Seaweed said:The Gib PM represents the people on the Rock. The Governor has always been a retired naval or military man...... A useful dry run for stripping us of the Falkands late.
Stokers-Plaything said:Someone has to feed the apes.
Naval_Gazer said:I understand that Lord Mandelson won't be available for a few more months, unless he has to resign for impropriety a third time before then.
asst_dep_to_dep_asst said:Seaweed said:The Gib PM represents the people on the Rock. The Governor has always been a retired naval or military man...... A useful dry run for stripping us of the Falkands late.
Although most Governors have been retired Servicemen, David Durie was the Gov in 2001 - a Civil Servant. On your second point, I don't think that this necessarily follows. There is no physical connection between Argentina and The Falkland Islands, whereas Gib is attached to the Iberian mainland.
Find me a high income Gibraltarian who doesn't own at least one home in Spain and I'd be very, very surprised......
labrum said:Now then, is there a suggestion in your assertion that Gibraltarians are 2nd class Brits and as such not entitled to 'colonize' the Costas alongside their UK based counterparts?
(Edited for punctuation!)
asst_dep_to_dep_asst said:labrum said:Now then, is there a suggestion in your assertion that Gibraltarians are 2nd class Brits and as such not entitled to 'colonize' the Costas alongside their UK based counterparts?
(Edited for punctuation!)
No. I do not believe that Gibraltarians are Brits at all. Their history is glorious in the support of the Britain of old, but we are now all Europeans, although I am one of many who is not totally comfortable with the situation. Gibraltar appears to want nothing to do with Spain, on the one hand, and to own parts of it on the other, which I find a little disingenuous.
labrum said:The root of your discomfort is you not seeing Gibraltarians as British. Time will tell whether being European will erode all Europeans' feelings of national identity.
Gibraltarians vary in their attitude towards Spain, these days the vast majority live alongside their neighbours and get along just fine. If, however, "nothing to do with them" means abandoning their national identity at British and Gibraltarian then you would be absolutely right. Would you make the same judgement about British and English living in Dover were France to be laying claim to it?
asst_dep_to_dep_asst said:labrum said:The root of your discomfort is you not seeing Gibraltarians as British. Time will tell whether being European will erode all Europeans' feelings of national identity.
Gibraltarians vary in their attitude towards Spain, these days the vast majority live alongside their neighbours and get along just fine. If, however, "nothing to do with them" means abandoning their national identity at British and Gibraltarian then you would be absolutely right. Would you make the same judgement about British and English living in Dover were France to be laying claim to it?
Again, no. However, Gibraltar is attached to mainland Spain, rather like Portland is attached to mainland England and I would certainly have a problem if the French laid claim to Portland!
Ninja_Stoker said:Was this the same 2SL who gave the 'OK' with regard the 'Cornwall 15' (Iranian Hostages).........
Yes and still got his Knighthood
ralph01 said:I give much more credence to the theory that the key decisions were taken directly by 10 Downing St and MOD, and that 2SL was wheeled out as duty uniform to take the flak when it all went wrong.
asst_dep_to_dep_asst said:Why on Earth do the Gibraltarians need a Governor? For a place with the population of a large village / very small town, that already elects a Prime Minister, surely the Governor is over egging the pudding?