MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Spain warns Hague that it will continue to enforce strict Gibraltar border checks
Foreign Affairs minister José Manuel García-Margallo has told his UK counterpart, William Hague that Spain will continue to enforce strict Gibraltar border checks “whenever necessary” because this was in line with Madrid’s EU obligations and that Guardia Civil officers were searching for contraband. Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesThe search for contraband is a legitimate practice. Perhaps we should employ it against the Spanish fishing fleet when they try to enter British waters ??
Jul 31st, 2013 - 05:08 am - Link - Report abuse 01 Lord Ton
Jul 31st, 2013 - 05:16 am - Link - Report abuse 0You, my friend, can have a gold star for a “Good idea”.
Do you think that we should extend it to any spanish airplanes landing at British airports as well?
There are a lot of Spanish lorries that arrive in the UK with fresh produce I reckon we should start checking them very carefully for contraband and/or agricultural pests Just fulfilling our EU obligations of course!
Jul 31st, 2013 - 05:27 am - Link - Report abuse 03 grimbler
Jul 31st, 2013 - 05:41 am - Link - Report abuse 0We should also have an extra lane at customs for “Spanish” as well. Incoming AND outgoing.... Just to make sure that they are not taking any contraband and/or agricultural pests out of the country....
Oh, the games we could play.............
A five day delay in a queue should ensure lots of rotting fruit.
Jul 31st, 2013 - 05:44 am - Link - Report abuse 0I thought that Ciano was dead, has he come back to life in Spain, serving Mariano Fortunato Rajoy?
Jul 31st, 2013 - 05:59 am - Link - Report abuse 0The UK would not play tricks on Spanish visitors partly because of the rule of law, but mainly because it would not occur to the Chamberlains who hold power to,do so.
The UK is a member of the customs union so UK-Europe Mainland is a Schengen border but not a customs border. Gibraltar-Spain is both.
Jul 31st, 2013 - 06:01 am - Link - Report abuse 0I thought that Gibraltar was recognised as a part of Britain for EU purposes (there is a suggestion we allocate them a constituency for an MP to serve in our parliament) which suggests that Spain is refusing to recognise this. Another thought occurs ok we concede defeat and refuse access to Spanish cars and lay on public transport for the 10,000 Spaniards who work on the Rock. They can park on the Spanish side and walk over without problem this might reduce British visitors from the mainland but the tourist industry is mainly British visitors who fly in. If further problems occur we can do what we do in England hire Eastern Europeans and accommodate them in the military quarters now empty.
Jul 31st, 2013 - 06:39 am - Link - Report abuse 0@7 Not quite correct. There are things called “prohibitions and restrictions” where UK Customs are entitled to check Spanish passengers and their baggage. In addition, there are other “rules” where checks are permissible. For example, there are limits on quantities of tobacco products that may be brought into the UK. This is based on an investigation into whether the quantities are for “personal” use or are considered to be for “commercial” purposes.
Jul 31st, 2013 - 06:43 am - Link - Report abuse 0@JuanGabriel, Spain also has a customs border with its own territories of Melilla, Ceuta and Canarias - and one never hears of checks so thorough as those for the Gibraltar border, or massive delays. Spain has a duty to uphold all EU law, and that includes the right to freedom of movement. Controls must not causeundue delays, which is exactly what has been happening at the Gibraltar border...
Jul 31st, 2013 - 07:04 am - Link - Report abuse 0Time to boycott Telefonica O2 and start a separate queue at all UK airports for people going to and coming from Spain.
Jul 31st, 2013 - 07:39 am - Link - Report abuse 0If the Spanish Customs/PN/GC are, as is reported, searching cars bound for Gibraltar and asking for declarations of cash, that wouldn't have anything to do with the allegations against Mariano Fortunato Rajoy and a political slush fund now, would it?
Jul 31st, 2013 - 10:02 am - Link - Report abuse 0ALWAYS causing trouble somewhere.
Jul 31st, 2013 - 10:47 am - Link - Report abuse 0and for 1,2,3,4,5 etc. Spain can do the exact same.
So is it worth it ?
Gibraltar is being rightly punished, and each time they f around they will be.
The toll road thing was a good idea and might be a viable option again if a way can be found round the EU paperwork, other than that its up to Spain to be inventive.
@13 Absolute Rubbish.
Jul 31st, 2013 - 11:04 am - Link - Report abuse 0Gibraltar has done nothing wrong at all. She has built the reef within her own territorial waters as she is entitled to do.
Spain is one of the biggest builders of artificial reefs in all of Europe. Try putting the words 'Spain' and 'Artificial Reef' into Google and you will come up with dozens of scientific papers which detail the reefs Spain has created with concrete blocks, to preserve fish stocks and prevent illegal fishing.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/umrsmas/bullmar/2000/00000067/00000002/art00006
The reef was built to protect the environment in the area where one particular Spanish fisherman was causing a lot of damage by fishing contrary to Gibraltar laws.
His drag fishing (like a lot of other Spanish fishermen elsewhere), was endangering and damaging the wildlife. The Government of Gibraltar was within their rights to take whatever action they thought necessary to prevent any further damage. They could have arrested his boat and confiscated it. Instead, they built a reef which forces him to fish elsewhere.
The British not Gibraltar.
Jul 31st, 2013 - 12:22 pm - Link - Report abuse 0They will be punished!
Jul 31st, 2013 - 12:44 pm - Link - Report abuse 0What the Spaniards on their way home from work?
Gibraltar carries out a course of action and Spain sanctions Spaniards for it.
Honestly could not make this shit up.
Look at the bright, at least we now know where the RG's inherited their diplomacy skills from!
More Spanish nonsense.
Jul 31st, 2013 - 01:43 pm - Link - Report abuse 0http://vox.gi/local/7769-the-sequence-of-events-that-have-occurred-this-morning-in-the-bay-of-gibraltar.html
@15 Then we'll have to arrange some British armed forces, won't we? How do you fancy a flight of Apache attack helicopters and a troop of Warrior IFVs?
Jul 31st, 2013 - 01:47 pm - Link - Report abuse 0So the Gollum of Spain, José Manuel García-Margallo, has spoken!
Jul 31st, 2013 - 01:50 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I wonder if Hague managed to hold back the laughter when this idiot implied that the 10,000 Spanish who worked in Gibraltar were carrying contraband in or out of Spain.
You can really see where The Dark Country gets its ideas from.
I think the Spanish are just making fools of themselves in the eyes of the rest of the world, such feats of daring by their fearless paramilitary vessels, idiotic searches at the border. Just give them enough rope and they will hang themselves.
Jul 31st, 2013 - 02:02 pm - Link - Report abuse 0The Guardia Civil are the most corrupt, lazy, violent and incompetent police force in the EU. They do not give a shit about contraband. They are just dirty liars, just like dirty Argentina.
Jul 31st, 2013 - 02:32 pm - Link - Report abuse 0“ Strict enforcement in accordance with EU guidelines ”
Jul 31st, 2013 - 02:54 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Where in the EU guidelines does it authorize the Guardia Civil shooting bullets at a jet ski ?
@18 Conqueror.
Jul 31st, 2013 - 02:56 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Oh for gods sake.
Ok try to invade Spain. Send everything you've got.
Unless you're coming via France you may have some serious problems.
Apart from frankly not having the means to land 1/100th of Spains army
we've already seen what happens to expeditionary forces.
Conqueror - I know military technology is cool and gives you a sense of power but you need to come back down to earth.
Merely by stopping British tourist going to Spain ,
Jul 31st, 2013 - 03:12 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Would send the country crashing,
If fact the UK would not waste its time invading Spain, as this would cost us money, and they we would be expected to support them, as well you know,
So talk of invasion is rather silly,
Besides Spain would lose,
Unless you know something we don’t,
The fact is the Spanish government is in trouble, [bad trouble]
And like all wannabies dictators or corrupt governments, they will do anything to distract from their home troubles..
As well you know,
Spain is acting like a spoilt child, a bully and illegal,
And in this day of the internet the whole world can see what a selfish troubled corrupt incompetent government is ruling Spain,, a bit like argentina only nearer.
Sooner or later things will happen, and you will go very quiet,
Unless of course im wrong, and Spain invades Britain lolol.
[nah] that’s a joke to far .lol
Difficult to lay concrete reefs.........without concrete.......the game is afoot !
Jul 31st, 2013 - 04:29 pm - Link - Report abuse 0BRITAIN'S diplomatic war with Spain over the Rock of Gibraltar escalated today after border guards turned away truck loads of concrete thought to be destined for a crucial infrastructure project.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/418863/EXCLUSIVE-British-fury-as-Spain-ups-tension-on-Gibraltar-with-new-lorry-blockade
Besides Spain would lose,
Jul 31st, 2013 - 04:30 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Unless you know something we don’t.
Yes there is.
Ill grant you 10,000 infantry on the north coast and 100 vehicles, a very generous number. A very very generous number.
I'd give them a week. Again, far too generous.
Spain has a reputation for being cowards in the rest of the world.
Jul 31st, 2013 - 05:31 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Is that inaccurate?
This matter will be resolved if the British Government sends one of the Marine Commando battalions to Gibraltar, along with all the Offshore Raiding Craft.
Jul 31st, 2013 - 05:39 pm - Link - Report abuse 0http://www.strikehold.net/2009/01/26/royal-marines-up-armoured-and-up-gunned-offshore-raiding-craft/
Half a dozen of these would be enough to detain and arrest any trespassing Guardia Civil boats. If they refuse to heave-to, then a few 0.5” shells in their waterline will persuade them otherwise.
Any Guardia Civil vessels acting contrary to UNCLOS can be detained, confiscated and their personnel imprisoned until Spain guarantees that they will not trespass in British Gibraltar waters again.
If Spain wants to up the ante and put a few warships in British waters, then they do so at the risk of being torpedoed by a Royal Navy nuclear submarine. There is no point in Spain escalating this dispute, because Britain can use her veto to ensure that no further EU aid is sent to Spain, strangling their ability to recover from their financial mess.
Moreover, if matters do escalate, British citizens will be advised not to travel to Spain on holiday and this would be catastrophic, because if the Brits don't go, the Germans will be worried about travelling into a war zone too. Loss of their tourism trade would destroy Spain.
This is a battle that Spain cannot win and the sooner they realise this the better. The British Government has been trying to be diplomatic, but if we take the gloves off, then Spain will get a spanking, just as Argentina did in 82.
If they refuse to heave-to, then a few 0.5” shells in their waterline will persuade them otherwise.
Jul 31st, 2013 - 06:31 pm - Link - Report abuse 0lol wtf
“put a few warships in British waters, then they do so at the risk of being torpedoed by a Royal Navy nuclear submarine”
lol. You do know gib's location on a map right ? Think now...what might happen next.
“Britain can use her veto to ensure that no further EU aid is sent to Spain, strangling their ability to recover from their financial mess”
And the Eurozone will listen. lol. Oh look Spain and as a result the euro have both taken a financial hit, talk of the euro failing, contagion already hitting France. Yeah, probably not.
“British citizens will be advised not to travel to Spain on holiday and this would be catastrophic”.
Catastrophic lol...hmmm not really. an issue yeah, but there'll always be plenty of bookings from many many countries. And you'll have to launch your deadly financial weapon during the peak months.
“travelling into a war zone too.” ... a war now ....lol...righto you've just justified and released an armored unit into Gibraltar, citizens are being forcefully evacuated, infrastructure destroyed as we speak and the runways being torn up,
Good luck taking it back.
Hope you can land enough forces to take on the Spanish military.
Oh thats right.... you cant.
The Spanish government really is amateur at this. Did they get lessons from CFK?
Jul 31st, 2013 - 06:39 pm - Link - Report abuse 0The UK isn't going to reciprocate these actions.
It isn't going to take military action.
It isn't going to try to stop tourism to Spain.
But the people that do holiday in Spain are watching. Will all of them stop going.... nope! But some will. Some will look at these actions and reconsider their holidays. It won't crash Spain's economy, but considering the extreme economic issues facing Spain, every single dollar or pound or euro that it loses in exports such as inbound tourism will hurt.
Their unemployment is through the roof. Their population is actually DROPPING as recent immigrants return to their old countries or worse their best and brightest young workers are leaving for places like Germany, Australia and Latin America.
Gibraltar will survive. The border was once closed for decades and Gibraltar survived.
All Spain does is entrench Gibraltan attitudes. I'm also sure that Catalonians are also watching with interest to see how their inept central government deals with these issues. I mean after all, chances are firming for a September 2014 vote on independence.
29 Vestige
Jul 31st, 2013 - 06:59 pm - Link - Report abuse 0mmmmm, yes, well, I can see you point of view...but you are still full of sh*t.
So ( and let me get this right ) what you are saying ( in your inane ramblings ) is that Spain would be foolish to escalate this dispute any further and the UK would be equally foolish to do so as well....
There, I said the same thing using less words....
It isn't going to take military action.
Jul 31st, 2013 - 07:00 pm - Link - Report abuse 0It isn't going to try to stop tourism to Spain.
1.because it would be futile and fail.
2.because it would be futile and fail horribly.
This is just for a bit of perspective, I think certain folk on here have some deep misconceptions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rQzp5fdn_4
well done for spain!! keep the Gibs 8 hours waiting at the border this sunday!! Why do they want to go into Spain if they hate it so much!! stay with the apes and you will not suffer the consequences.....
Jul 31st, 2013 - 07:07 pm - Link - Report abuse 0This is MAKING A FOOL OF ONESELF:
www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-126279/British-students-cause-drunken-havoc-spanish-holiday-resort
Who said Gibraltans “hate” Spain?
Jul 31st, 2013 - 07:32 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Why do people just make crap up. Gibraltans don't “hate” Spain, they just don't want to be part of Spain.
Delusional generalisations like these are akin to say that all of Spain's workers are employed in Gibraltar simply because some Spanish work there.
Close the border.
Aug 01st, 2013 - 01:21 am - Link - Report abuse 0What's a mere ten thousand jobs to the local Spanish community across the border.
With 26% unemployment in Spain I believe the 10,0000 jobs may just be the difference between surviving and bankruptcy for many.
Aug 01st, 2013 - 05:50 am - Link - Report abuse 0You think all those jobs are reliant on Gibbies.
Aug 01st, 2013 - 08:55 am - Link - Report abuse 0Delusions of grandeur going on here.
37 Vestige
Aug 01st, 2013 - 01:11 pm - Link - Report abuse 0You really DON’T know anything about how companies operate do you? First the nonsense about auto companies in The Dark Country and now the fatuous statement dismissing the impact of 10,000 job losses in Spain.
Just why do you think the greasers go to Gibraltar everyday to work? Yes, because there are NO JOBS in Spain! Now that wasn’t difficult was it?
I would imagine virtually every business in Spain is operating on a knife edge between carrying on or having to close from looking at the international data on the state of their economy.
But you can blabber on, blithely ignorant of the real world, have you EVER had a job or does daddy give you pocket money, because I think that is what it is, isn’t it?
News from
Aug 01st, 2013 - 03:12 pm - Link - Report abuse 0the Aircraft
Carrier
Alliance
Issue 10
Summer
2013
The creation of a carrier
http://www.aircraftcarrieralliance.co.uk/~/media/Files/A/Aircraft-Carrier-Alliance/Attachments/publication-and-speeches/carrier-waves-summer-2013.pdf?
This has to be read, the latest on the British carrier..
see HMS Illustrious & HMS Bulwark around Gib first - Cougar13 Deployment to Med starts soon.
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out of interest france is taking delivery of the new A300 from spain,
spain will deliver to britain next year our few planes, ,perhaps the UK does not want to upset the apple cart,
on the other hand,
*38 “ greasers”?? bloody Pom!! LOL
Aug 04th, 2013 - 11:12 am - Link - Report abuse 0Commenting for this story is now closed.
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