Majority of Spaniards say Gibraltar is and issue of little interest for foreign policy
A survey by the leading Spanish think tank Real Instituto Elcano has found that nearly 60% of those polled believe Gibraltar is of little or no importance to Spanish foreign policy.
The survey of 1000 people also found that Spaniards were divided on how their government should handle the row over fishing in Gibraltar waters.
Over 44% of those asked said steps should be taken to reduce the tension, while 10% said more diplomatic pressure should be brought to be on Gibraltar.
The answers were clearly dependent on the political ideology of the respondent.
About half of those on the right of the political spectrum believed Gibraltar was an important issue for Spain’s foreign policy, a percentage that dropped to 32% for those in the centre and 30% for those on the left.
A similar split was evident in questions relating to the fishing dispute, with six out of every 10 rightwing respondents backing a tougher stance, while 51% of those of leftwing conviction wanted less tension at sea.
In the centre ground, 44% of respondents wanted firmer measures against 42% urging a softer approach.
Suggested Stories
-
Jun 19th 2013
G8 summit agrees on new measure to clamp money laundering and corporate tax avoiders
-
Jun 19th 2013
Paraguayan president elect Cartes will visit Spain and European Union institutions
-
Jun 19th 2013
Argentina bans British made ejection seats from local jet trainer IA-63 Pampa III
-
Jun 19th 2013
Malvinas C24 Argentina petitioners: Maria Angelia Vernet and Alejandro Betts
12 comments Feed
Note: Comments do not reflect MercoPress’ opinions. They are the personal view of our users. We wish to keep this as open and unregulated as possible. However, rude or foul language, discriminative comments (based on ethnicity, religion, gender, nationality, sexual orientation or the sort), spamming or any other offensive or inappropriate behaviour will not be tolerated. Please report any inadequate posts to the editor. Comments must be in English. Thank you.
The people are not interest,
Only the incompetent government, who uses it as a distraction against their own problems,
Just like another country, that we know very well
.
“It's the precious.” “they” say. Too right it is. But not “their” precious. Those “territories” belong to Britain and to the people that live there. There is no conceivable way in which Spain, or that other country, can LEGALLY claim what they do claim. Perhaps the right place to settle these matters is not the ICJ but the International Criminal Court. Unfortunately, the ICC would need an increase in the scope of its jurisdiction. But maybe, come 2017, we can get them both for the crime of aggression.
Sounds just like Britain in the colonial age, going to pick on people's with inferior technology that could not defend themselves.
Admittedly, that is the European way. Europe was luckly to be in the trade routes of knowledge, then went to pick on areas like Africa, Australia and America where people had to invent everything on their own, not fall on their lap (like gunpowder and the compass, which was the difference maker for Europeans, yet you didn't invent it).
Don't forget that your ancestors were those colonial Europeans. Short memory you have. Or are you now going to claim that you are 100% pure South Amerindian?
Yes the Chinese invented gun powder not Europeans, all we Europeans did was develop it into a weapons instead of fireworks. That's called invention. The europeans also used the compass developed in China (Wiley people the Chinese). All a compass can do is point you to magnetic north, it can't tell you where you are in the world.
It was an Englishman, John Harrison, who invented a clock so accurate that it allowed sailors to navigate. Hence why we have Greenwich Mean Time, which the world measures its time from (well before the invention of atomic clocks), and how all ships and planes navigate. Zero longitude goes directly through Greenwich.
We also invented the telegraph, the telephone, antiseptics, antibiotics, discovered x-rays, analgesics, television, computers, the Internet, rockets, industry, the car, trains, modern engineering and architecture, steam power etc... I could go on all night. Not bad for us 'Europeans'.
In regards to the story, it seems the people of Spain want their government to stop prancing around over this non-issue and get on with the job that they were elected to do. In other words, sorting out the Spanish economy.
Waving Gibraltar in the faces of the Spanish people has only made them angrier at the government for its failure to tackle the economic problems, and they are not easily distracted from this important issue.
Maybe Argentinians should take a leaf out of Spain's book, and start demanding that the government do their job... oh wait, they are beginning to do that, aren't they?
As usual, these posts contain a number of emotional outbursts and half-truths but very few rigorously established facts.
To cite an example:
8 LEPRecon (#) states:
“It was an Englishman, John Harrison, who invented a clock so accurate that it allowed sailors to navigate”.
That IS PARTIALLY true but at the time, there were many other equally accurate horological artefacts about. Harrison’s REAL DEAL was to make the first clock that could consistently keep good time aboard a SAIL SHIP, ON THE HIGH SEAS, even in quite adverse weather. On second thoughts, perhaps I’m being a wee bit too pedantic here. Anyway, my real point is this:
Unless I’m mistaken, Harrison’s long-lasting, painstaking triumph came about in response to the offer of a prize, offered in the name of the King –I’m not sure but was it 5,000 quid? –the answer will probably be found somewhere on the Web...
And guess what? Surprise, surprise! The ol’ boy NEVER GOT HIS MONEY! He was fiddled-out-of-it by the nefarious financiers and politicians of the day! As I’ve said before, “It was déjà vu, all over again”
3 Conqueror (#)
makes a particularly virulent and untrue affirmation:
“And it sends the paramilitary THUGS of the Guardia Civil with them to ‘protect’ them.”
Many years’ ago, during the Franco Regime, I became involve in a clandestine, nonviolent, Left-Wing political organization. Eventually, some of my Spanish ‘comrades’ and I were apprehended by the Guardia Civil and ‘slapped-about a bit’. But believe me, that kind of behaviour is NO LONGER TOLERATED. The Police here are SHIT SCARED of “Being done for Abuse of Human Rights” –even more so than are their counterparts in the UK!
Cheers!
Jim, in Madrid.
There were many people trying to do it but Harrisons was considered the most accurate at the time, hence why he won. But even Harrison's competitors were European, so whoever won, it would have been a European who invented modern navigation. Since ships could keep accurate time, it meant that thy could work out their longitude and latitude very precisely.
I only mention this as Tobias ( or TTT as he sometimes is known), seems to believe that a compass alone could allow people to navigate. He has a problem with Europeans, despite being descended from them himself, and doesn't believe that Europeans actually discovered or invented anything. I was just putting him right.
In regards to Gibraltar I stand by what I said in my earlier post, namely that the Spanish people want their government to sort out the economy, not drip on about a non-issue.
Nope. Just in your silly little imaginations. Move along now...
Commenting for this story is now closed.
If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page!