British warship in 'routine' Gibraltar visit

[Herr-Berbunch]

Originally Posted by BossMark

Just my bloody luck booked to go to Majorca in about 4 weeks time and our bloody lousy government as to go and pick a fight with Spain

You'll be perfectly fine, just about all the locals rely on tourist's cash in some way, and your far enough away from the mainland for it to seem unrealistic.

I think if it came to a vote of the world's nations the UK would lose hands down - but I still think it's right we're there as we have been for hundreds of years.

[Jimbuna]

Gibraltar was captured by an Anglo-Dutch force in 1704 then ceded to Britain "in perpetuity" in 1713....300 years ago.

[Herr-Berbunch]

That's right, hundreds of years.

I can't believe that Illustrious has deployed on this exercise. Still, all those Whitehall pen pushers could launch paper aeroplanes from it.

The Spanish must be bricking it.

[Jimbuna]

I've heard we are even bring the sole surviving Vulcan back into service, just in case Argentina does support the claim

Can you believe this?

What ? Cameron deciding that he likes the European courts now.

Gibraltar was captured by an Anglo-Dutch force in 1704 then ceded to Britain "in perpetuity" in 1713....300 years ago.

In perpetuity? you mean like hong kong was.

[Herr-Berbunch]

Wasn't HK only on a 99 year lease?

Wasn't HK only on a 99 year lease?

No.
Territory under the first and second conventions was in perpetuity.
New territories under the third convention were on the 99 year deal.

[Herr-Berbunch]

Thanks for clarifying

No worries, there are other examples but Hong Kong is always handy example against the two most common arguments put forward on overseas territories.

[BossMark]

My thoughts are with the unfortunate people of Gibraltar just now.

Stuck between a rock and a hard-up place.

[Herr-Berbunch]

^

It's a lovely place, I remember being woken from my drunken slumber on a bench by a Gibraltarian in a British bobby's outfit. Apparently it's not allowed there.

I won't say what happened shortly after, it's a diplomatic low point in my life, but I got a lift back to my accomodation.

[Jimbuna]

First ship I joined was at Gibraltar and it was only on landing I realised they lowered the railway crossing-like barriers because the road cut across the runway.

[Herr-Berbunch]

It only closes a few times a day now, mostly for civvy flights, I'd love to have been there when it was militarily busier.

[Jimbuna]

I'm going back to 77, we were a civvie flight inbound from Luton Airport but it was late evening so I never got to see anything, besides...we left the port about 2 or 3 am iirc.

[the_tyrant]

I was there 2 months ago, beautiful place, don't miss it.

I don't think the Spanish would succeed in their claim, after all, Gibraltar was "Spanish" for a shorter period of time than it was British. The Brits have controlled Gibraltar for 300 + years and counting. The Spanish have controlled it for only 242 years.