Imogen Calderwood
GIBRALTAR Liberal government is celebrating 1,000 days in office.
In that time the government has given effect to over 300 promises contained in it 2011 manifesto, when it came into power on December 9.
Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said: “It has been a positive and constructive 1,000 days. The government has moved in a fast and responsible manner in order to give effect to what we promised.
“One reason for this progress is because there are 10 ministers in the government who have the authority and the ability to get on with the job that they have been entrusted with.
“We promised change and we will continue to deliver that change.”
Some of these changes are visible across the Rock. There are 1,000 homes now at an advanced stage of construction, including housing projects at Mons Calpe Mews and Beach View Terraces.
Additionally, the largest refurbishment of government homes that Gibraltar has even seen is currently underway at Glacis, Laguna and Moorish Castle Estates.
The government’s passion for technology, driven by Picardo, has boosted online interaction between residents and the administration, allowing for more direct comment, with the e-Government program continuing to progress.
A spokesperson said: “These have been 1,000 days full of energy, passion and sheer hard work during which Gibraltar has been transformed for the better.
“The focus on the delivery of the manifesto in a coherent, detailed and organised manner has never been seen in Gibraltar before,” they added.
“It reflects the commitment of the government to keep its promises to the electorate within this term of office.”
A paradise for promoters, constructors and corruption , you can keep building up and get your dreamed macro mega city right on the rock , but we are not going to tolerate you guys treat disrespectfully our common waters , you do not have the right to throw out concrete blocks into the water and hit marine life and nature , please feel free to do that in UK , thanks.
Neo, best sort out the corruption in your own country first before accusing others. Spain has placed concrete blocks in their waters as well, and you’ve fished your own waters to near extinction. Get educated.
“Concrete blocks” like these Neo?
“http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/agriculturaypesca/reservapesca/actuaciones/arrecifes-artificiales.html”
Hypocrite!
The government of Gibraltar can do whatever it wants in their territorial waters.
IF Spain wants to delimit what has been awarded to UK/Gibraltar under the terms of UNCLOS they can only do this via UNCLOS arbitration ICJ/PCA. To try the old Utrecht chestnut that waters weren’t stipulated under the treaty is rubbish as Utrecht didn’t mention Spanish waters either. A cession of territorial waters always follows with a cession of territory. (The Treaty of Lisbon didn’t mention territorial waters when Ceuta was ceded to Spain).
Wow ! you really need to calm down guys , Could anybody tell me why so many Brits are flocking out UK ? You can stay in our countries and enjoy our culture , warmth , food , etc , but please do not bring your frustration and tightness to our culture .
I disapprove whoever throw blocks into the water regardless of nationality , do not try to justify what Gibraltar is doing here , and yes whether you like it or not UK breaths corruption as well and Gibraltar will just be a matter of time to start coming out suspicious cases , so far it has been proven that Gibraltar is a source of irregularities and illegal trading that is affecting local business in Andalucia , we need to control the border I think that you understand that.
Neo. There are lots of Spanish flocking to the UK (36,000) over the past 12 months, not for the weather but for employment. Pity that the Spanish government can’t concentrate on creating employment but I suppose they are too busy using Gibraltar as an excuse,
If you disapprove of both sides, then why didn’t you say that to begin with then Neo, rather than coming out with an anti-UK rant as you did? As for people flocking to Spain, have you not seen the statistics for people leaving Spain because of the crisis? The people who come to Spain support Spain by spending money in local businesses, buying holiday properties, paying taxes – do they not? Also, the EU has already investigated Gibraltar for trading practices, and all was found to be totally legitimate. What’s it like being proved totally wrong on all counts, Neo?
Neo? there is no more room in your country for frustration and “tightness” – I suppose by that you mean small mindedness – You have enough of your own to export! In fact Frustration and Small mindedness should be the banner of your “Marca Espana” under this PP government. The frustration of a population who cannot find work and have to emigrate in their millions to other more democratic countries, UK for example, when they thought that was over and done with what they thought was the “new dawning” of their own and now find themselves having gone back to the 40’s 50’s and 60’s; the frustration of a population that find themselves on the street because their “saviour” PP government allows the banks to expropriate their properties because they cannot find work to carry on paying their instalments and then find that they have to continue paying them even when they no longer have a home to go to; the frustration and suffering of the incapacitated whose families are clamouring for the aid that has been withdrawn; the frustration of the sick who find themselves in corridors because there is no bed for them in the wards due to health cutbacks; the frustration of the students because of the education cutbacks; the frustration of thousands of school children who have to go to school even during the holidays to be able to eat;
And then lets us talk about Gibraltar and the frustration of 10,000 or more frontier workers whose country cannot offer them work, but yet they are, for all intents and purposes, punishing them for having found work in Gibraltar by keeping them in hour long queues in the heat, the cold and the rain. The small mindedness of a political party who will not acknowledge the very existence of Gibraltar as a thriving well regulated and even better administered territory, which, even with the limited physical resources it has, has done a million times better in every aspect, than they have or even dream of doing; the small mindedness of not seeing Gibraltar as a way of enhancing the way of life of its own people in the area immediately next to it and further beyond; the small mindedness of wanting to regress back to the 18th century rather than advance into what is now the twenty first.
Gibraltar, even now, and with all the stumbling blocks your government puts in its path and the path of the Campo de Gibraltar to better itself, represents 21% of the “PIB” of the area; Gibraltar purchases 200 million pounds of goods and services from your country, has increased by 18% the number of Spanish workers who have found work in Gibraltar – and you have the gall to come in here and try to manipulate English speaking readers as you do elsewhere in your own language with your misrepresentations and falsehoods?
Neo? Neo what? because when one calls oneself a neo- it means that you yourself are not happy with what is going on in your country. Don’t try and contaminate our reality with your frustrations and small mindedness! Here, have a read of one the may dissenting Spanish voices of your government’s policy as per Gibraltar,
in your own language. Thanks goodness not every Spanish citizen agrees with your “Neo” rants!
Inthename..You speak for all of us ..Well said..Pip Pip!
Gibraltar is probably a constant thorn in the side of Spain as that is how Spain should be, thriving, run well, great transport, jobs, property prices that are 300 to 400% more than an average Spanish coastal area, not the local corruption that happens in every Spanish town that affects the ordinary person in their day to day lives…. Most of the British people who leave the UK to go to Spain are retired, the Spanish and others that come to the UK and from other Countries arrive to earn money or claim lots of benefits to send home, they are here for the money one way or another. Brits who go to Australia etc go there because they have a skill that will get them there, ease of language and a better lifestyle. Brits who go to Spain and need to earn a good wage to live soon realise their mistake after hitting the local corruption and return to the UK, like me. Met one of the new reality stars in Gib, they said the second series of Gib is coming out soon, think they said October. Any Spanish person that is complaining about Gib has been caught up in the Government’s plan to side track your brain from the real and deep issues in Spain. Even if you was given Gib back tomorrow your Country would still be in a mess and nothing would change, then el politicos would have to think about what story to tell the sheep next.
Reap raises a very good point – just imagine if Spain took over Gibraltar tomorrow. Within a year or two most of the businesses would have closed down. Lunatic employment and planning laws will drive just about every businessperson away, unemployment would be rocketing, properties would soon be worth next to nothing and the whole place would be inefficient, stagnated and doubtless mired in corruption, just like so much of Spain already is.
This is what, ultimately, annoys Spain; that Gibraltar is successful, entrepreneurial and thriving. Concrete blocks are a total irrelevance; that’s what they tell members of the foolish and apathetic Spanish public, people like Neo, who suck it all up.
It is interesting the lack of self criticism outlined here , I have met a lot of young Brits in North America and their vision does not match at all poored opinions , they complain about the same things than young spaniards , hidden corruption , lack of opportunities and uncertainties such as upcoming vote to determine whether continue as Europeans or not , sure go ahead and enjoy the ride as you like always to go … alone …
Crises are usually for better and let you correct mistakes , make adjustments and become a better figure of yourself, of course there have been mistakes caused by politicians , that is why they are being judged and taken over , and seriously guys you should read yourself how harsh your critics are when talking about countries that allow you to enjoy their lifestile and avoid making critics about UK , that does not seem pretty mature. Btw Scottish does not seem very happy with you guys , you should be more friendly if you want to preserve relationships.
Btw EU keep considering Gibraltar suspicious of money laundering and illegal trading , we will see how this ends up , I know there are separatism movements in Spain as well , so do you.
Neo, Catalonia don’t seem to like you guys either, you should be more friendly if you want to preserve relationships. As for money laundering, Spain are surely the true masters. Even the head of Hacienda embezzled 2 billion euros, and that is the tip of the iceberg in Spain.
Neo, Catalonia also don’t seem to like you guys either, you should be more friendly if you want to preserve relationships.
As for money laundering, Spain are surely the true masters. Even the head of Hacienda embezzled 2 billion euros, and that is just the tip of the iceberg in Spain.
Fred, I cannot understand why someone as pissed off as you seem to be , hating everything from Spain and standing up all the time how great is UK has not returned to UK yet , according to you Spain is a lot case and doomed, I am sorry but I do not buy it , Spain is a great country and we will become stronger after passing this crisis .
Another thing , please give some information and advice of good manners to young Brits heading into other countries such Spain with the only goal of getting drunk and misbehaveving continuously , we are too permissive and they take it totally from granted .
Neo. Spain has fallen to 40th position in the Global Corruption Index more than any other country in Western Europe. Their inept politicians contine to play the Gibraltar card to hide corruption and their own political and economic mismanagement of the Spanish economy. How sad.
First of all, Scotland needs to vote YES, then Northern Ireland needs to join the Republic and finally, the icing on the cake will be Gibraltar being returned to its rightful owner, Spain.
With respect to Catalonia, there will be no vote, not this year, not next year, not ever. The only question is if it will be Mr. Mas or Mr. Oriol or maybe both who will end up behind bars for a very long time.
The future will bring a United Kingdom of England and Wales (poor Welsh!!), outside the EU.
By the way, when the UK exits the EU, Gibraltar´s only option to stay in the EU will be to become “La Comunidad Autónoma de Gibraltar”. Alternatively, you can leave the EU with your colonial masters which in turn, will allow us to get out that rusty old key with which to lock “the gate” once and for all.
You Spanish are such ‘talking machines’ with zero substance. Pathetic, dream on Pedro, go walk your donkey.
@Neo, you have clearly come to the forum very recently and have not read historical posts. You read a post that corrects all of your classic errors (Spain uses concrete blocks too, Spain over-fishes, Spain has endemic corruption at the highest places in government and royalty) and then you have to answer that by stating these facts it is somehow “anti-Spanish”. Grow up and fix your own country first.
@España Imperial: “With respect to Catalonia, there will be no vote, not this year, not next year, not ever. ”
Spain the democracy in action.
The Isle of Mann, Guernsey and Jersey aren’t in the EU either but are thriving (just like Gib), while S pain lumbers along like a beached looking for ‘excuses.’
Oh Fred, (some of) you British are so arrogant ant pathetic either , you are talking machines with zero substance and high levels of restraint frustration , stop talking and fix your issues at home , ask yourself why so many young Brits are leaving UK and do a little of self criticism , you look like unskilled Rajoy man , Why nobody bears you ? Did I already say void arrogance ?
Your desire of leaving Europe defines your typical behaviour , you like to run alone , you do not like critics , sharing bounds , you do not need anybody at your side .. Believe me if things that I have heard of UK from other Brits and other foreigners (expats) is true you should change dramatically to avoid another economic and social collapse.
Neo. Thousands of Spanish are entering the UK in search of employment opportunities while hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing Spain. Where is your logic?
@Neo, so it’s name calling at last I see, I wondered when we’d get to that once you ran out of things to say. Personally, I do want the UK to “leave Europe” (it would most likely still be part of the EEA in such a case) but the EU is also a mess and is just as corrupt as Spain is, which is of course why Spain loves it so much! The EU needs a total overhaul as much as Spain does.
The British are one of the most self-deprecating people on Earth, Neo. We take criticism all the time and we apologise too. It is Spain who does not like criticism. I’ve never, ever, heard a Spaniard say that they were wrong – denial is a national pastime for Spain.
Btw, if any country is near to social and economic collapse it surely is Spain. Massive unemployment, almost nil growth, a massive “brain drain” (largest in Europe), child poverty at an all time high, massive university drop out levels, massive black market, massive trillion euro debt, and on it goes. As for economic collapse, someone needs to remind you about the economic powerhouse that London is.
School starts soon Neo; you need to get back to the classroom lol.
Neo? You are doing a great job alienating the British expats in Spain. Your country will be ever so grateful to you. As usual you seem to want the money they contribute into your coffers but not their presence. You seem to forget that if it were not for their presence your much trumpeted tourist figures would plummet and so would your economy, even more than it is now. It’s people like you that deduct from what is, otherwise, a beautiful country and in the main wonderful people.
Fred don’t be conned into believing these people are newcomers. They have read historical posts but that does not deter them. They come in as meek, patronisingly questioning, whilst all the time the hatred that they have inside is raring to boil over and show their true face. You are now reading what they really feel, who they really are. Shame on them who discredit their own people by behaving in this manner. They are very few but they make the most noise just as the empty vessels that they are, sponges of the extreme right, bullies, with little in between their ears to be able to think for themselves. They just lie without any scruples about anything and everything just to feel they have the upper hand when everybody can see right through their bluff.
We know them well.
Neo…….you sad person……my triste
I am having so much fun with you guys but I am too tired to bear a bunch of sad and frustrated senior Brits , I have better things to do than stay back and forth with y tu mas (and you more) , keep living in such a frustation on a daily basis must not be healthy at all , focus on the positive that this journey called life has only one way ticket , I also hope that you show some respect for us and learn some spanish while you live in Spain unless your skills are lower than human average , salud !!!
“I am having so much fun with you guys”
Well that doesn’t surprise us at all Neo, we all knew you were a troll after your very first post. Bye, Neo.
apologies…..that was suppose to be muy triste,and neo!…if you come on a english site COMMUNICATE IN ENGLISH! as for learning spanish,im too busy dealing with the tax,traffic,etc laws enabling me to live here…….and fixing the drains…………….but we do love the spanish!..the nice ones anyway.
Reap, fred and inthename…..great posts.
Neo is clearly another brainwashed spaniard. Goodluck to him or her….they will need it.
#sorelosers #democracyfail #furtherbehind