SPANISH politicians have urged the government to improve relations with Gibraltar after claiming the relationship has deteriorated under Mariano Rajoy.

PSOE party members have tabled a motion in the Andalucian parliament urging Madrid to restart trilateral talks between the UK, Spain and Gibraltar.

They claim the current breakdown in talks and ill-feeling over the issue of sovereignty is having a negative effect on Spanish nationals working on the Rock.

“The Spanish Government concentrates all its efforts on highlighting everything that sets us apart from the Gibraltarians, rather than valuing everything that unites us,” the motion states.

It follows recent comments by Spain’s foreign minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo (above) in which he refused to hold talks with Gibraltar’s government.

“Cooperation and dialogue are good as long as they are done on dignified and equitable terms,” said Garcia-Margallo.

“On sovereignty issues, Spain and the United Kingdom do the talking. On other issues, Madrid and London also do the talking, if that is considered convenient.”

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19 COMMENTS

  1. Rajoy started raising tensions over Gibraltar from the moment he entered office, he is obviously from the political class that believes in confrontation rather than mediation. He would make a good partner for Christina Kirchner from Argentina. However to be fair he is no different to Cameron and Osborne with their attitude towards the EU. Bring back the statesmen who were able to negotiate settlements without going for the nuclear option.

  2. peter

    No se Peter para mi que Picardo es muy confrontista y además tambien incrementa las tensiones y los gibraltareños también, aquí no hay inocentes ni de un lado ni del otro aunque pienso que la legitimidad es nuestra.
    Creo que la Kichner no gusta demasiado aquí ni Cameron tampoco.Respecto a lo de la unión teneis mas relación EEUU que con nosotros yo creo.

  3. PM

    We don´t get it all right but don,t expand Gibraltar that,s the problem and you still holding ilegally the stolen isthmus.

    Believe me search for info along the history of Gibraltar and compare the size than started the land they have and then you may find if you are an invader in a foreing land and not always taken precisely by force.Check the history and you´ll find it.

  4. brujino

    Negotiations were being conducted amicably under the last Spanish government but I’m afraid Rajoy was heavy handed as soon as he got into power, he sent squads of Guardia civil to virtually close the border with their heavy handed checks and sent patrol boats into the waters to inflame tensions there. He has now taken the fight into the air. My cynical side says he is doing this as a distraction from the economic crisis facing Spain. All politicians indulge themselves this way with no thought of the effects on ordinary people and Spanish people are being inconvenienced as well in this dispute.

  5. Gibratarians know exactly what will happen should Spain take over the peninsula.An extremely efficient administration will be replaced by the sort of corrupt,grafting regime that has led Spain to the brink of bankruptcy.Not even the Catalonians want to be part of Spain anymore!
    The fishing waters of Gibraltar will be immediately hoovered and decimated by Spanish trawlers. Certainly ‘Jaw Jaw’ is better than ‘war war’ but until the Spanish realise that the appalling record of their recent governments do not appeal to Gibraltarians they might understand the situation better.

  6. Peter,
    I quite agree with your views that there are too many little men
    playing politics and too few statesmen more interested in resolving
    issues than in personal self aggrandisement. I include in that, young
    Picardo who, in trying to look strong, looks like a weak puppet
    manipulated by other Gibraltarians. But I exclude Mayor Gemma Araujo who
    has behaved like a real statesmen acting in the interests of t5he
    people of La Linea. This handbags at dawn stuff is just tiresome and
    helps no one.

  7. peter

    You are right about Rajoy but i think Picardo is the same.

    However this does not change the fact of the lands.Spain may be terrible in politics but that not justified you to have occupied territories in here.

    Ian

    Anyone could see it like beacause the spaniards are bad Politicians is a excuse to occupied his land and don,t leave it well, that way is going to work for a time but not forever and sonner or later Gibraltar will need to face their problem which is a country of 28000 people invading by the fact of their history invading a country of 47.000.000 people and that is the real problem Gibraltar has to chosse how their want to confront his future.

    And just for the point may be England has agood administration a lived there for some years but even with that the Scotish want to get out i think.

  8. brujino,
    Yes I truly respect your comments. I have a villa on the Costa Blanca and have seen the tragic corruption that has led that province into financial disaster. I’ve followed the Brugel Enquiry and realise that my friends and neighbors have been ripped off by the Valencian Authority.

    So why should the Gibraltar Government want to ‘go to bed’ with the cretinous bunch currently in power in Madrid?
    You talk about ‘invasion’ and the ‘Scottish want out’.
    Sorry my friend. The Scottish don’t want out. They get too much financial support from the English and it won’t happen.
    Look forward to your comments.
    Ian

  9. Ian

    I do not know if Scotland will be out or not but i think there are some referndum.
    About it i,m not sure i seems to me like Cataluña but Gibraltar is not the same.
    Gibraltar are british colons in spanish land, than for know Britain been able to ensure and support with her economy but i think each century is increasing the cost,the last centuries Britain has been with plenty of resources but i,m not sure the next ones will remind the same.So if Gibraltar reach the point at their history when Britain do not want or can,t support her what they going to say.They are a country by the grace of god and the queen of other country,because is their right in this world.
    Well they may be 28000 people with their righs but we are then 47 million of people asking for our rights and our land.You need to understand than Gibraltar lived all of her history with your support in your best moments but that can change.

    No matter how democratic or polite you are on an occupied territory still occupied it´s an agression on it´s self.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-16702392

  10. Brujiño
    ¿Usted hace entender la historia de Gibraltar? ¿Que sin ella lo más probable es que se habla francés? España tal como es ahora no existe. Imagínense, no es probable que sé, si el pueblo de La Línea votó para convertirse en parte de Gibraltar? ¿Qué le diría usted a ellos?

  11. Ben

    Veo que tienes en estima desmesurada a la Royal Navy a ver si te aclaras Ben por que tal y lo que escribes, cualquiera diría que los británicos solos ganaron a Bonaparte.Pero creo que se te olvida que nuestra 1º batalla que ganamos contra 20.000 franceses en Bailén debemos haberla inventado o que los rusos tambien dejasen su ejercito para el arrastre.

    ¿Si Brighton vota pertenecer a Francia lo permitiríais?

    Eso quiero verlo para creerlo y no que se justifique con palabras.

  12. Hi Brujiño

    Spain signed Gibraltar to Britain in the Treaty of Utrecht forever after Spain lost the War of the Spanish Succession.

    Gibraltar is not in Spain, infact if you look at the old maps you will see buildings in La Linea are built on land which should be in Gibraltar, so Spain is invading Gibraltar!!! Do Gibraltarians complain about that, no, because they are not invaders like the spanish who wipe out races through out history where they can. Gibraltar has been British for 300 years, it was spanish for only 200 and Moroccan for around 800 so who has the claim to the land?? The people that have lived there for 300 years thats who, what would you do with the people if it became Spanish?? Wipe them off the planet like the indians in south America??

    So why force a people to be part of your country if they dont want to be?

    Is Portugal in Spain?? So how can Gibraltar be in Spain?? Spain doesn’t recognise the waters around Gibraltar, thats spains problem and it could be a painful one if they continue.

    What about Olivença?? Guess that should stay spanish?? Even though spain signed the Treaty of Badajoz, plus the Treaty of Vienna of 1815, stating its part of Portugal…..spain never left the area and today its still part of spain illegally.

    Spain should treat Gibraltar as an equal country in Iberia, but they won’t, why? Because Spaniards are a gready nasty bunch of people, not all, but majority!!! They are nice to tourists as they have money, but they don’t really respect them, Franco’s brainwashing is still evident, SPANIARDS your just humans, learn to be nice to each other or others will treat you in the same way. If not your country will implode like Yugoslavia, you have too much in fighting, the basques dont want to be spanish, nor the catalans, just people who believe in Franco and Madrid.

  13. brujiño

    one more thing, you seem to be mentioning Bonaparte, let me give you a history lesson, you clearly need one.

    During the War of Independence started by France and Spain in 1808, Peninsular War, Spain had initially been allied to France while trying to invade Portugal, but France shortly after turned on its ally, Spain. Forcing the Spanish to ally itself with Great Britain and Portugal against Napoleonic France to regain control of Spain from the French.

    So in a nutshell Spain was frustrated that it couldnt capture Portugal, so spain went to Bonaparte as you call him, and told him that Portugal was trading with Britain which no European country was allowed to. During the invasion the spanish king was sent into exile, Bonaparte made his brother the king of spain, spain then had to change sides like Italy did in world war 2 as it knew it was bad. The people of spain made the change not the goverment as it was run by the french, this is where Guerrilla warfare gets its name, the people of spain picked up guns and joined the Portuguese and British to fight the French………where is the thanks for saving your country……..there isnt…..because Madrid still wants Portugal and Gibraltar.

    Over my dead body.

  14. Look guys, there’s no point arguing with Brujino. Obviously he pines for the days of Cortes, Ferdinand and Isabella,the Falange,Jesus Gil y Gil in Marbella and the rest.He doesn’t accept the rights of people to shape their own destiny. Let him simmer as the Gibraltarians show Spain how to run an economy. After all, what do we guiris and ex-pats know about Spanish culture?

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