blnymph
Posts: 1613
Joined: 11/13/2010 Status: offline
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I do not not see anyone bitching about voters (or non-voters) for or against Brexit (nor Turmp - for once all this is not about Trump ...) The Gibraltar issue is not a sovereignty issue; there has has been a referendum not so long ago in Gibraltar with a clear pro-UK majority and nobody (to my knowledge) challenged that. Forthcoming is a border issue about an open or shut border, or how to keep it as open as possible for thousands of commuters, btw in the interest of Gibraltar economy because even as an UK territory Gibraltar economy is nonetheless very dependant on Spain. Almost the same situation in Ireland: Even unionists agree that both parts of Ireland benefitted from the open border and it was vital for the peace process there. After the Good Friday agreement, however, both governments have to cooperate on that issue (something the EU paragraph on Gibraltar implies too). Brexit has implications and consequences for everybody there. The Tories are silent about it - BJ seems to have not yet realised it even. Their present postion (so they say) is a trade union with free movement of goods but no free movement of citizens. They sell it to the public now as a kind of EFTA member status like Norway, Iceland, Switzerland. BUT: there is no limitation of movement of citizens between EU and EFTA - it is part of the EU-EFTA treaties. A future EFTA Britain could not limit free movement of citizens. A kind of trade "union" like the Tories want it is only possible on the basis of the World Trade Organisation agreements. Nothing new. The only new thing would be the Tories declaring that simple fact publicly. They haven't so far. Most of these treaties to my knowledge have been negotiated, agreed on and signed by Tory governents over the past decades btw. They should know what's in there. No doubt blaming Brussels for it is easier and more popular of course.
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