Chapter 48: The Prisoner

When I was a teenager I enjoyed watching a psychedelic TV series from the 1960s called the Prisoner. It was about a former secret agent trapped on an island (referred to as 'The village') off which there was no escape. Every time he tried to escape, a giant white balloon (called Rover) would obstruct him. If it sounds weird, it was! But hay it was the 60s 'man'. There are many things about Gibraltar that remind me of this show.

Colourful dinky houses in the fictional 'Village' 

Firstly it was set on an island. I have often felt Gibraltar is like an island, with much of its food imported from the UK. Secondly, some of the architecture in Gibraltar, such as the colourful houses at Catalan bay, is very evocative of the prisoner.

Colourful dinky houses in Gibraltar. 

Thirdly, 'The Village' in the show was small. Like Gibraltar you could probably drive it in 10 minutes. The buildings were compact and old, and the streets narrow. Sound familiar? 

Narrow streets in 'The Village' with no pavement.

Gibraltar - can you believe buses drive down here!

However, when I try to leave Gibraltar, it is not a big white balloon that is obstructing me, but the Spanish border. Let me explain. Sure it's easy enough to leave Gibraltar on a plane to the UK, assuming you don't mind: a) sitting on the tarmac for a couple of hours while your plane is delayed; or b) a fire on board, as happened recently on a British Airways flight from Gibraltar to the UK. No, what I'm talking about is the difficulty crossing the land border into Spain. In my early months in Gibraltar, it was fairly easy to walk over to Spain and back. Avid readers of the blog may remember that in Chapter 18 I recounted the story of visiting a friend in La Linea for a drink one evening. I was only in Spain for a couple of hours, and the border staff just stamped my passport and let me go on my merry way. This was because when Gibraltar left the EU after Brexit, it began negotiating an agreement with Spain and the EU to allow fluid movement of people across the land border between Gibraltar and Spain. This is very important for Gibraltar, as many Gibraltarians have houses in Spain, or use Spanish services, and many Spanish work in Gibraltar. Spain agreed to a temporary arrangement while negotiations were underway.

It's not Rover stopping me leaving Gib

However, while Gibraltar and the UK expected this arrangement to continue until a treaty had been signed, things changed in December 2023. I noticed this change when I tried to visit my Mum who was staying in Spain (Chapter 36). While I had previously just shown my passport at the Frontier, I now needed to explain why I was entering Spain to the Spanish border police, and provide evidence (requiring to show my Mum's hotel booking). While I got through customs that time, apparently hundreds of people crossing from Gibraltar have been denied entry to Spain recently. As non-EU citizens need to show proof of a Spanish address to cross the border, it means that I can no longer make day trips to Spain for a drink, meal, or just to explore. If I want to go to Spain I need to book a hotel. Those are the breaks of Brexit many EU citizens say, and that may be true. But for a small region on the border of the EU it's caused quite a lot of problems (as Northern Ireland also discovered).

The Spanish Border Control- more of a deterrent than Rover!

As I mentioned the Gibraltar and UK governments are working on a treaty with Spain and the EU to resolve this issue. However it is now the sixteenth round of negotiations, and a deadline for an agreement by Christmas 2023 has come and gone. Whether you are for or against Brexit, I think most people would agree that it's implementation has left a lot to be desired. In an ironic twist of fate, Lord Cameron, (formerly just David Cameron the Prime Minister, who resigned after Brexit), now as foreign secretary, has to sort out the complexities of Brexit in Gibraltar. These complexities hadn't even been considered when the Brexit referendum took place, while he was Prime Minister. If he can do it though, I'll no longer be The Prisoner!

Call me Dave.


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