Normally
when reporting on a Labour Party Conference once the Government of Gibraltar
reception has passed you are confined to UK issues. This year is different
because next May, Gibraltar in common with the rest of Europe, goes to the
polls to elect our new MEPs.
Gibraltar
will be represented by six in the constituency it shares with the South West of
England. Curiously three of the Labour candidates seeking your votes already
have links to the Rock.
Number
one on the list and hence the most likely to be elected is Clare Moody. We will
return to her in a moment but she is a member of the Unite the Union and
campaigned in Gibraltar at a previous Euro election as a candidate. Second on
the list is Glyn Ford who was our Labour MEP until the last election when the
number of seats was reduced from seven to six. At number four is Hadleigh
Roberts who led Labour’s criticism against Peter Hain when the Labour MP took
advantage of the border blockade by Spain this summer to press home his long
discredited joint sovereignty beliefs.
As it
happens all three were at the Government of Gibraltar’s reception on Sunday
night and Clare Moody spoke alongside our Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and the
Shadow Minister for Europe, Emma Reynolds.
In the South West and Gibraltar seat Clare Moody, a Unite
political officer and former aide to Gordon Brown, topped the regional list of
candidates in the poll amongst activists. She is backed by six separate unions
but it was still a surprise she came ahead of Glyn Ford, a popular Labour figure
who was the MEP for a decade.
Clare has stated that it is vital that the candidate at the
top of the list for 2014 is someone who can win for Labour in that election and
who can then deliver for the South West and Gibraltar afterwards. She believes
she is that person.
Small in stature but full of vitality and charisma Clare is
on the campaign trail already. She said: “Our region has a huge amount to
offer and a huge amount to gain from the European Union. However, the
people of the South West and Gibraltar are currently represented by UKIP MEPs,
who apparently spend their time sleeping through parliamentary business and
Tory MEPs, who are marginalised in the parliament because they don’t belong to
a mainstream parliamentary grouping.
Speaking at our Government’s reception Clare made it clear
that not only did she want to be elected for Gibraltar but pledged that she
would be a strong defender of and advocate for Gibraltar. She was scathing
about the recent Partido Popular Government’s campaign against Gibraltarians
and suggested that with Madrid mired in an economic and corruption crises Rajoy
and Margallo should keep their noses out of our business. Gibraltarians have
the right to exist independent of Spain and that right must be respected.
Over the coming months Gibraltarians will have their own
chance to make up their minds about Clare Moody because she will shortly be
heading this way. Expect to meet her on a doorstep on street near you.
