What should be done with Gibraltar?

[Treffie]

Last time I went to Gibraltar, it was a stinky shithole - I was very disappointed. Strange experience crossing the border though - one has to cross from driving on the left to drivng on the right. Also, the airport runway crosses the road that comes in to Gibraltar.

As for which way they wish to be governed, why not ask the Gibraltarians?

[Affenkid]

Well,
1. When you cross the frontier from Spain you still remain on the left side of the road and vice versa as traffic flow was changed early in the last century by a smart Governor so...traffic violation from your part perhaps?

2. Road through runway...and? No runway disasters since 1948(ish) and that was a British military f*ck up so it doesn't count. Weirder things in the world...at least for me.

3. Thankfully we are a self-governing (non-dependant on British cash) British overseas territory. We do not rely on cash injections from Her Majesty's Governmental coffers, thank you very much.

4. As a born and bred Gibraltarian I have the best of many cultures at my disposal. We are a diverse bunch with British, Spanish, Maltese, Genovese, Sephardic and Morrocan backgrounds. Native Gibraltarians, even though we speak our own little vernacular 'Yanito/Llanito' we are resolutely British, with our afternoon teas, Pints, fish and chips et al. Our education is utterly completely derived from the British education system and curriculums. But who cares now, when half of Britain is living a mass exodus to the Med? For it seems that all that is left of the British Empire is an obnoxious little rock that will not give in to snide politics. As with our last two referendums 99% of the Gibraltarian population voter pro British as opposed to Spanish rule. It's not that we don't like the Spanish, it's just that all we know, is how to be British Gibraltarians. So why change 300 years of a good thing?

5. To all you people (possibly Spanish or Brits) who voted to give Gibraltar back to Spain, wakey wakey Gibraltar was ceded by Spain to the Crown of Great Britain in perpetuity, under the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, in exchange for Menorca and Florida (USA).

6. Oh and Arawn ...as a stinky resident of the 'shithole' you claim Gibraltar to be, please don't come back. It might not be the most idyllic place on earth (3 murders in 50 years, sunny beaches, great atmosphere, helpful people) but hey, it's my shithole. up

[Affenkid]

If the British government really wants to dispose of Gibraltar, they should offer its residents a referendum with the choices being Morocco and Spain.

2 referendums, 1969 and 2003 nothing changed in 30 years...no to Spanish rule.
Oh and 'dispose'? what are we? Unwanted toys? wheres all the human rights crap...the EU...humanity...Obama?

BTW the Dutch could also claim us...our first governor was Dutch 1704-1709

[The Lawspeaker]

BTW the Dutch could also claim us...our first governor was Dutch 1704-1709

That should be alright. Let's exchange the Netherlands Antilles for Gibraltar. About Spain's and Britain's eternal hazzle about the place: two dogs fight for the same bone- the third one nicks it from both. (Dutch proverb- very roughly translated).

O.K on a more serious note. Who cares ? This small strip of land was ceded to Britain and it's inhabitants do not seek to be ruled by Spain. Well- what if Spain followed the Hong Kong-model and let Gibraltar do it's own thing while being a part of Spain ?

Or in case that would be too much of a problem. What about independence ? Becoming a Monaco ?

[Comte Arnau]

The thing is, why doesn't Spain also claim for Northern Catalonia?

[The Lawspeaker]

The thing is, why doesn't Spain also claim for Northern Catalonia?

I believe they should. But I think that the answer is this: Northern Catalonia is one of the poorer areas of France.
Hence the reason why they couldn't give a damn even though the culture is still Catalan.

[Comte Arnau]

I believe they should. But I think that the answer is this: Northern Catalonia is one of the poorer areas of France.
Hence the reason why they couldn't give a damn even though the culture is still Catalan.

Nah. The reason is that Spaniards know the core of their nation is Castile and its expansion to the South. Hence, Gibraltar is strongly perceived as part of the nation, while they couldn't care less about a lost piece of Catalonia.

[The Lawspeaker]

Nah. The reason is that Spaniards know the core of their nation is Castile and its expansion to the South. Hence, Gibraltar is strongly perceived as part of the nation, while they couldn't care less about a lost piece of Catalonia.

A tad hypocritical isn't it ? The Spain crown came indeed into being after Aragon and Castile united and the rest is to be perceived as.. well.. winsgewest, Generality Land. Or ?

[Comte Arnau]

The Spain crown came indeed into being after Aragon and Castile united

We can't continue if we part from that wrong premise.

[Æmeric]

A tad hypocritical isn't it ? The Spain crown came indeed into being after Aragon and Castile united and the rest is to be perceived as.. well.. winsgewest, Generality Land. Or ?

The Spanish Crown came into being after King Philip II of Aragon & Castile inherited the Crown of Portugal & stiled himself the "King of Spain", refering to the whole of the peninsula of Hispania. It was a personal union of crowns. Philip's heir kept the title even after Portugal rebeled against King Philip IV & chose the Duke of Braganza as King in 1640.

Castile has always been the core of the realm of Spain, just like England is the core of the UK.

Aragon & Castile did not become a unitary state until the reign of the first Bourbon king, Philip V.