The Rock

The Spanish government continues to play with fire, probably for its own political aims. If you walk into any bar in Majorca at the moment, the talking point appears to be Gibraltar. Spanish chat shows have become single issue programmes and newspapers devote many pages to the spat over the “Rock.” If the administration of Mariano Rajoy wanted the Gibraltar incident to divert people's attention away from political scandals, then they have been successful. But the incident could have wider repercussions. the fact that hundreds of British citizens are being made to wait for many hours at the border crossing between Spain and Gibraltar is an outrage. It is simply not acceptable, and would not be tolerated anywhere else in Europe. Apart from the damage to Anglo-Spanish relations there is a danger that it could hit Spain economically as well. One British European Member of Parliament has called for British tourists to boycott Spain over Gibraltar. It is rather a silly thing to say but it could strike a chord with some. Spain should stop the security controls at the border at once and ask the European Union to investigate claims that the Gibraltarians have ruined Spanish fishing grounds with their plans for an artificial cement reef. They should also scale back their sabre-rattling. Remember the people of Gibraltar are British citizens and they can't be treated in this way. It is unacceptable and Spain needs to back down at once.