The Opposition must clarify to Parliament their position that Gibraltar is a colony

From any political perspective in Gibraltar and from the United Kingdom it would be logical to believe that everyone would be on the same page with the fact ‘Gibraltar is not a Colony’. I’m not so sure.

The UK Government... quickly made the colony issue clear to the European Union and to Spain, when they confirmed, if it needed to be, that “Gibraltar is not a colony and that it was completely inappropriate to describe in that way... Gibraltar is a full part of the UK family” was the response from Downing Street.

The Gibraltar Government... for their part said, “the international legal status of Gibraltar is not a matter of argument, it is a matter of fact. Gibraltar is listed on the list of non-self-governing territories maintained by the United Nations. The Government of Gibraltar and the United Kingdom Government are both on record as having said that Gibraltar should be removed from this list through the exercise of the right to self-determination of the people of Gibraltar. The irony is that it is Spain itself that is keeping Gibraltar on the UN list and then using our presence there to label Gibraltar as a “colony”.

Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo also said, “No one will be surprised to hear the Spanish government making provocative statements in respect of Gibraltar. The 32,000 people of Gibraltar are used to the constant attempts by successive Spanish governments to bully us in every possible way. This is no different to the sort of abuse we have had from former Spanish administrations”.

Now here, is where things get interesting. The GSD Opposition party led by Keith Azopardi have publicly released nothing on this fundamental issue regarding the Rock’s status, say for a few words on the matter by Azopardi during a TV interview, but nothing else.

I cannot say for sure, although I stand to be corrected, if the newly formed party ‘Together Gibraltar’ has had the time to settle in to their political role on matters of such magnitude as they have said very little on the Colony issue.

But my focus in this report is on the Rock’s Official Opposition where GSD parliamentarians who are handsomely paid by taxpayers to defend Gibraltar’s national interest. Particularly you would think, when ‘Gibraltar is a Colony claims by the Spanish Government is very much still a live issue in Brussels and where Keith Azopardi and members of his party have failed to say anything or make their own position clear on this national issue of importance, because its visible far from that. You may ask WHY and you would be right to do so.

The ‘Why’ is not too difficult to discover as the reason is apparent, and is one that has already been the subject of a related report by me in Panorama.

The Opposition’s problem is down to a serious conflict of interest and stupidity involving the most senior members of the Opposition Party who are ‘SELLING THEIR POLITICAL WARES’ by appearing as contributors in a Spanish right wing owned anti-Gibraltar online newspaper, where the political ethos on the Colony issue is published in the paper where underneath the illustrious names and faces of GSD Opposition party members who appear to prescribe to the idea that ‘Gibraltar is a British Colony.’

MORE in Panorama paper edition

01-03-19 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR