MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Spain warns “exhaustive checks” at border crossing with Gibraltar will continue
The Spanish Government warned on Tuesday that it would continue to implement exhaustive checks on vehicles and pedestrians crossing into Spain from Gibraltar. Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesThey will continue until the EC rules them disproportion, then they will be lifted, or Britain can respond and that will really hurt Spain.
Nov 13th, 2013 - 07:14 pm - Link - Report abuse 0This now has a limited time before it escalates. The end of Spain’s bit of rope.
Border controls are always strict when you are entering third-world countries (Spain). Bit like North Korea.
Nov 13th, 2013 - 07:34 pm - Link - Report abuse 0So out of 140 million packets of cigarettes sold in Gibraltar, 120 million were exported/smuggled.
Nov 13th, 2013 - 08:21 pm - Link - Report abuse 0http://spanishnewstoday.com/gibraltar-blamed-for-plummeting-cigarette-sales-in-spain_18950-a.html#.UoPcPeKV48I
Two hour wait for a non discriminatory random check, now that's efficiency for you!
Nov 13th, 2013 - 08:32 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@3
Nov 13th, 2013 - 08:37 pm - Link - Report abuse 099.9% of the people smuggling the cigarettes are SPANISH.
It's idiotic for Spain to blame Gibraltar, when it is Spanish citizens and Spanish taxes which are responsible for the smuggling.
If you didn't have such high taxes, there would be no smuggling and Spain would have to think up some other excuse to carry on their petty childish tantrum over land they gave away FOREVER.
Funny how they are not prepared to disclose what the arrests were for, surely if they were seizing lots of contraband they would want to advertise that fact to emphasise their cause???
Nov 13th, 2013 - 08:41 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Lies lies lies.
The further you stretch the truth, the easier it is to see through.
1for smuggling, 42 for refusing to sling a bung!
Nov 13th, 2013 - 08:49 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@ 7 reality check
Nov 13th, 2013 - 09:30 pm - Link - Report abuse 0But I would rather see Spanish holidays back in the good old days:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNXox0RkHW4
“Bloodings stove, no bloodings staff” bit like a good holiday in The Dark Country.
I love the scene in the Policia jail!
Carmen Crespo - was she also a 'chicken or pasta'?
Nov 13th, 2013 - 10:54 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Except for hair color (dyed?) she looks like the Argentine diplomatic distaster in the UK.
”double the number of arrests in August compared to the previous year, although she (Carmen Crespo) did not reveal the number of arrests”
- wise, very wise as 43 / 2 = 21.5 - who was the half person arrested in 2012?
What is really bad for Spanish economy is when the Gibraltarians get enough and start importing their external work force from Morocco. Some 4000 Spanish workers bring desperately needed foreign currency into Spain and reduces the number of unemployed Spaniards - currently at more than 28 percent.
Spain is losing the propaganda war.
Nov 14th, 2013 - 02:16 am - Link - Report abuse 0Spain “lamented that the public perception was the opposite” to what they were hoping. LOL
Spain has not gained a single concrete thing from this.
Payback.
Nov 14th, 2013 - 03:57 am - Link - Report abuse 0An Argentine expat using the word payback, there was me thinking that it did not exist in their vocabulary.
Nov 14th, 2013 - 06:26 am - Link - Report abuse 0One thing an Argie never does is payback!
Go home hypocrit.
I can tell you what one of the 43 arrests was for.
Nov 14th, 2013 - 08:33 am - Link - Report abuse 0Our kids were on a school holiday and my wife was working, so our babysitter came over from Spain at 9:30am to look after them. She returned at 4:30pm to Spain.
She had two packets of cigarettes with her. The Guardia said “I saw you crossing earlier today”. She denied it - she'd been in Gibraltar with our kids all day.
So another Guardia backed up his colleague and they insisted she'd crossed 4 or 5 times, and arrested her. She got a €200 fine.
I guess that is classified as 'law enforcement' in Spain, though.
@12 Top answer
Nov 14th, 2013 - 08:49 am - Link - Report abuse 0Thats fine Spain. Im going to boycott Spanish goods, including wine, holidays
Nov 14th, 2013 - 08:49 am - Link - Report abuse 0Furthermore Im going to promote this on Facebook and other social media. Boycott Spain!!
What a shame that the UK does not retaliate ( it is not in our nature ) but still it would be nice that when Spanish tourists visit UK , they are asked for their passports and then made to stand to one side for about 2 hrs and then processed. See how they like it.
Nov 14th, 2013 - 10:49 am - Link - Report abuse 0There is a case to be brought against Spain by each European harassed and hindered at the border because it is a breach of European law.
Nov 14th, 2013 - 11:14 am - Link - Report abuse 0We all know Gibraltar has yet again become Spain's whipping boy. Those guys will do anything to divert attention from their economic disaster.
With a forthcoming referendum on UK membership of the EU (my heart says OUT my brain says IN), Britain and therefore Gibraltar could leave the EU. This would be difficult for Gibraltar. Only a more enlightened government would ease the restrictions.
@13 sceptic 64
Doesn't border control (at least on British side), show timings for peoples entry and exit? Surely this is a refutable claim.
I'm like other posters... boycotting Spain. My summer holidays abroad have been in Spain for the last 12 years. I love the place. But no more. I'll find somewhere else to go, instead. Portugal is meant to be nice...
Nov 14th, 2013 - 01:16 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@17 Musky: with respect, I think your heart needs to re-educate your head. Based on pure facts and figures, the UK is better off out of the EU completely. From an economic point of view, it is crazy to be in as the EU economy shrinks compared to the rest of the world, especially the Commonwealth. And don't let the “access to the single market” rubbish fool you. We have the same access and influence as China, only it costs the UK £150billion a year. I guarantee Germany would want a free trade agreement with us if we left - we're their biggest customer!
And as for our democratic point of view, the UK opted out a great many things of the Lisbon Treaty. However, a decision by the ECJ overturned that and now the UK is legally bound despite opting out. Have a look at this for a top judge's opinion:
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=19&cad=rja&ved=0CJIBEBYwEg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.standard.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Ftop-judge-surprised-that-controversial-eu-laws-that-we-blocked-are-now-legally-binding-8934773.html&ei=uMyEUrjVKo2qhAeamIDAAQ&usg=AFQjCNHOUFx3NwLPad58vO49zlOEF_YnPQ
My heart says “out”, my head says “WTF are we STILL in???”
Schneckster
@11 Oh yes, sonny, there will be payback. Regrettably, the UK does not rush at these things. I would have had air, land and naval forces there months ago. By this time, Spain would have wound its neck in or Spanish “state” or poaching vessels would have been well on their way to forming new artificial reefs. Ten feet into BGTW or airspace, British forces issue one warning and then open fire.
Nov 14th, 2013 - 02:53 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@17 Don't know where you are, but I'll give you an informed view. Not too long ago, I was a UK Customs Officer. EU “citizens” are amongst the worst for obeying laws. And the Spanish are possibly the worst of those. I can say that a high percentage of Spaniards are criminals. On the overall subject, trust me. Britain will be best served by being OUT. One of Britain's strengths is trade. With the EU we can trade with 27 other countries and those other countries that the EU says we can, on EU terms. Without the EU we can trade with over 200 other countries on terms that we find acceptable. With the EU, Britain is hampered by hundreds of thousands of regulations. Without the EU we can, if we wish, dump the lot. It now turns out that not only the ECtHR but also the ECJ can interfere in Britain's parliamentary and judicial systems. Without the EU we can certainly dump the ECJ. We can tell Spain where to go and enforce it. The ECHR does have an indirect connection to the EU. Without the EU, we can repeal the Human Rights Act and tell the ECtHR to get lost. Wouldn't you like to save £53 million a day? Round up the “unwelcome” and kick their arses so hard they land in latam? What a perfect place for Roma!
@18 I last went to Spain in 2009 as part of a European retirement tour. I enjoyed Tarifa and wanted to return. Can't stand fascist dictatorships though. Italy learned from WW2. Spain was too cowardly. Anyway, it would have been with the Nazis. Shame. We could have bombed it properly. Once we'd beaten the krauts and the eyeties in North Africa!
The Spanish are a disgrace,
Nov 14th, 2013 - 08:03 pm - Link - Report abuse 0With allies like these, we don’t need enemies,
But what goes around,
Will
Come around,
That’s for sure..
.
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