Give me the essence of days gone by

In the same way that my parents tried to assimilate and accept the fast evolvement of the world around them which was so different from theirs; I now find myself, not doing the same thing, but certainly being sorely tested by habits and attitudes which are so far removed from those I knew and grew up with; and I am sure I am not alone in this.  Read more

Does Britain really want to be relieved of the stigma of Empire Days?

What will Brexit mean for Britain’s fourteen overseas territories; the home of 250,000 Britons? They are seen as remnants of the British Empire that have not been granted independence or have voted to remain British. One thing that comes across very clearly, which takes first place before any other necessity, is the issue of EU funding and the dependence of most of the Overseas Territories on it.  Read more

The aspirations and struggles of a people

Leafing through one of our excellent local glossy magazines, I noted that the author of an article; written around a young, experienced entrepreneur who has done the rounds in London; had suggested to him that he might like to come to Gibraltar and inspire us with his ideas.  Read more

No Postcode Envy

by KEN WESTMORELAND

There’s a line in the song ‘Royals’ by Lorde, which goes: ‘And I’m not proud of my address, in a torn up town, no postcode envy.’ Despite sounding American, she’s from New Zealand, which has ‘postcodes’, not ‘zip codes’ as in the US. ‘ZIP’ was an acronym for ‘Zone Improvement Plan’, or as Elvis once sang: ‘Return to sender, address unknown, no such number, no such zone’.  Read more

The country we have to deal with

When a Spanish Politician is pushed into a corner, he resorts to accusations and verbal abuse. His arrogance and the lack of plasticity of his beliefs, will not allow him to engage with someone who has different views to his i.e. those of the country he represents. To him this might appear as sacrilegious. Sr Borell in a TV interview not only accused his interviewer of being an ignoramus, but told him that next time, he was to ask him the right questions! The man is not after an interview, but a monologue.  Read more

Belize: A Vote for Russian Roulette?

by KEN WESTMORELAND

Years ago, I remarked to a Gibraltarian, ‘Spain lays claim to Gibraltar, Argentina the Falkland Islands, Guatemala Belize, what is it with Spanish-speaking countries?’ to which he replied, ‘I think you mean: “What is it with fascists?”’ I wouldn’t brand them as ‘fascists’, but rather as ‘Hispano-irredentists’, all hankering after long lost territory, if it were theirs to lose.  Read more

Intrusive treaty, says Feetham

Dear Sirs,

I refer to the debate on the recent Tax Treaty.

It is clear that those who are ordinarily resident in Spain should pay taxes in Spain and whether they are Gibraltarians or not, evading the payment of tax is not justified in any circumstances. No one is seeking to suggest otherwise.  Read more

Memories from Australia

Dear Sir,

Greetings from Australia.

I left Gibraltar, my home, some 50 years ago. I have revisited Gib many times, though it has been quite some years since I last set foot on my beloved Rock.  Read more

From the Imam:

The Imam of King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Mosque in Gibraltar strongly condemns the terrorist shootings in New Zealand, stressing that terrorism is rejected by all heavenly religions, universal ethics and international norms. He also states that Islam has forbidden assault on those who have committed themselves to worship, whether in the mosque, the church or any place of worship.  Read more

Today’s reality

Let’s stop kidding ourselves and face the reality of today‘s society. The claim that foreigners from across the way are taking away jobs from the locals has to be a myth. We are all aware that one of the EU rules was that workers from member states had to be employed locally; whilst I believe the general consensus was that that the jobs should first be offered to locals. Now that we are leaving Europe perhaps we won’t have to adhere to their rules any longer, but nevertheless and despite this, nothing will change much on the work front.  Read more

Postal confusion at Red Sands area

Dear Sir,

All letters addressed to RED SANDS ROAD end up in RED SANDS HOUSE and I, a tenant have to redeliver them to the rightful tenants in other blocks after getting their correct names and addresses from the telephone book.

Another problem is that all letters who just have the tenant’s flat number and ALAMEDA ESTATE ends up in ALAMEDA HOUSE.  Read more

A MISSED OPORTUNITY IN EMERGENCY RESPONSE TRAINING

Dear Sir,

Recently the Gibraltar Fire and Rescue Service underwent Light Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Team training in Gibraltar, delivered by instructor from Outreach North Wales and in line with the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) Guidelines, Volume II: Preparedness and Response; Manual A – Capacity Building. INSARAG is a global network of more than 90 countries and organizations under the United Nations umbrella.  Read more

Bring back the Sterling Area – a British revival?

Opinion - by SIR ANDREW COOK

With more than two years of largely futile in-fighting, agonising and speculating behind it, Britain is set to leave the European Union in two weeks’ time. Those who encouraged this look on uneasily. Recklessly and with false promises, they uncorked the bottle and released the Brexit genie. Meanwhile, the Remainers prepare to flee or brace themselves to face a future at best uncertain, at worst catastrophic.   Read more

THE END OF A STRANGE PAIRING

By KEN WESTMORELAND

In 2014, I voted in elections to the European Parliament as a voter in the South West England constituency, which had included Gibraltar for the past ten years. It was touching to see a familiar name, that of Lyana Armstrong-Emery, on the ballot paper, the only candidate from Gibraltar on a party list, though also surreal, given how little others in the region knew of it, or her.  Read more

What is the UK waiting for

Recognizing that we are at the mercy of Spain if the UK leaves, the question poised to Lord Callanan in the House of Lords recently was, “What are we doing for Gibraltar?” His reply, “I have not heard any detail about that.” Not very reassuring to say the least! Then he went on to say that if the issues put to him, were of such importance to the Government (UK) then surely it; i.e. the UK government; should have been up front and clear, as to precisely what they were offering, and should have considered whether compensation, or something else of that kind might be required.  Read more

What awaits us next

It is expected that the PSOE will lose the forthcoming elections. Sanchez forgot for one moment the promises he had made to the other parties who helped him get into Government. Read more

The EU is losing all their credentials

Ever since I heard on the news that the much awaited sewage treatment plant is soon be built in Gibraltar, I have been pondering on the matter of the sludge; which was also mentioned at the time; which is intended for landfill in Spain.  Read more

Old friends with different opinions

Letter from Unite General Secretary Len McCluskey to minister Joe Bossano:

Dear Joe,

I received your letter and it’s always good to hear from an old friend. Read more