ...

Cryptically speaking, in that ^ sense ...

...................................... :yeahthat: ... t' Spanish 'armad :crazy:a're they NOT!

[grahamw48]

Remember folks...EU laws only apply to us.

Every other country does what the :censored: they like.

[Arthur Little]

Remember folks...EU laws only apply to us.

Every other country does what the :censored: they like.

Aye ... :anerikke: ... so 'twould seem!

[tiger31]

kettle black springs to mind they were one of the biggest colonisers of the world they got short memories

[London_Manila]

Spain is virtually bankrupt anyway along with mass unemployment
They are probably doing this to take the eyes of their awful economy at home

[johncar54]

They are probably doing this to take the eyes (of Spaniards) off their awful economy at home

I visited Gib in 1985 just after the border re-opened. La Linea (the Spanish border town) was a slum, looking like the poorest third world country.

La Linea needs Gib, not as an extension of Spain, which no one would visit and which would not create income for La Linea, but in it's present form. The congestion in La Linea is not a big problem as the queue forms along the wide, dual carriageway, coast road, having reached that point by way of a fast flowing network of roads. The only real congestion problem is in Gib when the Spanish impose the artificial barrier of slowly checking cars and paperwork.

PS (this is tongue in cheek) Maybe the UK could impose a really substantial charge on all people embarking from UK to Spain !

[joebloggs]

PS (this is tongue in cheek) Maybe the UK could impose a really substantial charge on all people embarking from UK to Spain !

well who would be the losers ? , According to the most recent government statistics, UK residents made 55.5 million visits abroad in 2011. That was a rise of 2.3% on the previous year – the first upward movement in the figures since 2006.

However, although there were more trips than in 2010, the amount that people spent and the number of nights they spent away were both fractionally down, by 0.4% and 2% respectively.

The number of visits to Europe grew by 3.5% while visits to North America were up 0.4%.

A lot of growth was accounted for by residents of London. They made 11.7 million visits abroad, an increase of 5% on 2010. In the rest of England and Wales the figures were up 1% while Scotland was down 1.1%.

By far the most popular countries are Spain (10.6 million) and France (8.9 million) which together account for 34% of all visits abroad.

[johncar54]

PS (this is tongue in cheek) Maybe the UK could impose a really substantial charge on all people embarking from UK to Spain !

Sorry, but I did not intend to side track this thread

(Tongue-in-cheek is a phrase used as a figure of speech to imply that a statement is humorously or otherwise not seriously intended, and it should not be taken at face value)

[joebloggs]

PS (this is tongue in cheek) Maybe the UK could impose a really substantial charge on all people embarking from UK to Spain !

Sorry, but I did not intend to side track this thread

(Tongue-in-cheek is a phrase used as a figure of speech to imply that a statement is humorously or otherwise not seriously intended, and it should not be taken at face value)

:icon_lol: i know :biggrin: but tit for tat :icon_lol:

[malchard888]

Remember folks...EU laws only apply to us.

Every other country does what the :censored: they like.

I remember reading an editorial a few years ago which stated that of all the laws which eminate from Brussels, the UK adheres to far more of them than any other EU country.

[Dedworth]

Instigate stringent checks taking days on all the Spanish fruit and veg trucks before they board ferries/ enter the tunnel

[johncar54]

Of course the Spanish Gov are making all this noise is to distract their population from the real problems in their economy. If Gib became Spanish, there would be another 10,000 Spaniards, who now work in Gib, in the dole queues. And another group who live in Gib, would also be in the same queues. Most business in Gib is connected with the financial markets which would cease to exist if Gib became Spanish. The border town of La Linea would also loose the trade which it now gets from it’s Gib neighbour., also adding to the dole queues

Although of course the Gibraltarians would lose big time, Spain would be the real loser.

I was chatting with a couple of Spaniards this morning, and after I explained the reality they changed their opinion (formed in ignorance) that Gib should be part of Spain.

[grahamw48]

Give it back to the idiots.

Ban British tourists from visiting Spain.

Pull out of the pain in the backside EU.

Grow some sphericals.

[andy222]

Wait till the Argies launch their new fleet of mirage fighter jets (bought from the spanish) against the falklands. That will rattle some cages.

[joebloggs]

Spain 'committed to reducing border controls with Gibraltar' after 15-minute phone call with David Cameron

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news/spain-committed-reducing-border-controls-5674677