Brexit: Gibraltar going different path

Earlier this month I last talked about Brexit regarding the relations between the United Kingdom and the European Union in the post Brexit period. mrlimitless95.blogspot.com 

Yesterday, the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favour of the UK - EU trade deal (TCA = trade and cooperation agreement). thelondoneconomic.com theguardian.com 

Although there is one thing I have not yet talked about is Gibraltar. British Overseas Territory that is near to Spain. 🇬🇮

I am sure many of you will remember the 2016 Brexit referendum when the UK voted to leave the European Union. Well Gibraltar also participated in the referendum. Gibraltarians had overwhelmingly voted against Brexit by 96%. It seems that was completely ignored by the press in the UK because I remember watching the news coverage on the night of the referendum results on BBC News when Gibraltar was actually the first voting area to declare the results before constituencies in the UK had mostly voted for Leave like Sunderland who was first constituency in the UK to declare the results of it. google.co.uk 

Just like Scotland, Northern Ireland & Metropolitan areas like London, Gibraltarian people & the Territory (Gibraltar) didn’t wanted Brexit & never wanted Brexit in the first place.

So why Gibraltar is going in the different path post Brexit? 

google.co.uk euractiv.com google.co.uk google.co.uk youtube.com 

In late December 4 months ago at the last minute, the UK & Spain have reached an agreement for GIB to continue having the EU freedom of movement on the basis that they will formally join the Schengen Area.🇬🇧🇬🇮🇪🇸🇪🇺 Given the fact the UK is out of the Single Market and the Customs Union. 

Now it has not yet happened. When it does eventually happen (Gibraltar in Schengen), there will be passport control for British nationals to go through while Spaniards & other EU nationals  can enter the Rock (Gibraltar) freely. t.co 

Especially that was bound to happen with Gibraltar following the EU rules. Brexit have really created problems. Whether the PM Boris Johnson, Conservative Brexit government & Brexiteers like it or not, Brexit is an huge disadvantage. 

In the past, Gibraltar have had voted in two previous referendums (1967 & 2002) to remain UK Overseas Territory two times. People of Gibraltar voted to remain British by not becoming Spanish & voted against the idea of shared sovereignty (British and Spanish) and Gibraltar have been British since 1713. The Treaty of Utrecht.

Now with the impact of Brexit, it seems that Gibraltar really wants to remain European by going in the different direction (that includes being part of the EU Schengen Area with 22 member states out of 27) and that will raise the question about the future of Gibraltar. Because eventually, in the distant future, Gibraltar might want to become Spanish (being part of Spain since Gib is near to Spanish town La Linea) & not being British anymore as UK Overseas Territory. I understand some of Gibraltarians wouldn’t necessarily want to become Spaniard. However because of the 2016 In/Out EU referendum (which was unnecessary at the time), the vast majority of Gibraltarians are anti Brexit. Especially the government of Gibraltar. 

So even with Gibraltarians prefer to stay British, in the long time, that might no longer be the case as Gibraltar goes for the different path in order to join the Schengen Area by retaining the freedom of movement & keeping the border between Gib & España open in order to prevent becoming a hard border. After all, Gibraltar’s future is in Europe. The European Union & eventually the Kingdom of Spain because of the effects of Brexit & that it could had been avoided if that didn’t happened at all. The UK & Gibraltar out of the EU & it’s economic structures: The Single Market and the Customs Union. No wonder we are already starting to wonder whether Brexit was really worth for the Whole United Kingdom since that both Northern Ireland and Scotland voted against Brexit whilst England and Wales voted for Brexit. 

Brexit could really mean the end of the UK. It is that the government have not seen nothing yet as next week in the Scottish Parliament election, SNP are projected to win the overall majority. That would mean a mandate for another Scottish independence referendum & the ongoing chaotic situation in Northern Ireland regarding the anger that there is a sea border in the Irish Sea, separating between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Like I said in the previous paragraph in this blog post, Brexit creates problems. 

With the questions already about the possible breakup of the UK, Gibraltar is seemingly to be on the move to lose Britishness as Gibraltar never wanted Brexit in the first place & that they are already in the position to join the Schengen Area.