Spanish Election To Rock Gibraltar

ANYONE who knows both Gibraltarians and Spaniards living between Cadiz and Malaga City will be in little doubt of the love/hate relationship that exists between them.

Although Gibraltarian’s like to pretend that they are more British than the British, the reality is that despite the mix of ethnicity, most Gibraltarians speak Spanish and live a lifestyle not greatly different to that of their neighbours across the border.

Spaniards in the surrounding Campo de Gibraltar generally support Gibraltar because it supplies many with jobs and shops and restaurants benefit from Gibraltarians going across the border.

Also, Spaniards benefit from cheaper petrol, tobacco and access to many British goods, sometimes at cheaper prices.

When one looks at the political colours of local Spanish municipalities, those near to Gibraltar tend to be socialist and are controlled by the PSOE (except for La Linea where the Mayor Juan Franco heads a residents party which is pro Gibraltar).

Looking along the coast from Estepona to Malaga City however, except for Mijas, all of the municipalities saw the Partido Popular (PP) successful and talking to older residents in those areas, many still believe that Gibraltar is a British colony which needs to be returned to Spain.

The current Spanish Government accepts that the 1713 Peace of Utrecht saw Spain cede an area around the Rock in perpetuity to Britain but it makes it clear that that the land on which the Airstrip and Airport as well as the border crossing have been built was not covered in the Treaty and was ‘stolen’ from Spain in the 19^th Century.

This adds to what is already a complicated and somewhat confusing situation and the upcoming Spanish General Election is really going to bring things to a head.

The major stumbling block to signing a final treaty allowing Gibraltar to be treated as part of Schengen has been the thorny question of who will control arrival and departures at the airport and dock.

Initially, it was understood that an organisation known as Frontex would be responsible on behalf of the European Union but it now appears that Spain is demanding that Spanish officers should be responsible and this is anathema to the average Gibraltarian.

Every time there is any disagreement over the border or sovereignty, the Spanish powers that be which control the National Police (immigration) and Guardia Civil (customs) issue instructions, (supposedly without the intervention of the elected government) to enforce every rule, to make it more difficult for people to enter and leave Gibraltar by land.

The fact that Spanish passport holders are inconvenienced as much as anyone else seems to matter little to the bureaucrats who obviously see them as ‘traitors’ for either working or shopping on the Rock.

So, with no agreement possible until after July 23 when the General Election takes place, everything now rests on the result.

Opinion polls, which can be notoriously inaccurate, suggest that the PP will gain the largest number of seats but there is a huge question mark over whether they can win an overall majority.

In such a situation, depending on how committed they are to taking over the reins of power they may have to form some kind of coalition with the more right wing Vox who consider Gibraltar ‘a pirate’s lair’ so that could cause trouble for both Gibraltar and the 15,000 odd Spanish workers who cross the border every day.

Gibraltar has seen this before and under Franco the land border was officially closed between Gibraltar and Spain in 1969 and remained closed until 1985 when Spain joined the pre-Brexit European Union.

Spanish workers were unable to continue to work on the Rock and the Gibraltarians invited Moroccan workers to take their place which explains the number of Gibraltarian residents who are of Moroccan descent.

Already, Chief Minister Fabian Picardo has said that if the borders close again then his Government will invite citizens of other non-EU countries to settle and work on the Rock but this may be easier said than done, when one considers the high cost of private housing in Gibraltar and the lack of social housing even for those who were born there.

The big question is therefore, would a new coalition government in Spain cut off its nose to spite its face when La Linea for example already has almost 30 per cent unemployment.

Whatever happens in July will also be influenced by the fact that there must be a General Election in Gibraltar by February 28, 2024 although history has shown that Gibraltar normally goes to the polls in October and any such decision for an early election would need to be made shortly after the July 23 results are known.

Today, Monday July 17, in preparation for the results of the election, Gibraltar’s Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia met the UK Minister for Europe Leo Docherty MP for a virtual meeting.

The Deputy Chief Minister said: “The UK and Gibraltar Governments remain fully committed to concluding an agreement on the future relationship of Gibraltar with the European Union. This will help secure future prosperity for both Gibraltar and the surrounding region.

“However, in the event that this is not possible, it is important at the same time to prepare for the alternative as much as we can.”