Spain could police Gibraltar frontier, airport and port in new deal

David HollandThe border with Gibraltar is already serviced by Spanish customs & immigration... at least on the Spanish side. Last time I entered Gibraltar, there was no Gibraltar passport control. Only Spanish/EU controlling in/out traffic. So it seems only natural that if Gibraltar wants to join Schengen (there's many advantages to Gibraltar to that) it would be managed by Schengen customs. It is after all, an entry point into the Schengen zone. And I'm not sure if there would be any significant extra cost to taxpayers. It's already being largely paid for. And yes, it would naturally require Brits to suffer passport control. I believe it already does (?) The "driving licence debate" is rather imaginary anyway, so if it's really part of the give-and-take negotiation, I doubt it would lend any weight to the overall negotiations. Regarding the rest of it, well, the empty threats are pretty much limited to the British side of the debate. I doubt Spain or the EU take it very seriously. Why should they? The fact remains that there's a lot of advantages for Gibraltar in this, and only precious few for Spain and the EU. And last time a poll was conducted, it seems gibraltarians were overwhelmingly in favour if it. So, it's kind of a tempest in a teapot.

The crown military bases aside. What happens in civil Gibraltar is the privilege and the responsibility of the good folk of Gibraltar. Gibraltar is not part of the CTA so unlike traveling to Ireland brits have to present a passport on arrival at Gibraltar. So if their people want to join the Schengen well negotiated rules will apply. Although Gibraltar has independent port security presence currently, why any third nations should need extra boots on the ground at increased cost to their hard pressed taxpayer is beyond me. But hey politics. Why this should be tied to the driving licences debate ? Spain is the outlier on this issue compared to international and other European continent nations norms. If Brits or others want to reside in another’s country well it’s that nations rule book. Yours choice. It’s a bit like Qatar at the moment, criticism of their laws ,but still buy their gas and secretly watch the football.

well.... in the remark you make aout the uk being "self absorbed"...thats RIGHT...as far as the uk is concered everyone else is WRONG...there's a saying...."put ur own garden to right before you try to do evryone else's...."

Burgundy BlueIt's not just this publication. It's been broadly observed (in British media) that; When something is positive, it's either because of Britain, or exceptional to it. When something is negative, it's an affront to Brits - specifically. Both conditions are apparently irrelevant to whether the issue has anything to do with Britain or exclusive to it. To the outside observer, it appears that Britain seems to be rather self-absorbed. As if nothing or nobody else matters. The general analysis by prominent social Psycologists seems to point to a collective inferiority complex resulting from the decline of a former world power into irrelevance over many decades. The need to b

…. And this affects Mallorca how? This newspaper (sic) seems to deliberately seek out any sense that the British are being persecuted, for absolutely unfair reasons, and bewails the fact that the world just does not recognise Britain’s self-declared superiority in all things. It’s an out-dated colonial attitude. Consequently, this newspaper has become as risible as Michael Palin’s Pontius Pilate in The Life of Brian. Guffaw.