Re: Gibraltar ( was Marxists and War)

["Jordi" <jordi@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

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>From: "Martin Spellman" <mspellman@xxxxxxxxx>
>To: <marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>Subject: RE: Marxists and War (was Taaffe on Cuba
>Date: Mon, Oct 8, 2001, 6:26 pm
>

> The same applies to places like
> Gibraltar (and we had this argument when Franco was alive about 'returning
> Gibraltar to a fascist regime'): Gibraltar's main purpose is a British naval
> base and if the base were to go the 'population' would go with it.

Well, not sure about that. If you want to develop a socialist position
regarding Gibraltar you surely should take into account the opinion of the
people who live there (not all of whom are related or work for the British
naval base).

Most of them use to be quite happy with their situation since they were
living in the south of Spain (where the weather is very nice!) and were
enjoying all the benefits of being British (for instance a health and
education system much better than the Spanish one, and general living
standards higher than their neighbours and relatives on the other side of
the border).

That is not necessarily the case any more. The British education system has
gone down the pan (particularly the abolition of student grants prevent many
people from Gibraltar from going to study in Britain mainland) and so has
the British health system. At the same time living standards, health and
education have improved steadily over the last 20 years.

One of the main grievances for people both sides of the border is the
question of the border itself. Often the Spanish authorities arbitrarily
close it with the effect that people cannot visit their relatives (many
people have relatives on the other side and viceversa).

This has been partially solved by the incorporation of both countries to the
European Union, but only partially since Britain has not signed the Schengen
agreement and therefore keeps its own border checkpoints.

Right now there is no-one in Spain who is terribly worried about reclaiming
Gibraltar. Even recently when a British nuclear submarine was brought for
repairs to Gibraltar and there were mass protests and strikes on the Spanish
side demanding the submarine be sent back to Britain no-one raised the issue
of reclaiming Gibraltar.

Also Gibraltar use to be a very strategic position, controlling one side of
the route in and out of the Mediterranean sea. However as Trotsky predicted,
the centre of world politics and trade has shifted to the Pacific and the
Mediterranean has been relegated to being and unimportant lake.

My opinion is that a revolutionary situation in Spain would easily win over
most of the people in Gibraltar over to the side of revolution (which they
would see as a concrete improvement on their living conditions) and the
issue of Gibraltar would be resolved. On the other hand any attempt to force
the people living in Gibraltar to join in Franco's Spain would have been
fiercely resisted and would have strengthened the hand of the Franco
dictatorship by whipping up patriotic feelings in Spain.

Comradely,

Jordi
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