The situation we are living comes about as a result of Cordoba and too many Hugs and Kisses, to those out there who were propagating that the Spaniards had changed please remove your blinkers and concede that it would take Spain another 308 odd years to even be able to interpret history properly. Next the airport saga, a disservice to all previous politicians and the people of Gibraltar, in particular those 16,000 who marched behind the banner against the 1987 airport agreement, please no sermons of moving with the times and furthermore no defence of the word ‘enhance’ which in fact should have said surrender and if this is offensive to you of the moving forward brigade sit down read and read Spain’s conditions for removing their EU veto, it had to be as good as the 1987 or better and surely the word enhance does not even fall close to their aspirations. From a sheer propaganda exercise the matter has now gone way over the bounds of decency, not attributed to a Modern Democracy but more in keeping with a fruity republic. If under the New Modern Constitution we are expected to defend our patch, then allow me to quote Sir Winston Churchill’s famous words, give us the tools and we shall finish the job but if you have police tackling an elite armed force, who has the upper hand? Our future and that of our children, those who will follow us, must be made safe and secure and never allow a situation to develop because of visions of grandeur never supported by the vast majority of us Gibraltarians. Yours faithfully, W.L.Chamberland. Gibraltar’s got talent Dear Sir, Gibraltar's Got Talent Semi-Finals/Finals will take part in the Ministry for Culture Spring Festival this year, on Saturday 9th June 2012 at 20:30pm at the Ince's Hall. Over 30 Castings, but only 16 where passed by the Production Casting Team to the Closed Audition on the 2nd May at the Ince's Hall, there they had to perform for the first time in front of the panel of professional judges. On the 5th May 10 fantastic Semi-Finalist were chosen to go through to the next round by giving them the Semi-Finalist Golden Pass. The show will be divided into two parts: • Part 1 - 10 Semi-Finalist will perform • Part 2 - 3 Finalist will be selected by the panel of judges and from them 3rd Place, 2nd Place & Winner will be elected. This year you will see dance, guitars, solo singers and duet singers and our charity single exclusive performance. Here is the list of names of the Judges chosen Semi-Finalist in no particular order: • Keiron Lynch • Brielle Gafan • Jonathan Bear • Aryanne & Samara • Chelsea Collins • Ryan Ullger • Mark Montegriffo • Eden Andrades • Giancarlo Rocca • Millie Devlin We have only revealed their faces only for fans of Gibraltar's Got Talent on www.facebook.com in a small video clip resuming the whole process. No picture is being sent to any magazine as we want to maintain the intrigue until the night of the competition. Also we have been accepted by the Ministry for Culture for the application of Miss Gibraltar 2011 & Miss Gibraltar 2012 for our hostess for the competition, we are just awaiting confirmation from the Misses personally. Thanking you in advance, Regards, Angel & Rossanna Directors Mortgage facilities Dear Sir, I have recently assisted my nephew with the form filling for a local mortgage application. Compared to one I filled in a good 20 years ago the present one involves a lot more paperwork and requests for information, which is comforting. However there is no clause or section dealing with overseas mortgages for holiday property. In Gibraltar this could be seen as being linked to the jurisdiction, perhaps like Jersey and France. I guess that this would be okay where those properties have appreciated considerably, but with the state of the current market across the border and the bleak property outlook, my bet is that properties bought 2/3 years ago are now worth 50% of the purchase price and well into negative equity and any potential applicant for Gibraltar mortgage facilities could well be tempted to forget this liability, as the same is not specifically asked for in the form? Food for thought, Yours faithfully, D. Fisher Protests Dear Sir, Maybe I am losing the plot but can anyone out there explain in simple language the following. An Argentinian sportsman, had the audacity of being filmed training in the Falklands, on the anniversary of the invasion, using a World War 1 British serviceman’s tombstone to perform step ups, not only a disgraceful act but an insult to the British servicemen who lost their lives and what has been Britain’s reaction, a forceful protest to both Argentina and mention by the Defence Secretary that the IOC., should look into this grotesque affair. I trust that we get the same reaction to Spain’s protest on HRH visit to Gibraltar but will we, most definitely NOT because these experts Guru at the FO are very good at monitoring events concerning Gibraltar notwithstanding the continuous flow of insults from the land of Milk and Honey, what a pity we do not have Oil or any other worthwhile commodity, the only one is Loyalty to the Crown but believe you me this is shun upon by the unelected Mandarins. Yours faithfully, W.L.Chamberland. Rock smog Dear Sir, I stayed at a friend’s the other night in Santa Margarita, his house has a great view of the Rock, however it also had an even better view of the smog coming from the power station hovering over Gib. Driving in next morning I thought there was a fire in Gib, but no, once I was closer I could clearly see all 3 chimneys are emitting fumes and out doing yesterdays cloud. It’s really some view, I'd recommend crossing the border to get a picture, god knows what that’s doing to the air quality already made bad by cars, mopeds and the ever abundant queues. David Jones No culture is above the law Dear Sir, As a follower of all matters related to my native Gibraltar, reading Panorama is a must, and your Letters section ranks at the top, as it gives an insight into the current psyche of Gibraltarians at home. Most interesting is the reaction against the Instituto Cervantes’ bullfighting conferences. If cruelty to animals is against the law in British Gibraltar, how can conferences on bullfighting be legally authorised? What next? Conferences on how to denude Gibraltarians of their identity? It is troubling to read that a foreign entity can dictate its own terms in Gibraltar on a subject that is illegal, inhumane and repulsive. No culture is above the law. Kind regards from Australia, Mano Will someone tell them that Gibraltar is part of the Commonwealth Dear Sir, Can anyone out there believe that in the 21st Century a Nation can still be so bigoted, that Spain should lodge a formal protest because HRH Prince Edward is to visit Gibraltar as part of the celebrations for Her Majesty’s Jubilee. Will someone at the seat of Government tell them once and for all that Gibraltar is part of the Commonwealth, is British and that their attitude is most definitely akin to Banana Republics. Prince Edward belongs to the genuine Royal Household accepted under the provisions of Article v of Utrecht and if they care to read and re-read Article ii of the same treaty there is no mention of the Bourbons but instead the name Savoy as Heirs and Successors, also no decent Country which lost a territory over 308 years ago would ever dream of insulting the other Nation, but if their feelingsare so incensed and they have some part of ‘golfing apparel’ they are at liberty to issue Legal Proceedings against the United Kingdom, but please remember that you may be asked under cross examination how you came about to acquire Minorca and Florida way back in 1783. Yours faithfully. W.L.Chamberland Spanish interference in Gibraltar's internal affairs Dear Sir, The Voice of Gibraltar Group condemns the interference in our internal matters resulting from the complaint over the forthcoming visit of The Earl and Countess of Wessex. Although the UK media reports this as being over ‘the disputed territory of Gibraltar’ we ask the question where does this ‘dispute’ really exist? Have Spain taken their claim to the territory to the European Court? No, because they lack the courage as well as any basis for a claim. Gibraltar was conquered, always the basis of a good title, by the British in 1704. In 1713 the Spanish King signed a treaty handing it to the British Crown in perpetuity and binding his heirs and successors to honour that agreement. The only issue outstanding is that Gibraltar remains on the UN list of non-self-governing territories, because Spain continues to obstruct its delisting. Gibraltar today is manifestly self-governing, and its time the UK press dropped the derogatory title ‘colony’ from their pages and articles. Britain does not have colonies any more, and even if it did, we are not one of them. Santiago Cabanas Ansorena, the Spanish Foreign Policy director, needs to wake up and realise that Gibraltar will never be Spanish and that he is wasting his time whinging about what happens here. He should instead look towards Argentina where Spanish companies and assets are being ripped off by ‘his friends’ instead of Gibraltar where we provide jobs and a livelihood to Spaniards who can find neither in their homeland. This year we celebrate OUR Queen's Diamond Jubilee to mark 60 years of the her reign. For much of that time, Spain was a dictatorship and it is only of late that they have brought their royal family out of mothballs. Given the current severe economic crisis in Spain it seems they are cutting back on funding their royals and Iñaki Urdangarin, the Duke of Palma and consort to the Infanta Cristina, youngest daughter of King Juan Carlos of Spain, is at the centre of an investigation into the embezzlement of public funds. But these are their internal affairs, and like what happens in Gibraltar, nobody else’s concern. Jim Watt Julio Pons Spokesmen for the VOGG A silly answer Dear Sir, I disagree completely with the views expressed by Leo Olivero in defence of the Royal Navy and indeed his criticism of the Gibraltarians. It is understandable that Gibraltarians should be expressing their frustrations and pent-up feelings of restraint after two years of seeing Britain do nothing to defend Gibraltar and its territorial waters and the MoD only interested in safeguarding the Naval Base. The MoD press communiqué, on the non-intervention of the Royal Navy on the incident between the Spanish paramilitary vessels and the Gibraltar police that it is never appropriate on a matter of civilian enforcement - it is the silliest piece of excuse yet to appear in the media from the MoD. But no doubt it will be surpassed in future statements as the worried MoD authorities in Gibraltar seek to justify their position. The impression given in the communiqué is that we are a lot of moronic fools incapable of political thought. Obviously, what they will not say is that the MoD wants to keep within the limits of not upsetting and confronting Spain. I submit that the whole situation simply shows a lack of sincere political will on the MoD and the British foreign office to defend Gibraltar territorial waters - which are also British. How can the MoD dare say that this is a matter of civil law enforcement when in real and practical terms the Gibraltar police were confronting Spanish paramilitary vessels which invaded Gibraltar British territorial waters to stop and conduct systematic checks on maritime vessels navigating through our territorial waters. The truth is that it is the Royal Navy who should be patrolling Gibraltar British territorial waters and confronting the armed paramilitary vessels who behave militantly, not the civil Gibraltar police with their unarmed vessels. Yours sincerely, Francis Gonzalez 'The collapse of the three pillars of society.' Dear Sir, The present world scenario must be a grave source of concern, frustration, worry and anxiety for the average person who feels helpless at the grave and life-altering events that have transpired during the last few years. For a start, 'The World Financial Crisis.' has created a situation where the average taxpayers have had to fund the banks so that they can continue lending money, despite the banks being the culprits for the creation of such a crisis. Once again the average tax-payers have been the victims of all these world banks excesses. There are those who deny that there is such a crisis as cruise liners are full of passengers, restaurants are full of clients and holiday resorts are full of tourists. I have noticed that most cruise-liner passengers who visit Gibraltar are senior citizens. I suppose these latter are the ones that have worked and saved all their lives and who now dispose of a good pension and the time to enjoy themselves. Few people mention all the homelessness, joblessness and concomitant traumas this world crisis has had on the poor. At one end of the spectrum we have the young unemployed who can't even afford to go inside a bar to have a drink. In Spain we often hear and see in T.V. 'La Noche del Botellon' where thousands of youths buy cheap wine and Casera and get drunk on the streets and Plazas all over Spain. These youthful conglomerations cause a lot of trouble and inconvenience to the whole neighbourhoods due to the excessive noise they cause and the mess they leave behind. This is tragic because young people have the energy, enthusiasm and vitality and need to enjoy themselves more than senior citizens, but when unemployment affects those who are from 18 to 24 years we have a situation that is quite the reverse of what nature dictates. Then we have the Second Pillar of society crumbling. By this I mean the Political one. In U.K. the 'Expenses Scandal' left us in no doubt as to the lack of honesty and accountability of many British Politicians from all political parties. In Spain, almost every Ayuntamiento is involved in financial scandals; Marbella being the worst of them all. One only has to switch on the TV and watch any Spanish, channel to find out the latest Alcalde or Alcaldesa who has been caught money laundering, malversacion de fondos, cohecho and many other misdeeds; far too many to mention in one letter. To make matters worse, the law in Spain is very slow and it takes years before all these cases go to court. To mention a few, the infamous Juan Carlos Juarez Arriola, former Alcalde of La Linea is still wandering around SotoGrande where he lives as a free man after he ruined the Ayuntamiento of La Linea. Sr. Julian Muñoz is still walking around a free man when he is reputed to have committed more than one hundred financial crimes. He is seen in the best restaurants and hotels all over the coast with his new girlfriend. He drives the best cars, wears the best suits and gold watches and yet he admits he has no money even though he gets paid more than 100,000 Euros each time he appears in Spanish TV. (What Cheek!) Lastly, and lamentably, the Catholic Church is the Third Pillar of society to sink into a bottomless abyss of sin and cover-up. This church has a lot to pay and ask forgiveness for after all the paedophile cases have come to light involving Catholic priests, This has forced the Pope to apologise to all the affected victims of such violations. It has also cost the church many Billions of Pounds and Dollars in compensation and we haven't heard the end of the story yet. Another very grave and serious issue that has recently come to light in Spain is the issue of stolen babies. A certain Catholic nun by the name of Sor. Maria has been blamed for participating in such a conspiracy, scandal and blatant abuse of her vows. When motherhood, which is the most sacred, beautiful and holy state a woman can enjoy is not respected and is made into a mockery and a business by those very people who are entrusted with it's professional discharge like doctors, specialists, midwives, nurses and in this case nuns, it becomes a crime crying out to high Heaven for vengeance. I was a believer when I was young. Nowadays I am a cynic. I presume the same must be the case with millions of other people who are intelligent enough to know, understand and appreciate what is happening in this world of ours which we call 'HOME' Thanking You, Tito Valerga
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