Dear All
It appears that our Spanish cousins are
upset at present; this has resulted in a rather petty squabble over Gibraltar.
The UK government is now considering legal
action against Spain over the imposition of additional border checks which are
OTT.
Although security is a concern which
everyone should work together, the situation in Spain is nothing to do with
security; it is a petty argument which affects both the Spanish and the people
of Gibraltar.
The way to deal with this is by way of the
Law, in the EU there is free movement of people and trade, and as I tweeted
awhile ago, the best way is to use the EU.
As David Cameron says this border dispute
is very disappointing, having dug a hole, the Spanish say that its checks are
essential to stop smuggling.
So, why weren’t they essential before? Why
is everyone who regularly comes and goes waiting several hours to cross?
Spain has further stated said it had an
"obligation" to police the border, and insisted its controls were
legal and proportionate.
This is true; however the latest flare up
is not proportionate, when you consider that Spain was considering taking the
dispute to the UN Security Council.
And to attempt to rope in the Argentinians,
honestly, talk about clutching at straws.
The row all started after Gibraltar created
an artificial reef, if the people of Gibraltar done this in Spanish waters then
that would be wrong, if it is in their own waters, that’s their business.
However, if this creates a problem, it should be raised with the proper
authorities, what is so difficult about that?
I think the Spanish claim that the reef will
destroy fishing in the area is bogus.
But the real kicker beside the unacceptable
waiting times is that Madrid has suggested a 50 euro (£43) fee could be applied
to every vehicle entering or leaving the British territory.
On that bunny, there is definitely cause to
complain to the EU, because it is wrong and it unjustly punishes ordinary
people, including the Spanish people who work in Gibraltar.
A Downing Street spokesman has called
Spain's actions "disproportionate and politically motivated".
He said:
"If we go down this route, we would
press upon the EU the need to pursue this with a matter of urgency."
In the main, our Spanish cousins seems a
reasonable sort, do we really need this little drama over a few rocks dumped in
the sea?
Do we want a formal complaint to the
European Commission in Brussels?
I opined a wee whole ago that Spain is in
breach of European Union law by preventing free movement.
What next, bouncing in the door of the
European Court of Justice?
A spokesman said:
"Gibraltar, a British overseas
territory, is part of the EU. In essence, border checks are permitted, because
neither Britain nor Gibraltar are part of the Schengen group of countries which
have ended border checks, but still any checks regarded as excessive could be
illegal."
To show how bad the situation actually is,
drivers in Gibraltar have reported waiting up to seven hours at the border.
Imagine if you are Spanish trying to get to
work, and facing this crap, you would be straight on to your political representatives
screaming blue murder.
And of course there is the public health
issue to take into account here, young children and the elderly are having
problems because of the heat.
Hopefully someone will come up with a face
saving idea and everyone can get to normal, this is just an embarrassment.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow
University
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