The rage of the Eurosceptics by the Gibraltar agreement is blurred between the indifference of the British | Spain

At number 150 Strand Street, at the doors of the influential City London, is the house of Gibraltar, the Office of Representation of this overseas territory in the British capital. His pressure group has always been the most powerful in the halls of the Westminster Parliament. The successive governments of the Peñón have proven to be very skilled in the search for allies for their cause, both among conservatives and among Laborists. That’s why, Now that main minister Fabián Picardo is so satisfied with the agreement reached this Wednesday between the United Kingdom, Spain and the European Unionwhich ends years of uncertainty regarding the situation of this colony in the Post Brexit era, the protests of the most radical Eurosceptics are noisy, yes, but also scattered and without strategy. Nothing to do with other times of the past.

The spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs of the Conservative Party, Pritti Patel (in her powerful Interior Minister), has shown, with her reaction to the agreement, the mixture of temperance, confusion and anger to half cooking that has caused the main agreement signed in Brussels: « Gibraltar is British, and given the history of the Labor Party when giving up our territories and we are going to Be careful all the details of this agreement, ”said Patel.

The former minister is aware that His own conservative allies in Gibraltar are satisfied with an agreement that ends their instabilityand clearly establishes that it does not affect the respective claims of sovereignty and jurisdiction of the British and Spanish governments with respect to the Rock. It is rather to generate noise without causing damage. That is why the constant comparisons between Gibraltar and The recent transfer to Mauricio of the Chagos archipelago, where London and Washington share a military base. It was the end of a historical dispute in which international legality was against the United Kingdom. The decision to pay more than 120 million euros per year, for a hundred years, to continue using military facilities, was the perfect excuse for the conservative opposition to make noise and talk about « surrender » and « betrayal. »

The majority of the British population, however, is something else. The economy does not take off. Much of the country suffers the decline fruit of two decades of austerity. And the populist right of Nigel Farage and his reform UK party has found in immigration a more profitable electoral reef than the historical contentious of Gibraltar. « No Parliament can tie your successor at all, so (for our party), both this and the fishing agreement are invalid. This government is the worst negotiator in history. Gibraltar is another surrender, » he said.

Farage referred to the renovation accepted by the Starmer government so that the fishing fleets will continue to have access to their waters for twelve years. It was a key aspect to move forward the historic post brexit bilateral agreement signed in London Last month between London and Brussels. The populist politician uses any excuse to resurrect the argument of a government given to European interests, but increasingly reluctant. Its strategy is more focused on the discontent of many sectors in the face of the deterioration of the quality of life and social cuts imposed by Downing Street.

Throughout the last hours, British more radical and Europhobic right -wing politicians, such as former minister Braverman, or the conservative defense spokesman Mark Francois, have spoken of « betrayal » and « surrender », and have even warned that the next territory in falling will be the falshin. However, there was a review of the main headwaters of the newspapers on Thursday, dedicated to the future possibility of an increase in taxes suggested by the Government, to understand the true relevance of the matter. Just the Daily Telegraphthe most Europhobic conservatism Bible, offered a incendiary headline: « The Borders of Gibraltar will be controlled by the Spain of Spain, in a last surrender agreement, » the newspaper said to the bottom of its cover. « The time has come to leave behind the discussions of the past and look towards a future of renewed cooperation and understanding, » said Picardo, which made it clear that Gibraltarians do not point to any new battle.