Reply to: Navy warships dispatched as Spain invades seas around Gibraltar

[Menelaus]

Worryingly

Spain are meant to be part of our NATO-conclave, surely?

Also: the question of annexation is one that arises - Iraq annexed Kuwait and we went in and kicked ass in the largest ever display of overwhelmingness (e.g., fish in a barrel) ever...

[Troll]

Some cracking comments on that board

Jack Straw has already tried to give sovereignty of Gib to the Spanish. Unfortunately the ungrateful colonials held a referendum and said they did not want anything to do with Spain. Straw pointed out that this referendum was undemocratic because ZaNU Labour had not endorsed it.

Quite apart fron anything else the cutn has done this alone makes him a traitor in my eyes and by extension any Government he belongs to is traitorous.

Quite correct, the stuttering fool did his best to dispense with three hundred years of British history.

Do not worry though Arrsers because, instead of the decrepit one, we now have, straight from short trousers and the fourth form, the boy wonder, the spikey-haired, the dimmer of the two brothers in government: Miliband D! Yo! yo! yo!

I can almost hear the Spaniards trembling as I type. This gauche, intellectually challenged 'no-hoper' should not be in charge of a bendy-bus let alone the interests (in so far as they do not conflict with the European Soviet Union interests) of this country.

[OwlHoot]

That would require the resident forces to not respond. But I thought there was at least one regiment there specifically to prevent that happening.

That's true, but even the best regiment in the world can't hold out for long in the event of a sustained assault unless they can be resupplied, which I imagine the entire military resources of Spain could easily prevent seeing as Gibraltar is on their doorstep and hundreds of miles from the UK.

But rather than we armchair generals speculating, it'll be interesting to see what some of the real experts think over at ARSSE (the British Army Rumour Service), where a long discussion is developing.

edit: Hmm, mostly banter so far and nothing too enlightening, but one good comment:

Off course the real reason for the Diegos making a fuss is to distract public attention from the fact that their economy is so tottaly fcuked it makes our look healthy. Unemployment was 14% a few months ago and rising.

[MrMark]

I thought the issue was sovereignty of an annexed part of another country

Can't see this myself. Where do you stop? Giving NE England back to the Viking people? Wales back to the Welsh? Ah, maybe...

[Troll]

Since their Mps vote in the national parliament in Madrid, it's hardly the same, is it? A better comparison would be the Isle of Wight (to Ceuta or Melilla).

Funny thing is though, if the UK ever decided to pull out of Gib, I imagine the next day you'd see the Yanks move in (or whoever the next superpower is). It's really just a military base; I can't see Spain ever controlling it.

I thought the issue was sovereignty of an annexed part of another country

[MrMark]

Be interesting to see Spain renounce its claims to Ceuta and Melilla

Since their Mps vote in the national parliament in Madrid, it's hardly the same, is it? A better comparison would be the Isle of Wight (to Ceuta or Melilla).

Funny thing is though, if the UK ever decided to pull out of Gib, I imagine the next day you'd see the Yanks move in (or whoever the next superpower is). It's really just a military base; I can't see Spain ever controlling it.

[Troll]

Be interesting to see Spain renounce its claims to Ceuta and Melilla

[BrowneIssue]

It would be too funny for words if the Spanish just marched into Gibraltar and occupied it.

That would require the resident forces to not respond. But I thought there was at least one regiment there specifically to prevent that happening.

[OwlHoot]

It would be too funny for words if the Spanish just marched into Gibraltar and occupied it.

In practice, there's not a thing McDoom could do about it, and the Spanish probably know that. He'd have no choice but to complain to the EU, which would most likely agree that it is a natural part of Spain.

So his "Falklands moment" would be yet another ignominious defeat, to add to Iraq and Afghanistan.

[KentPhilip]

I think we should drop a 50MT on Madrid. That's teach the bastards.

toast the bastards

[Cyberman]

This message should be hidden because Cliphead is a stupid pillock.

[Cliphead]

...an evil fat Scotsman

Do I know you?

[Cliphead]

What you talking about. It's in The Sun

Ah right

[HairyArsedBloke]

Haven't seen any mainstream news references to this so far. Should I cancel my trip to Spain next month?

What you talking about. It's in The Sun: Spain invades British waters

It's also in The Express: RETURN OF THE ARMADA AS SPAIN ‘INVADES’ GIBRALTAR , but that is a comic.

Edit:

I wondered what the local press had to say.

Gibraltar Chronicle: BRITAIN TELLS SPAIN WATERS VIOLATION ‘UNACCEPTABLE’

The incident with vessel 'Tarifa' happened on May 8, just a day after the Gibraltar Government announced it was taking legal action following a row about Gibraltar waters.

The row stems from a decision by Brussels to approve a Spanish request to list most of Gibraltar's territorial sea - and an area of international waters too - as one of Spain's protected sites under EU law.

[BolshieBastard]

From today's Daily Mail

Navy warships dispatched as Spain invades seas around Gibraltar




Sounds like a rather pitiful and transparent attempt, secretly prearranged with Spain, to distract the public from the MPs' expenses scandal.

I wonder what Britain has conceded in return. To actually hand Gibraltar back in due course? Wouldn't put it past McDoom, in his desperation.

Sounds like gross paranoia to me.