TW
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THE good old European Union can always be relied on to do the right thing, I don´t think. Last Summer thousands of people had to queue for hours at the Gibraltar border because of “Spanish security checks.”  Many people believe that the Gibraltar spat was an attempt by the Spanish government to divert attention away from more pressing matters at home. But the good old European Union said yesterday that these checks were lawful, despite major protests from the British government. How can three hour waits at a border crossing point be lawful when just a week before people were going through the border within minutes? These border checks are legal so presumably Spanish fishermen operating in Gibraltar waters without permission are also legal! Spain deserved a slap on the wrist from the European Union because the border checks were more to do with political reasons than security issues.   I don´t understand the European Union  sometimes. It should have taken the wider view not just if Spain has the right to protect its borders. Of course Spain can order border checks but we all know that it was no coincidence that they took place during a major spat with Gibraltar over fishing rights.  The British government is right to challenge the decision which will be greeted as an early Christmas present by the EU euro-sceptic parties in Britain. The good old EU can always be relied on to make the wrong decision at the wrong time.