I had
a little chuckle to myself when our government issued the press release
announcing that not only was Joe Bossano going on a mission to the Turks and
Caicos Islands to monitor their elections: he was also the head of mission and
would be responsible for writing the report on whether they were fair and free.
One
of the benefits of having written my weekly Gibraltar Viewpoint column for
nearly 20 years is that I can remember back to times when there were rumours
that the British Government wanted Joe out as Chief Minister and to impose
direct rule. Nothing was ever officially said or communicated to Gibraltar but
the UK press were duly briefed even about a meeting Bossano had not attended
with then Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind. Needless to say the GSD of those
days made much millage out of those claims.
Now
you do not get to lead a Commonwealth mission to anywhere if in official
circles you are still viewed as the bad boy on the block. So it is interesting
that Joe Bossano is not only a revered figure in our politics but is receiving
international recognition too. I hope he is collecting his Air Miles because in
recent weeks he has been to China, Brazil, India and now the Turks and Caicos
largely on his reputation not only as Gibraltar’s elder statesman but also a
man of sound knowledge.
I
have been fortunate in having sat down and talked to a number of Gibraltar’s
bright young politicians and I include in that number Daniel Feetham in his
rebels days with the GSLP and as leader of the Labour Party. All were certainly
younger than me: all were and still are bright but Joe Bossano is one of the
most impressive politicians that I have ever met – and over the years I have
met a few.
I
appreciate there are those in Gibraltar who either love or loath Joe and of the
older generation it is unlikely they will switch camps. However whichever camp
you are in you should respect Joe because his achievements and knowledge demand
and deserve that.
Not
only has Joe acquired a massive knowledge over the years but if you are willing
to take the time he is fully prepared to share it with you. When I have
interviewed politicians I have usually been prepared for 20 minutes at the max.
If you want to engage with Joe he will discuss things with you for as long as
he can before he is dragged away to meet somebody else. The key thing is what
he tells you is sound fact and reasoning: he will challenge your own
preconceived ideas and anybody who believes he no longer has a role to play in
our politics is gaga and not him.
There
is no politician actively involved in our parliament who can look back over
four decades and even beyond that as a Labour Party member and union activist
in the UK. Bossano was a street politician: a breed that in this age of social
media we will never see again but this old dog has learned the new tricks and
is as happy doing a pod cast as he was on his soap box. He is a national
treasure in a way Caruana never could be or even comprehend. An international
salute to Joe is a salute to Gibraltar and of that we should all indeed be
proud.
