It'd be even easier if Gibraltar is returned to Spain to whom it belongs.
What about Ceuta and Melilla?
Well, those are even funnier than Giblartar.
New era for Gibraltar with removal of border controls with Spain
11–20 of 125 posts
Re: New era for Gibraltar with removal of border controls with Spain
#12From a purely geographical point of view, it is so absurd that there is even a debate about to which land mass Gibraltar "belongs" to. As a colonialist, I would find it very difficult to justify my own behaviour nowadays.
Gibraltar has been part of the UK for over 300 years and the people are all UK citizens. Forcing those people out or seizing the land from them would be the definition of colonialism, yes. And exclaves exist all around the world. Geography has never really meant anything in national terms. Spain has a piece of land on Africa and I don't think they plan on giving that up.
Re: New era for Gibraltar with removal of border controls with Spain
#13It'd be even easier if Gibraltar is returned to Spain to whom it belongs.
Bad precedent for the Falkland Islands... Chagos and then Gibraltar, would force the Falklands issue to be addressed more seriously, and that would be extremely unfair, since the argentine moot argument it's a mere chauvinist temper tantrum, fueled by generation after generation of propaganda conditioning by failed governments.
A reminder the british government explored handing the Falklands over to Argentina before the war. Fisheries and oil, have changed the view but in times last it was not inconceivable to transfer authority.
Re: New era for Gibraltar with removal of border controls with Spain
#14It'd be even easier if Gibraltar is returned to Spain to whom it belongs.
The Basque region wants a word...
Re: New era for Gibraltar with removal of border controls with Spain
#15From a purely geographical point of view, it is so absurd that there is even a debate about to which land mass Gibraltar "belongs" to. As a colonialist, I would find it very difficult to justify my own behaviour nowadays.
Whilst I don't disagree, Spain has similar questions to answer about Ceuta and Melilla.
Re: New era for Gibraltar with removal of border controls with Spain
#16From a purely geographical point of view, it is so absurd that there is even a debate about to which land mass Gibraltar "belongs" to. As a colonialist, I would find it very difficult to justify my own behaviour nowadays.
(I am Spanish, so I might be biased)
I think the twp main problems are not who Gibraltar belongs to, but 1. Gibraltar is that it is kind of a tax haven next to one of th areas of Spain with more poverty and unemployment, which is also one of the main drug entrances of the country. This combibation is explosive and really problematic for the people in the Campo de Gibraltar, especially the youth. 2. The people of Gibraltar must also be sovereign and don't want to belong to Spain, so I think we should respect that.
I think this kind of agreement make a compromise, integrating better Gibraltar with the area, making it possible for the people around to benefit from the Gibraltar's economy, bridging Gibraltar and Spain closer, while respecting the sovereignity of the people of Gibraltar.
However, I must say, a similar agreement could be done with Gibraltat belonging to Spain, which I would consider fairer, but still not the most important point.
Re: New era for Gibraltar with removal of border controls with Spain
#17It'd be even easier if Gibraltar is returned to Spain to whom it belongs.
It would also be great if Ceuta and Melilla returned back to Morocco, and if Western Sahara in turn gained its independence from Morocco.
As an aside, I have always found it ironic how Spain continuously whines about Gibraltar while doing the exact same thing to Morocco. At the very least, Spain was smart/lucky enough to lobby the UN early on to not include Ceuta and Melilla in the decolonization list.
Re: New era for Gibraltar with removal of border controls with Spain
#18From a purely geographical point of view, it is so absurd that there is even a debate about to which land mass Gibraltar "belongs" to. As a colonialist, I would find it very difficult to justify my own behaviour nowadays.
We should just overturn the Treaty of Utrecht, that will go well. Why not return the Netherlands to Spain while we're at it?
Re: New era for Gibraltar with removal of border controls with Spain
#19From a purely geographical point of view, it is so absurd that there is even a debate about to which land mass Gibraltar "belongs" to. As a colonialist, I would find it very difficult to justify my own behaviour nowadays.
Spain ceded Gibraltar under the Treaty of Utrecht.
Re: New era for Gibraltar with removal of border controls with Spain
#20my experience with border control in Gibraltar (foreign car, 2023): entering: Spanish side: passport scan, UK side: 5 second look exiting: waving through
That can be a problem for the thousands of people that commute daily.