No subs please

By Jason Moore IF a Royal Navy submarine sailed into any British port from Liverpool to Dover there would be an outcry from some sections of the local community. In other words and for obvious reasons nuclear submarines are not popular. The wave of unrest on Andalucia against British nuclear submarines visiting Gibraltar is therefore to be expected. The Royal Navy knows this for a fact and so does the government of Gibraltar. If Britain really wants to ease tensions with Spain then it is not a very good idea to have Royal Navy nuclear submarines visiting the “Rock” on a regular basis. We know that it is a British port and we know that legally speaking the Royal Navy can do at Gibraltar whatever it likes. But diplomatically speaking it would be better if these visits did not take place. The Spanish are obviously sensitive about nuclear submarines because of the break-down and subsequent 12 month repair of the nuclear submarine Tireless in the Port of Gibraltar three years ago. If the Royal Navy had repaired a nuclear submarine in a British port there would have been some form of protest. So all this needs to be taken into account. The people of Gibraltar need to have good relations with Spain. It is vital. Diplomatically speaking it is a controversial issue and Spanish goodwill is needed. A British government assurance that nuclear submarines would not be visiting Gibraltar would be seen as a nice gesture by the Spanish government. I think you can safely say that the issue of Gibraltar is about give and take and that is the only way forward. If Gibraltar is to move ahead it needs the support of Spain.