According to media reports tonight, four Spanish 'Guardia Civil' officers were detained in Gibraltar earlier today, following an incident.
Gibraltar's Panorama is reporting that a Guardia Civil launch was chasing a Spanish fast boat in waters near Gibraltar. The pursuit continued into Gibraltar harbour and ended with both the fast boat and the Guardia Civil launch being grounded in Gibraltar port area by 'Harbour Views', late this evening.
Once on land, the two men on the fast launch raced for cover. The Guardia Civil rushed after them. Shots were heard, it is claimed.
The Guardia Civil officers were taken to Police HQ. Gibraltar police also arrested the two men on the fast launch and took them away. The two vessels have been seized.
The Gibraltar police said this was a 'very serious' incident.
Eyewitnesses claim that several shots were heard, but it was not clear how many and this report has not been confirmed.
Later this evening, the Guardia Civil officers were released after questioning and Spain's Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba telephoned Gibraltar's Chief Minister Peter Caruana and apologised for the incursion.
"Sr Rubalcaba called me personally tonight. He said that they deeply regretted the incident and apologised," Caruana said.
Last month, London's ambassador in Spain was obliged to make a public apology on November 20 after a Royal Navy unit based in Gibraltar was seen shooting at a buoy allegedly 'painted in the colours of the Spanish flag' during target practice.
The Spanish Government does not recognise the waters around the Rock, which are British Gibraltar Territorial Waters. But the Spanish have been arrested within the waters of the port itself, which the Spanish Government accept that these waters were ceded under the terms of the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, Britain's legal title to the Rock.
Before anyone has a go at me telling me that there have been other reports in the British press recently about the recent infringements by Spain of Gibraltar's territorial waters... I am aware of those reports. But those reports have simply mentioned the incidents of Spain's transgressions into our waters... some in rather 'gung ho' and alarmist fashion. None (to my knowledge) have looked at the issue on the way Spain has managed to trick the EU into granting Spain legal rights over our British sovereign territorial waters surrounding Gibraltar. Simon McGee, writing in today's Mail Online highlights the issue rather well. Thank you Simon... and 'middle England'!
He even tried to contact the European Commission and the Spanish Foreign Affairs Ministry for comment but... surprise surprise... the EU Commission declined to comment and the Spanish government failed to respond to phone calls.
There have been reports in the British press over the last couple of weeks, that Britain was sending some warships out to Gibraltar, following the recent incidents. I haven't been able to corroborate or confirm the veracity of these reports from any reliable source (other than the UK press) but I can tell you... NO new warships have arrived in Gibraltar... as yet.
There is however, the substantial presence of the British nuclear submarine HMS Trenchant which was observed in the Bay of Gibraltar last Thursday. However, the submarine was only there to carry out a crew transfer and was on its way elsewhere. It was met by units from the Gibraltar Squadron, who in addition to providing an escort also ferried the transferring crew rom submarine to shore. It is reported that the transfer was carried out in the bay "because of poor weather conditions" in the Strait of Gibraltar. In any event, whatever it is up to, a nuclear powered submarine, whilst powerful in any regard, is very ill equipped and totally unsuitable to deal with the types of incidents that have occurred lately.
The brief visit by the nuclear powered submarine drew the usual and predictable response from 'Blanca Luz', Spain's Popular Party opposition MP for Cádiz, Jose Ignacio Landaluce, who repeated (as he does parrot fashion) his concerns about "safety" and urged the Spanish government to "take a tougher line"... bloody cheek! But speaking of Governments taking a 'tougher line', I agree... but it's Britain that should be taking a much tougher line!
As far as I know, the defence of our territorial waters, in this important issue and with the worrying atmosphere of rising tensions, is still up to the two units, the small patrol boats HMS Sabre and HMS Scimitar, belonging to the Royal Navy's Gibraltar Squadron.
In the light of a recent Defence Management report, which argues that support in Westminster for the Royal Navy has become so bad that the service now has a mere nine ships allocated to protecting Britain's territorial waters. The Royal Navy cuts mean less maritime security for the UK, so this does not augur very well for the Royal Navy's capabilities and the defence of Gibraltar's own British sovereign territorial waters!
As I've said before... so far, all concerned have been able to show restraint in these incidents, both on the Spanish Guardia Civil maritime patrol boats and on the British side, by the Royal Navy and the Gibraltar Police's maritime units... but I can see how these confrontations could easily go awry. Let's hope further escalations can be avoided and the matter can be resolved soon... before someone is hurt and we are having to deal with a much more serious 'international incident'!
I am a little comforted that both the Royal Gibraltar Police and the Ministry of Defence in Gibraltar are trying to ensure that their personnel know exactly what they have to do if faced with yet another Spanish incursion. In the wake of these recent tense incidents at sea off Gibraltar, police and military planners have reportedly revisited the operating procedures for marine crews patrolling British waters and that is comforting to know but one would expect them to be checking and reviewing their procedures.
More importantly... if further confrontations are to be avoided, I for one would feel far more comfortable if the British government were to send more substantial naval units to Gibraltar and, if nothing else, show Spain in no uncertain terms, that unlike in the lead up to the Falklands conflict with the pulling out of a substantial naval presence then, in this instance Britain is resolved to defend its territorial waters vigorously, by stationing one or two frigates or destroyers, at least, in Gibraltar now! Trouble is... does the UK have the will or the capability?
Media sources in Gibraltar are reporting yet another incident in a worrying increase of tension around Gibraltar's territorial sovereign waters over the last couple of weeks.
Brian Reyes, writing in today's Chronicle says, yet again, a Guardia Civil patrol boat intercepted a suspected smuggler in Gibraltar waters yesterday. The following is his report:
In doing so, it ignored the usual procedure of informing the Royal Gibraltar Police to take up the chase.
The RGP was alerted to the incident by members of the public and, on reaching the scene, instructed the Guardia Civil to leave the area.
But although the incident comes at a time of tension over Gibraltar's territorial waters, two senior official sources initially suggested it may be overzealous policing by the Spanish officers, rather than a politically-motivated exercise.
The Government said last night it had had an initial report from the RGP in respect of the incident, when there was an incursion by a Guardia Civil launch in Gibraltar territorial waters in the area of Catalan Bay, 'in circumstances which would appear to be unacceptable'.
The Government declared that it takes a 'serious view of this matter and will take such appropriate action as may be required when all aspects of the incident have been investigated and established. '
Gibraltar and Spanish law enforcement agencies cooperate closely to tackle smuggling activity at sea. Guardia Civil vessels regularly sail through Gibraltar waters but do not normally carry out operational tasks without having first contacted the RGP.
What makes yesterday's incident unusual is that the Guardia Civil did not contact the RGP until after the incident had unfolded.
"My gut feeling is that the Guardia Civil officers were just a bit too keen on this one," one senior official said.
The incident has nonetheless generated some concern because it comes exactly two weeks after a Spanish Navy incursion in Gibraltar waters sparked diplomatic tensions.
Yesterday, the suspect launch - a small 'patera', later found to be empty - was chased close to shore in the area of Catalan Bay and eventually ended up beached at the edge of the reclaimed land.
Two men jumped off and fled from the scene. They were still at large as this edition went to press.
The RGP said it received several calls from people in the area while the chase was underway at sea and despatched both land and marine units to the scene.
"The crew on the police launch challenged the Guardia Civil as to their purpose in Gibraltar's territorial waters and told them to leave, which they did without any problem," and RGP spokesman said.
This somewhat surprising and apparent escalation of transgressions into Gibraltar' territorial waters are worrying.
Even the UK National press are now focusing on the issue with Daily Express talking about a "Return of the Armada as Spain ‘invades’ Gibraltar" and the Daily Mail Online today saying that Royal Navy warships have been "dispatched as Spanish invade seas around Gibraltar". I'm not sure what truth there is in that report.
As far as I know, so far, it has been units from the Gibraltar Squadron of the Royal Navy who have effectively dealt with these incursions, including the recent ordering of a Spanish Civil Guard patrol boat to leave Gibraltar waters in the first reported incident.
I'm hoping the 'Senior Official's gut feeling' quoted in the Chronicle report is correct, when he said his "gut feeling is that the Guardia Civil officers were just a bit too keen on this one". Maybe the local units have a new boss, who's keen to stamp his mark. I certainly hope this apparent 'new agenda' is not being directed from Madrid... as if it is, things are a little more serious.
Either way, as I said last Thursday, I very much hope the Guardia Civil and the Spanish authorities, can be 'encouraged' by the UK's Foreign Office and of course the Gibraltar authorities, to reign in whatever agenda they are now manipulating, before these incidents become more serious and someone is hurt through some 'trigger-happy' blunder.
So far, all concerned have been able to show restraint... but I can see how these could easily go awry. Let's hope this can be resolved soon... before someone is hurt and we are having to deal with a much more serious 'international incident'!
A patrol boat from the Gibraltar Squadron of the Royal Navy recently ordered a Spanish Civil Guard patrol boat to leave Gibraltar waters.
A report in Panorama, one of Gibraltar's online newspapers, today said that the Royal Navy patrol boat approached the Civil Guard vessel and "with its armament aimed at it" ordered the Spanish vessel to leave Gibraltar waters. The incident apparently occurred on Good Friday.
According to Panorama, the Spanish Government recently said it had instructed the Guardia Civil maritime section to "keep watch on the east side of the Rock", where Gibraltar is carrying out a substantial reclamation and development project, and that Spain has described such waters as Spanish.
Panorama added that the Civil Guards contacted their superiors who requested that they leave the area so as "to avoid a major diplomatic incident".
Reports of the incident are a little murky and contradictory. Some reports say the incident occurred on the East side of Gibraltar.... and say that weapons were aimed at the Civil Guard patrol boat.
However, according to reports from Agence France Presse, carried by media affiliates, the incident occurred "when the Spanish vessel was close to the western approach to the Gibraltar airport runway, which juts out into the bay".
AFP also quote a spokesperson for British Forces Gibraltar who apparently said, "it was definitely in Gibraltar waters".
AFP further report:
"The vessel - from Spain's elite Civil Guard police force - was approached by HMS Sabre, which is armed with two machine guns at its stern. The guns were manned as is standard practice. However, they were not pointed at the Spanish vessel."
Territorial Waters Dispute
This is the latest incident in, to-date, only a 'war of words' over Gibraltar's territorial waters.
Last December, the European Union, in an apparent bureaucratic wrangle, accepted a somewhat surreptitious Spanish request to list most of Gibraltar’s territorial sea as one of Spain’s protected sites under EU environmental legislation.
In doing so, the Commission ignored the fact that Britain has jurisdiction over these waters and had already designated part of them as a European protected site in 2006.
The Spanish Government argue that the waters around the Rock are Spanish, although this has always been firmly rejected by Britain.
Reporting in the Gibraltar Chronicle earlier this month, Brian Reyes wrote that Britain "continues to seek ways of reversing the European Commission’s decision to designate Gibraltar’s territorial waters as a European protected site under Spanish responsibility."
In a response to a written question in the House of Lords, Lord Malloch-Brown, Labour’s Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, said the British Government had taken up the issue with officials in Brussels and Spain. But he gave few other details and ducked a question from the crossbench peer Lord Kilclooney on how the situation had come about in the first.
Blanca Luz jumps on the bandwagon
As usual, our friend 'Blanca Luz', that guiding light of Spain's right wing PP opposition party, also known as José Ignacio Landaluce (Blanca Luz for short), has quickly jumped on the latest bandwagon to stir things up once again for Gibraltar.
The member of parliament of the Spanish Partido Popular, Jose Ignacio Landaluce, who (as Panorama also agrees), does not allow any opportunity to go by in his Gibraltar campaign, has said that the Spanish Government cannot allow a vessel of the armed Guardia Civil to be expelled "from its own home", alluding to the waters around Gibraltar as being Spanish.
He says this is a very serious matter that needs clarification in the Spanish parliament, where he intends to raise it. That was no doubt followed by a vigorous 'tub-thump' from 'Blanca Luz'!
Panorama adds:
"Sr Landaluce takes the view that a British patrol launch does not aim its guns at a vessel of the Civil Guards unless it is under strict orders to do so.
He calls for the possibility of Spain changing its policy on Gibraltar until what he terms the legal situation is restored, saying that the legality of the situation can 'only and exclusively' be restored by Britain recognising that the waters surrounding the Rock are Spanish."
Vigorous guard by Royal Navy Welcome
Whilst I very much hope the situation remains calm and we do not see any escalation with further incidents such as this one, especially armed ones, I do hope the Royal Navy's Gibraltar Squadron continue to guard Gibraltar's territorial waters vigorously!
Otherwise... we may need to once again bring our own great Knight... Sir Francis Drake into play!
Well... if not to singe the King of Spain's beard... at least we could have a go at singeing our friend Blanca Luz a little... but it'll have to be 'where the sun don't shine'... as he has very little left up top!
Gibraltar Squadron Royal Navy
HMS Sabre, wearing the pennant number P285, is one of two permanently stationed sea-going units in Gibraltar which make up the Gibraltar Squadron of the Royal Navy. Principally operating to maintain the security and integrity of Gibraltar Territorial Waters, HMS Sabre also contributes heavily to the support of Fleet and NATO assets in the area, provides support to Director Special Forces and offers general Search and Rescue assistance for the local authorities, for police, customs and rescue purposes.
More information on HMS Sabre (P285) @ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Call me weird (many often do) but for me, BBC Radio 4's Shipping Forecast is not just about weather... good or bad... it is also always a singularly wonderful, emotive and nostalgic experience to listen to!
The Shipping Forecast is a four-times-daily BBC radio broadcast of weather reports and forecasts for the seas around the coasts of the British Isles. It is produced by the UK Meteorological Office (part of the Ministry of Defence) and broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (part of the Department for Transport). (These forecasts are also sent over the Navtex system using a similar format and the same sea areas).
There are four Shipping Forecasts broadcasts per day:
0048 - transmitted on FM and LW. Includes weather reports from an extended list of coastal stations at 0052 and an inshore waters forecast at 0055 and concludes with a brief UK weather outlook for the coming day. The broadcast finishes at approximately 0058, and is followed by a short goodnight message and the National Anthem.
0520 - transmitted on FM and LW. Includes weather reports from a coastal stations at 0525, and an inshore waters forecast at 0527.
1201 - normally transmitted on longwave only.
1754 - transmitted on longwave only on weekdays, as an opt-out from the PM programme, but at weekends transmitted on both FM and Longwave.
The Shipping Forecast - A Distinctive Appeal
Because of its unique and distinctive sound, the broadcasts have an appeal beyond those solely interested in nautical weather!
The waters around the British Isles are divided into sea areas, also known as weather areas (see map above) such as Forties, Cromarty, Forth, Tyne, Dogger, Fisher, German Bight, Humber, Thames, Dover, Wight, etc.
Many listeners find the well-known repetition of the names of the sea areas almost hypnotic, particularly during the bedtime (for Britain) broadcast at 0048 GMT.
Like me, many listeners regard these broadcasts with affection. In Great Britain the Shipping Forecast often comes up in general knowledge quizzes and is the butt of many affectionate jokes. It is also a subject that has often influenced many in popular culture. Due to its set rhythm, calm enunciation, and evocative names, the Shipping Forecast can sound quite poetic when broadcast and it is perhaps not surprising that it has featured in songs and poetry as a result. Artists as diverse as Radiohead, film director Terence Davies and poet Seamus Heaney have used it as literal and metaphoric inspiration.
You can enjoy the hypnotic quality of the Shipping Forecast in this very emotive (well it is to me) video here:
‘Sailing By’ Theme
In addition to the broadcast, one of the Shipping Forecast's intrinsic attractions is without doubt the beautiful and very calming theme tune, ‘Sailing By’. Played as a prelude, ‘Sailing By’ was composed by Ronald Binge and acts as a bridge between the end of regular BBC Radio 4 programming and the broadcast itself.
Jarvis Cocker, lead singer of British band Pulp, chose ‘Sailing By’ as one of his Desert Island Discs when appearing on the programme.
If you've never heard ‘Sailing By’, you can listen to it here... it's the first track of this video. If you are familiar with it, you will hopefully enjoy losing yourself for a moment in this beautifully calming, nostalgic and lovely piece of music... enjoy!
The end of this piece of music is normally followed by the BBC's time signal... the 'pip... pip.. pip...', followed then by the Shipping Forecast. Pity I couldn't find this properly reproduced on YouTube!
You may well be forgiven for wondering why the music is set to a background of the TV 'Test Card' and the CEEFAX page. Well, apparently, 'Sailing By' was also the title track of this CEEFAX AM tape which was in service between March 1983 and the summer of 1984 on BBC1 in the stand-alone slot pre-Breakfast Time. I chose this particularly video because it is the one that more faithfully replicates the Shipping Forecast's current theme music.
A different 'take' on the Shipping Forecast
Now... a slightly different and, for me, hysterically funny 'take' on the Shipping Forecast:
Andalucia must pay the record 100 million euros fine for failing to prevent the capture of rare fish and for illegal fishing off the coasts of Andalucia.
The massive fine is being levied on Spain by the European Union, after constant warnings about the illicit capture of, in particular, young boquerones and chanquetes, went unheeded.
The European Court has ruled that Spain has continually failed to control the illegal fishing in its waters.
And they have the cheek to accuse Gibraltar of 'piracy'! Don't you just love 'em? Listen to this...
Yesterday, our friend, that guiding light of Spain's right wing PP opposition party, José Ignacio Landaluce (or Blanca Luz for short), was stirring it up for Gibraltar again, no doubt whilst enjoying stuffing himself over lunch with plenty of illegal omega 3!
While the illegal fishing goes on 'Blanca Luz' has the bare faced cheek to denounce Gibraltar's "fiscal paradise" (yawn), impugning that somehow, Gibraltar is responsible for 'him who Madoff' with all those rich people's money!
Reaching out for the high (immoral) grounds of hypocrisy, 'Blanca Luz' affirmed yesterday, that the Madoff case "ratifies the denunciations" he has been "making for a long time" over Gibraltar's "money laundering" activities!
'Blanca Luz' assured that the investigations that the New York authorities intend to conduct in Gibraltar, (with which by the way he fails to mention that the Gibraltar authorities are co-operating fully), the "known destination of the money allegedly defrauded by the banker Bernard Madoff", is once again "raising the unfair competition posed to the rest of European Union countries, by the the "Rock's fiscal paradise laws".
What I would love is for that other old wily Spaniard, Judge, Baltasar Garzon, himself under fire for some supposed 'fishy tax' wrongdoings... to sort his problems out... and come and have a look at 'Blanca Luz's own tax and money affairs. I wonder where 'Blanca Luz' stashes his dosh??
I'm sure it is pure idle gossip... and well we would say this wouldn't we... but I am given to understand... from good authority... that many of Spain's top bods (and this includes in high places in political circles) have loads of dosh stashed away... in the many banks of our grand 'fiscal paradise'... but of course, they will never admit that will they?! What a bunch of hypocritical twat pirates! Sheesssh... don't it make you mad? It does me... and yes I am coming out with a touch of the vernacular as I cannot bring myself to talk propa English when discussing twats!
I wish I had the GrumpyOldTwat's grasp for imaginatively (and comically) tinkering with Photoshop... as otherwise I'd dress our friend 'Blanca Luz' up as a Johnny Depp lookalike in 'The Pirates of Andalucia'!
For his prowess in reaching heady heights of hypocrisy... I am awarding 'Blanca Luz' today... my highly honoured "Twat of the Week" award!
In an alarming move over Gibraltar territorial waters, the European Commission has apparently accepted a Spanish request to designate an area of Gibraltar waters as an EU environmentally-sensitive site under Spain’s responsibility.
Reports in the media say officials in Brussels did this even though much of the area included, historically, are British territorial waters and had already been listed by the UK as a European protected site nearly three years ago.
The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982, which entered into force in 1995, set a new standard of 12 nautical miles. Most countries, including member states of the European Union, are signatories to the Convention. It applies to Gibraltar.
Spain added a comment regarding Gibraltar at the time of its adherence to the Convention which is of no legal effect in modifying the terms of the Convention. It does, however, record the view taken by Spain on this point, a view which no other signatory to the Convention accepts or accedes to.
Under the Convention, Gibraltar generates its own 'Territorial Sea' of 12 nautical miles, or out to median lines where other states' coastlines are under 24 nautical miles distant from Gibraltar.
The image, (top left - courtesy of gibnet.com), shows the current position to the North West and South of Gibraltar but not to the East/South East. This is because, although Spain and Morocco each have claimed the 12 nautical miles of the Convention (although Spain refuses to accept part of Morocco's calculation of the median line to the West), Gibraltar has not yet extended its legal jurisdiction from 3 to 12 miles, so part of the waters to the East/South East remain international waters, though it is open to Gibraltar to annex these waters to its jurisdiction in accordance with its rights under the UN Convention.
Now, the move by the EU officials, prompted by Spain, at the very least, is bound to create a messy legal overlap and threatens to spark yet another row over the jurisdiction of Gibraltar waters.
Both the British and Gibraltar Governments have yet to publicly react to the development, but the GSLP/Liberals Opposition last night insisted this could not go unchallenged. "This situation represents an escalation of the Spanish position in relation to Gibraltar’s territorial sea," the Opposition said.
"Madrid was initially content simply to restate their political opinion and to protest at the Eastside project or the exploration of the wreck of HMS Sussex.
This takes the dispute a step further and the UK cannot continue to look the other way at a time when Gibraltar’s sovereign rights are being challenged in such a blatant manner!"
The Spanish designation, known as Estrecho Oriental, (see image right) covers the waters off the east side of the Rock and south of Europa Point. This is precisely the area included in the EU list by the UK in 2006.
In a statement, GONHS said it was "astonishing" that the UK had either failed to spot the Spanish designation, or chosen not to challenge it.
The Spanish designation in effect gives Spain legal obligations and responsibilities over Gibraltar waters in relation to nature protection. That includes responsibility to undertake assessments and monitor these areas for wildlife, threats, and other activities with environmental implications. For GONHS, this position is unacceptable.
Let me say... for this Gibraltarian, and I am sure I echo the sentiments of ALL Gibraltarians... this position is also unacceptable to me too!
This afternoon, Gibraltar's Progressive Democratic Party also issued a statement, saying that "the designation of Gibraltar waters by Spain, as if they belonged to it, is simply part of Spain’s continuing campaign against the rights of the people of Gibraltar".
Noting Spain's current somewhat surprising belligerent mood, the PDP said:
"These instances are now becoming so common that the whole idea of a 'new' attitude prevailing in Spain (towards Gibraltar) has fallen badly into disrepute.
No-one in Gibraltar can surely believe the protestations that Spain has adopted a more modern attitude of respect to Gibraltar when the examples of Spain obstructing or attacking our rights are occurring on an almost daily basis."
The PDP make an emphatic call on the Gibraltar Government, to take this issue up in its talks with Britain and Spain. They said that the Government "needs to emphasise to Spain, in no uncertain terms, that this guerrilla warfare on all things Gibraltarian, outside the Cordoba process, is unsustainable and will inevitably sour any prospect of an enduring climate of respect between our two communities".
In a note of sharp rebuke, the PDP ask:
"What is the point of the pretence of cooperation and respect, when outside the Cordoba talks Spain behaves in a completely different manner?"
The PDP say this latest act is "a purported assertion of Spanish sovereignty over our waters", adding that one of the issues of most concern is "that the information annexed to the particular Commission decision was 'based on data proposed, transmitted and validated by Spain and the United Kingdom' among other States". The PDP quite rightly ask:
"Why was this not spotted beforehand by the United Kingdom or Gibraltar Governments?"
Apart from making a political or diplomatic protest, the PDP are calling on the Gibraltar Government "to make representations at the highest level" to ensure that "the EU itself does not adopt the Spanish classification in its reference documents, as this, in effect, threatens our sovereignty".
The PDP statement concludes by saying that the Government should "take legal advice as to whether there are any legal routes open to it to remedy this matter".
To my mind, they should not lose any time in focussing on this. They certainly shouldn't wait for the UK to show any initiative... as I think, what with turning a blind eye to Spain's machinations in the EU in respect to Gibraltar, the falling apart of the economy and chasing banker wankers' pensions (another matter which they should not have allowed to occur in the first place!)... the Brit Government... is otherwise engaged!
When WILL Spain ever stop banging on about the sovereignty of Gibraltar?!!
As you may have heard on the news yesterday, both Britain and France admitted that two of their nuclear powered submarines, HMS Vanguard, armed with Trident nuclear ballistic missiles and Le Triomphant, also armed with strategic nuclear missiles, collided while submerged in the Atlantic earlier this month.
As I took in the news yesterday, I wondered how long it would be, before this event would be connected to the polemics of nuclear submarine visits to Gibraltar and transitting the Bay of Gibraltar area. Well, I didn't have long to wait.
Today, a couple of esteemed colleagues, British expats who write on matters that surround them, (and whatever else takes their fancy... ) in Southern Spain, Andalusia and Gibraltar, over at Tilting at Windmills and JimenaPulse, both made the connection to the issue in blog posts.
I suppose, understandably, they pose the question, "Nuclear submarine collision in Gibraltar - what if?"
While the usual suspects in the area, such as the 'greens', some PSOE politicians and no doubt one or two of the communities' mayors, will get all a'fluster, in their usual way... they just love any opportunity to stir this one up... there really is very little real cause for concern.
The collision, undoubtedly embarassing to both Navies, was from a point of view of nuclear threat, minimal. For starters, these submarines' hulls are designed and built to withstand extremes of pressures. Even a collision at speed would be unlikely to rupture the actual hull. The fact that these submarines enter and leave or transit the whole of the Bay of Gibraltar area at slow navigating speeds, often even being aided by tugs, (at slow speeds) makes the possibility of hull ruptures, never mind damage to reactors, through a collision, completely negligible if not farcical.
As for the nuclear weapons themselves.... the chances of one of these going BANG!... due to a collision, again is nigh on impossible. These weapons have to go through a myriad of sequential steps, before they are properly armed or able to be triggered and ready for launch.... never mind accidentally going off. It's just not physically possible for this to happen accidentally.
I know what you are thinking.... after all... they did also say the Titanic was 'unsinkable' right? But... I think we really need to get real here. Alarming the local communities about risk to life and limb... or their health is ludicrous in this particularly context, in my humble opinion.
There are much more real threats to health to all the communities in the Bay of Gibraltar. I am referring of course, to the very well documented issues of pollution in the Campo de Gibraltar area. Huge, uncontrolled and unacceptable pollution caused by the CEPSA Refinery, Acerinox and other industrial plants along with the endless and again, totally unacceptable levels of benzene, often because of bunkering activities in Gibraltar itself, that are constantly experienced throughout the area!
The Plataforma por el Estudio Epidemiologico (which includes the ESG and Bay Bucket Brigade) have been campaigning on these issues for a very long time. In November 2002, a complaint was lodged with the EU and is still awaiting a substantive response!
These groups have been seriously questioning the legality of pollution and especially benzene levels present in the Campo and Bay areas for decades.
This, to my mind, is far more worthy a cause to complain about... even to raise the alarm about... as a matter of urgency, for the better health of the people and communities of the Bay of Gibraltar and Campo de Gibraltar areas! It's long overdue. For some... it's actually too late... I suspect, yours truly included!
The PSOE's (Partido Socialista Obrero Español) Foreign Affairs spokesperson in the Spanish Senate, José Carracao, has re-opened the question of sovereignty over Gibraltar and the jurisdictional water surrounding the Rock.
Following what is described as a "cordial" meeting with Andrew Whittaker, the Political Affairs Secretary at the British Embassy in Madrid on Wednesday, Carracao said that the "matter of sovereignty has been put aside for too long and should be debated without further delay". Senator Carracao added:
"It is a bilateral matter that must be dealt with by Britain and Spain and can therefore not be included in the Tripartite Forum on Gibraltar".
Senator Carracao, who represents the Campo de Gibraltar in Spain’s upper chamber, also spoke of the need for better maritime control by Gibraltar, categorising the Rock’s maritime authorities as "dangerous for navigation and the environment". As an example, Senator Carracao referred to the ‘New Flame’ disaster, saying "the ship left Gibraltar without permission". He also quoted the founding of the ‘Fedra’ in October 2008, "which had engine trouble and was not reported to the maritime authorities" on the Rock.
During the meeting with Andrew Whittaker, Senator Carracao also spoke of the need for better police control at the border, expressing concerns over "an increase in tobacco smuggling that the Gibraltar authorities are doing nothing to stop". For good measure, Senator Carracao also threw in criticisms about bunkering, the landfill work at East side and the ‘Odyssey’ saga. Carracao believes Odyssey Marine Exploration are intending to return to the area to continue its search for sunken treasure.
Pulling Caruana's chain
Earlier this month, the Spanish senator also had a go at Gibraltar's Chief minister Peter Caruana, saying he should have a "permanent contact with the Mancomunidad de Municipios, the Community of Municipalities of the Campo de Gibraltar, the Junta de Andalucia and the special Spanish delegate in the Campo", presumably referring to himself. He pointed out that he has made this and other suggestions to the Spanish foreign minister Miguel Angel Moratinos.
Sr Carracao wants changes in the Tripartite Forum and is not happy with the way Mr Caruana has "elevated himself to the position of almost a secretary of State". Sr Carracao wants to bring him down to the level of the mayors in the Campo, it would appear, urging that Mr Caruana should have talks with the mayors of Algeciras, San Roque and La Linea. On the other hand he says he is not against Mr Caruana being "at a higher level", but he "should also deal with the municipalities".
Sr Carracao is also of the view that the Opposition leader Joe Bossano should be brought into the picture, because he represents a high percentage of Gibraltarians.
Sr Carracao also wants a greater Spanish economic presence in Gibraltar, he wants to see Spanish businesses established on the Rock.
For a Spanish politician with a long tradition of towing a 'soft line' on Gibraltar, these statements and new tone are quite a turnaround. It makes one wonder what his new agenda is... and why has he turned to banging on about the sovereignty of Gibraltar again? I'm sure many had hoped that the Tripartite Dialogue Forum's Cordoba Accord had put an end to all this nonsense. Well, to be fair, only a very naive optimist would ever think that Spanish politicians would stop banging on about OUR sovereignty, I suppose!
So far, I've not seen any reaction to Carracao, from either the Gibraltar Government or from the official opposition, headed by Joe Bossano. But, there is a reaction today from the somewhat (alas) sidelined Progressive Democratic Party.
In a statement issued this morning, the PDP, says "Senator Carracao’s representations to the British Government, that bilateral sovereignty talks should be opened, are a blast from the past and a reminder that fundamentally the political mood in Spain on the most important question – sovereignty – is still stuck in the past".
"Mr Carracao is the Foreign Affairs spokesman for the Governing PSOE in the Spanish Senate – he is not just another lone political voice. As such his comments are representative of a mainstream political view in the governing party in Spain. That view is clearly shared by PP politicians who have made similar comments in the recent past.
This is a stark reminder of what Gibraltar must continue to struggle against."
The PDP statement adds that they "completely reject that insistence on excluding Gibraltar and its representatives on the most important issue of concern to the people of Gibraltar".
Keith Azopardi, the leader of the PDP, concludes the statement by urging Spain to "carry out a fundamental reassessment of its position":
"Gibraltar’s sovereignty, morally, legally and politically, vests in its people. Spain must carry out a fundamental reassessment of its position on the long-term future of Gibraltar and come to accept that if we are really to move forward and enjoy a modern relationship with our neighbours!"
Well said Keith! I've always thought so too... which is why I asked, will they ever stop banging on about Gibraltar's Sovereignty?!
We've said it before and I shall repeat it here again (I use it as a intro slogan on my blog's side margin... and it's always good to remind one and all!!):
Gibraltar belongs to the People of Gibraltar. It is neither Spain's to claim nor Britain's to give away!
According to media reports tonight, four Spanish 'Guardia Civil' officers were detained in Gibraltar earlier today, following an incident.
