SPAIN’S GIBRALTAR DILEMMA

I was interested to read the alleged remarks of Spain’s monarch, King Juan Carlos, when back in 1983 he stated that his country didn’t really want Gibraltar as it would lead to Morocco demanding both Ceuta and Melilla.

Since then of course Morocco has toughened its stance on the Spanish enclaves. Rabat now considers them as integral parts of the Moroccan nation using similar language to Spain over Gibraltar. The Moroccan Government stamps its foot when Spanish Royals or major political figures visit Ceuta or Melilla just as Madrid would if UK Royals or say the Prime Minister should come here. The only difference is that Spain totally ignores Moroccan protests whilst the Foreign Office shakes in fear.

Gibraltar Español is a hangover from Franco’s day. The Partido Popular and the Francoists in its midst clasp it to their hearts. PSOE and other parties do to an extent but rather from fear of being dubbed unpatriotic by the PP if they don’t rather than out of any real conviction.

Gibraltar Español is a key stone of the current Spanish Government’s foreign and indeed domestic policy. But why? One has to assume that Rajoy and Margallo are not stupid (but I could be wrong here) and when the UK and Gibraltar Governments say “no surrender” they know we mean just that.

Surely this is understood in Madrid or is it?

Now if we take the Spanish King at his 1983 word: is all the huff and puff from the Partido Popular Government in Madrid no more than that? Do Rajoy and Margallo really know they won’t get Gibraltar back but believe they have to pretend they want it, even if they really don’t?

It is certainly true that if Gibraltar became Spanish, which it won’t, but if it did then the call for the handing over of Ceuta and Melilla to Morocco would be deafening.

I had always presumed that Gibraltar would have been Spain’s bargaining chip back in the days when Governments decided people fates and not the people themselves. However thankfully the world has since moved on and Gibraltar cannot be traded in exchange for Ceuta and Melilla as it may have been then in the interests of some geopolitics.

Another question is would Madrid be happy to win back a small Rock and let go of Ceuta and Melilla, which cover far larger areas and are two integral provinces in the Spanish nation? The people are Spaniards and have MPs in Madrid. It seems unlikely even if it was possible, which it isn’t.

So what is going on in Madrid’s current stance on Gibraltar? Is it all grand standing in the sure knowledge that the Rock will always be Gibraltarian if not British for ever? Is it a diversion against the problems being faced by the Spanish? If that is the case the diversion has led up a dead end street? Rajoy and Margallo may be idiots but the Spanish people are not. Is it a warning to Cataluña over what could happen there if it breaks from Spain?  Why is Spain using clearly illegal methods under EU and international law to try and crack the Gibraltar nut: attempts it knows are doomed to failure?

Who knows? I certainly don’t but perhaps 30 years on from his first utterances on the matter the Spanish King could kindly tell us.

COPA DEL REY FINAL AND NO “SPANISH” TEAMS

On Friday evening Spain’s equivalent of the FA Cup, the Copa del Rey, should be played at the Vicente Calderón stadium in Madrid. I say should because at the time of writing the political authorities in the region of Madrid want the game postponed because of the poor state of the pitch. It was apparently damaged in a recent Coldplay concert.

Whether it goes ahead on Friday or at a future date no Spanish team will be involved. Instead we see the giants of Cataluña FC Barcelona take on the might of the Basque region, Athletic de Bilbao.

It is traditional for the Spanish monarch, King Juan Carlos, to attend the match and present the trophy. It is now almost a tradition too when teams from regions of Spain who want their independence to greet the presence of the king with abusive chants and banners.

Certainly that was the even case when the Spanish monarchy was popular in the country. Now with the corruption trial embroiling the king’s son in law, Iñaki Urdangarín, and the monarch being under fire himself for going on a holiday to shoot elephants (during which he injured himself) when his country is in dire straits could lead to even former loyal Spaniards hurtling abuse. ‘The King is a Dumbo’ might be an appropriate slogan.

Barcelona and Bilbao are not new comers to this trophy having won it 25 and 23 times respectively. The Madrid stadium will be packed with Basques and Catalans and although they are there to watch the beautiful game it is also a chance not to be missed to loudly underscore their people’s demands for nationhood on nationwide TV.

Our chief minister, Fabian Picardo, is a keen soccer fanatic but on this occasion I doubt whether he will be sharing a fish supper out of old copies of La Razón with Spanish dignitaries in the Royal Box. However make no mistake at this football fest Gibraltar will be the elephant in the room.

The decision by UEFA, albeit forced on it by the Court of Arbitration, to allow Gibraltar to go forward for election to the ranks of European soccer nations has put the cat amongst the pigeons in Madrid. Of course Spain objects to Gibraltar doing anything, be thankful breathing is allowed although Madrid will insist its Spanish air, but on this occasion the implications are far wider.

Spurred on by Gibraltar’s success with UEFA the action groups for Basque, Catalonian and Galician national teams wants Bilbao’s and Barcelona’s fans to back the cause in Madrid on Friday. The fans are supported by the separatist parties in the three currently autonomous Spanish regions who see having a national team as a symbol of nationhood.

In the past the Spanish FA, ordered by the Spanish Government, has made it clear that if Gibraltar joins UEFA it would boycott all international and European club competitions. Other UEFA nations have in the past backed Spain’s stance but the court ruling gives them the get out they were looking for.

I always understood that both FIFA and UEFA would act swiftly against any country where the government started calling the tune in football matters. That seems to not have been the case with Spain, at least in the past. Whilst the Spanish FA might withdraw its international teams would its club sides follow suit. Would Real Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Atletico Madrid, Bilbao and so on boycott the rich pickings of European leagues and cups just because Gibraltar had joined UEFA’s number? I very much doubt it: their fans would riot.

This leaves the Spanish government and football authority in a place they do not want to be. Their threats will no longer carry any wait, Gibraltar will be a UEFA footballing nation and worst of all the campaign to have Cataluña, Basque and Galicia national sides alongside the Spanish team will gather pace. I suspect as you read this Rajoy, King Juan Carlos and the Spanish FA bigwigs are busy digging up the Vicente Calderón pitch.