MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Spain anticipates closed frontier if Gibraltar does not accept joint sovereignty
Spain's Acting Foreign Minister says free movement across the Gibraltar frontier will automatically end unless Gibraltarians accept joint sovereignty proposal with Spain. Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo was answering a question by Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation at a press conference after he met with Andalusia politicians in Algeciras, including the mayors of Algeciras and La Linea. From Seville Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said no democratic nation would get away closing a frontier. Read full article
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Disclaimer & comment rulesIt's barely a frontier of free movement as it is. What are Spain going to do? Close the border entirely and return to the Franco era? The surrounding Spanish territory will be hit harder than Gibraltarians if they all lose their jobs on the rock.
Oct 19th, 2016 - 08:49 am - Link - Report abuse +12In before the people who voted for Brexit to end free movement get offended by Spain threatening to do the same to Gibraltar.
Oct 19th, 2016 - 09:09 am - Link - Report abuse -4Idlehands, they could require visas, they could introduce a charge for crossing the border, they could have limited opening hours.
Joint sovereignty?
Oct 19th, 2016 - 09:09 am - Link - Report abuse +9A sovereignty claim without a case can only mean that the claim is illegitimate and worthless:
Some relevant International law:
https://www.academia.edu/10575180/Gibraltar_-_Some_Relevant_International_Law
Up to the people of Gibraltar to determine how and by whom they are governed.
So Spain is trying to blackmail the Gibraltans. It isn't going to work.
Oct 19th, 2016 - 09:49 am - Link - Report abuse +13Gibraltar have lived through this kind of thing before and they can live through it again if necessary.
Besides, why does Margello assume he's or his government is going to be in power to try and implement this in 2 years time?
Also, what a way to try and woo the people of Gibraltar...by threatening them. What is it about the Latin mentality that makes them believe this is the best way to 'persuade' people to do what they want?
Like Argentina, Spain uses this made up 'dispute' to try and deflect the attention of their people away from the utter mess they've made of the economy. And as with Argentina it won't work because the people of Gibraltar (like those of the Falklands) realise that it's far better to be British that to be Spanish (or Argentine). Why? Because Spain and Argentina are both basket case countries who lie, cheat and want to steal anything that isn't nailed down, whilst conveniently ignoring their own hypocrisy.
@ DemonTree
Oct 19th, 2016 - 11:41 am - Link - Report abuse +2Your closeness to EB seems to be effecting your thought processes.
Spain NEEDS Gibraltar to keep their own population from 'causing trouble' for the 'not elected' government of Spain.
Without Gibraltar the area of Spain around the border is bereft of work opportunities and always has been. Bringing Gibraltar to heel by closing the border didn't work for Franco and it won't work for Gollum either.
Gollum has always come out with this drivel, nobody but you is taking any notice of it.
I am a natural born and bred Gibraltarian and I would like to tell Gollum and the rest of the world that WE in Gibraltar 'We shall fight to the last (to remain BRITISH). We will never surrender'.
Oct 19th, 2016 - 12:12 pm - Link - Report abuse +9“When asked how a democratic country could reclaim a territory it had ceded over 300 years ago, against the wishes of the people, García Margallo replied that his reputation on democracy is impeccable and that he’s never been accused of being Francoist”.
Oct 19th, 2016 - 02:18 pm - Link - Report abuse +6Well, you have now. J'accuse
@ Jebeltarik
Oct 19th, 2016 - 05:25 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Exactly! Damn foreigners!
:o)
According to the Gib Chronicle, he went further:
Oct 19th, 2016 - 05:29 pm - Link - Report abuse +2“Sr García-Margallo said the crunch point would come in March next year, the date when Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to trigger Article 50, setting in motion the two-year process to negotiate the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.”
“As soon as the scope of the negotiation between the UK and the EU is established, and it becomes crystal clear that Gibraltar is not part of that negotiation…then it will be the time for reasoning,” he said.”
At this point he’s acting quite confident that the rest of the EU are going to support that position and until then, he can keep up the Bluff and Bluster.
When they don’t, we are into “qualified majority voting” and “bi-lateral agreements” with the EU minus Spain, where Spain can only veto things that physically enter their territory.
@DemonTree
Yes they could, however the UK would be well within its rights to do the same to anything Spanish entering the UK.
Spain has (2014 figs) a £12bn trade surplus with the UK, second biggest in the EU.
Only ever going to be one winner in that argument.
@darragh
D’accord.
@ ChrisR
Oct 19th, 2016 - 05:55 pm - Link - Report abuse +1The lack of work opportunities was just as true when Franco closed the border, and he did it anyway. And when he died and Spain became democratic, they didn't open the border again, even though it could have provided jobs in La Linea.
No, closing the border didn't work, but Spain didn't care; they only opened the border when they joined the EU and were forced to do so.
And the difference now is that he can actually carry out his threats.
@ Pugol-H
“Yes they could, however the UK would be well within its rights to do the same to anything Spanish entering the UK.”
Will we though? The UK has not done a whole lot about Spanish threats to Gibraltar in the past. I can't see the UK rejecting a good deal with the EU solely because of Gibraltar.
Presupposes the EU support Spain in excluding Gib from the negotiation in the first place, which I very, very much doubt will happen.
Oct 19th, 2016 - 06:16 pm - Link - Report abuse +3If they do, unlikely any negotiations will take place other that the mechanics of leaving.
In the past they have been just that, empty threats, actual actions such as they are talking about now, require a robust response, from any government that wants to stay in government.
@ Demon Tree
Oct 19th, 2016 - 06:23 pm - Link - Report abuse -5“closed its border with Gibraltar in 1969. The border would not be fully reopened until 1985”
(Wiki, yes I know but I am beginning to be bored with all this Spanish bluster).
“And the difference now is that he can actually carry out his threats.” (you).
31 years is a long time in politics even for the stupid Spanish and Gollum isn't even in a democratically elected government. Don't you think that is going to make even this Spanish dinosaur stop and think?
And as Pugol-H posted:
”Spain has (2014 figs) a £12bn trade surplus with the UK, second biggest in the EU.”
I know you somewhat dismissed the UK ever doing anything against Spain given their abysmal record under Camoron, but perhaps Tit's will come up with the balls that he never had. I would be this first to acknowledge her actions if she did.
He quoted from the Treaty of Utrecht, highlighting the clause that says Spain would have first refusal should the UK ever renounce sovereignty over the Rock,
Oct 19th, 2016 - 06:59 pm - Link - Report abuse +3yet again fails to understand that Britain is not giving up the Rock,
this guy like the argies treat democracy like a rash to be scrubbed away,
‘Fortress Gibraltar’ In the 21st Century
https://britainintheworld.com/2016/08/25/fortress-gibraltar-in-the-21st-century/
When will these silly land grabbers ever learn.
The EU controls the border and visa regime. Spain can't do either workout fulfilling EU rules.
Oct 19th, 2016 - 07:14 pm - Link - Report abuse +3Their only option is to confine what they do now..... which isn't very effective.
Mr DT
Oct 19th, 2016 - 08:11 pm - Link - Report abuse +2“I can't see the UK rejecting a good deal with the EU solely because of Gibraltar.”
I can't see the UK throwing Gibraltar to the dogs, just to suck up for an EU trade deal.
A clear example of Spain's intention to cut off it's nose to spite it's face?
Oct 19th, 2016 - 08:20 pm - Link - Report abuse +4So let me get this right, the eu wants to keep freedom of movement with the uk yet Spain are going to close their border with gib? How does that work?
Oct 19th, 2016 - 08:31 pm - Link - Report abuse +3News item: Representatives from Argentina and Spain are going to get together for a long night in their cups, howling at the moon and demanding territory from the neighbours whilst insisting that their own colonies are not colonies at all. At some point the Argentine will deftly steal the cell phone, watch, keys, and wallet of the Espanyol while insisting that the latter pay for the last round.
Oct 19th, 2016 - 09:02 pm - Link - Report abuse +6@ Marti Llazo
Oct 19th, 2016 - 09:17 pm - Link - Report abuse +2Don't forget the laptops. They have previous with laptops.
More ineffectual talk from a country that could not fight its way out of a paper bag. The UK won't be leaving the EU for at least two years, and as people have pointed out, if the EU insist on any free movement measure that involves Gib as well. Anyone noticed that apart from Dutch and Uk Tomatoes in the supermarkets most of them are either Spanish or Morroccan. A lot of the Spanish economy in the South depends on......salad production. So If they mess with Gibraltar, I am writing to all the supermarket bosses to urge them to by more Tomatoes from Morroco and ditch the Spanish salad..So the border goes, thousands of Spanish jobs up the hooter, and without UK supermarkets buying salads from Spain how many more job losses? We hold the ace cards, Spain, holds practically none.
Oct 20th, 2016 - 06:51 pm - Link - Report abuse +3Typical of Margallo and his corrupt, signature-forging sidekick Landaluce, but what we have come to expect. As to 'excluding Gibraltar' from the A50 negotiations, I believe this goes to QMV in April next year so he may have problems there.
Oct 21st, 2016 - 07:51 am - Link - Report abuse +4In reality, it depends who wins a Spanish election (if they ever get a result) and is in charge in 30 months' time. If the PP or Ciudadanos are in charge, there will be serious problems at the border.
Personally, I foresee at the very least two 'lanes', one for EU citizens and one for non-EU, with the latter being - err - 'a bit slow'.
If we have a PP or Cs government in Spain, then the possibility remains of either a closed border or severe restrictions - people unable to get into Gib to work, or Gibraltarians unable to get out; restrictions or heavy duties on goods, and so on. This would cause a lot of changes in Gib but wouldn't have the effect it had in the 70s because the world has changed.
If that happens? Much of our economy is web-based and so we enter a partnership with Morocco, especially re: high-speed data cables and workers, and the ferry only takes 35 mins to Tangiers. We import food and goods from Portugal or Morocco, just as we imported building materials from them when Margallo imposed restrictions 2 years ago.
Won't be great, but won't cause the total isolation for Gibraltar that it did 30-40 years ago.
It will be terrible for the Campo area though, and Landaluce will see unemployment and poverty in his town rocket: but not as much as in La Linea: when the border was last closed, its population fell by 65% and it turned into a drug-ridden, wild-west no-go zone. That would happen again.
It wouldn't stop dinosaurs like Rajoy or Margallo - but we'll have to see what happens. Most of what the fascist says is bluster and bullshit, but things will change for the worse here.
@ sceptic64
Oct 21st, 2016 - 06:26 pm - Link - Report abuse +5Tell Margallo you’re going to become part of Morocco or Portugal, shit him right up.
Joint sovereignty? I'm sure that there must be one or two Spaniards who know how to roll a joint. Then all they have to do is sit round, smoke it and chill out and their issues with Gibraltar will just disappear.
Oct 21st, 2016 - 09:52 pm - Link - Report abuse +2Bad news, looks like the PP are forming a minority government. Hopefully they will at least fail in getting Gibraltar excluded from the negotiations.
Oct 23rd, 2016 - 07:38 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Commenting for this story is now closed.
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