Some quick thoughts on the Gibraltar deal
The British government had one credible option and took it
If you’ve not seen it, the UK has reached an agreement with the EU that allows free movement to continue between Spain and Gibraltar.
A deal was needed because the EU is set to introduce an Entry/Exit scheme to the Schengen area that would effectively put a hard border between Spain and Gibraltar. The deal means that Brits visiting Gibraltar with have their passports checked by Spanish border guards so that they can theoretically travel freely into the Schengen area without being checked again.
This would have a devastating impact on Gibraltar’s economy and social cohesion, particularly in the towns on either side of the border. I wrote an article about all of this in the I Paper last year:
For the thousands of people who live in Gibraltar and Spanish citizens in the neighbouring region of Andalusia, an open border is critical to the economy. There are currently 15,000 registered EU citizens who are permitted to work and have their rights protected in Gibraltar.
Andalusia has low employment rates, which makes its wealthy neighbour Gibraltar an attractive proposition for people seeking work. “On top of the 15,000 registered workers coming in, there are people who come for cash-in-hand work,” a Gibraltar government source tells i.
The coverage of the deal has been mixed, but there has been quite a bit of manufactured fury from the right. I am not going to list all of the ridiculous knee-jerk reactions here, but you can google around or search on Twitter. The Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, has been forced to spend the past few hours correcting people in Britain tweeting nonsensical outrage about the deal.
The deal with the EU on Gibraltar can essentially be boiled down to these points:
The people of Gibraltar voted overwhelmingly against Brexit precisely to maintain free movement across the border.
The people of Gibraltar are overwhelmingly supportive of these arrangements staying in place.
The EU has the right to protect its borders as it sees fit, as does Britain.
The only alternative for the government was to pick a fight it couldn’t win and that would have limited support even back in Britain.
Clearly, decisions made concerning Gibraltar should be made on behalf of and in the interests of people in Gibraltar. To pick a fight with the EU to appease a small minority of people in Britain who probably never plan to visit Gibraltar would be absolutely crazy.
Until next time,
Luke