There was more talk today of the need for cross-border initiatives, this time in the field of education. Why not have the Trilateral Forum (Gibraltar, Spain and UK) explore setting up a bilingual university? You know, UK and Spanish universities backing a campus in this region, that sort of thing?
It all sounds a bit vague and puffy, frankly, but in theory, why not? Go ahead and explore it, at least. The most interesting thing about this, however, is not what was being said, but who was saying it. This wasn’t some wishful thinking from the Gib government, or from the PSOE in Madrid (the Brits are far too detached to wish for anything, of course…). No, this was from Spain’s Popular Party, better known for slagging off anything to do with Gibraltar and the forum if it means they get to have a go at the PSOE.
The idea belonged to the inimitable Juan Carlos Juárez, the PP mayor of La Linea. “The unique circumstances of La Linea and Gibraltar offer a multitude of areas that could be promoted, for example higher education,” he said. “I believe it is time for the Forum to be more ambitious with this sort of idea.”
Did I hear him right? Is this the same guy who just last week was ordering his police officers to turn away cars heading into Gib to ease congestion going into La Linea? That’s his Policia Local in the photo above. (Oh but wait, I forgot, he thinks the forum can fix that one too, by pressuring Madrid to build him a new road into La Linea!)
He’s clever, this mayor. He knows that what’s good for his town is good for him, whatever the party line is. That’s why he’s making conciliatory noises about the forum, placing his problems and ideas in its hands and leaving the dirty work to his colleague Jose Ignacio Landaluce, the PP MP in Algeciras.
Almost at the same time as Juárez was talking about universities, Landaluce was accusing Gib of “invading” Spain.
“Spain has become the best ally that Gibraltar could have in its sovereignty pretensions,” Landaluce said. Gibraltar, “is achieving an international prominence that I would never have dreamt of.”
Now that’s a PP that I can recognise…
It all sounds a bit vague and puffy, frankly, but in theory, why not? Go ahead and explore it, at least. The most interesting thing about this, however, is not what was being said, but who was saying it. This wasn’t some wishful thinking from the Gib government, or from the PSOE in Madrid (the Brits are far too detached to wish for anything, of course…). No, this was from Spain’s Popular Party, better known for slagging off anything to do with Gibraltar and the forum if it means they get to have a go at the PSOE.
The idea belonged to the inimitable Juan Carlos Juárez, the PP mayor of La Linea. “The unique circumstances of La Linea and Gibraltar offer a multitude of areas that could be promoted, for example higher education,” he said. “I believe it is time for the Forum to be more ambitious with this sort of idea.”
Did I hear him right? Is this the same guy who just last week was ordering his police officers to turn away cars heading into Gib to ease congestion going into La Linea? That’s his Policia Local in the photo above. (Oh but wait, I forgot, he thinks the forum can fix that one too, by pressuring Madrid to build him a new road into La Linea!)
He’s clever, this mayor. He knows that what’s good for his town is good for him, whatever the party line is. That’s why he’s making conciliatory noises about the forum, placing his problems and ideas in its hands and leaving the dirty work to his colleague Jose Ignacio Landaluce, the PP MP in Algeciras.
Almost at the same time as Juárez was talking about universities, Landaluce was accusing Gib of “invading” Spain.
“Spain has become the best ally that Gibraltar could have in its sovereignty pretensions,” Landaluce said. Gibraltar, “is achieving an international prominence that I would never have dreamt of.”
Now that’s a PP that I can recognise…
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