Spain has never given up the notion of reversing the part of the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht which ceded Gibraltar to the United Kingdom in perpetuity, but its latest effort, courtesy of the European Union, defies belief.
It seems that part of the EU's negotiating stance over the UK's departure form the Union is to make an issue of the status of Gibraltar as a British Overseas Territory, something which is way outwith the purview of the EU; it has no more to do with the EU than does the status of Martinique as a French overseas department or the assorted islands held by Spain and to which Morocco lays claim.
Does the European Union want the UK to start making loud noises about matters such as these or is it a simple negotiating ploy ? After all, Spanish fishermen could well lose vital rights to fish in British waters if the negotiations flounder, so what better than to find some issue which can be used as a bargaining chip : Spain will not pursue its demands regarding Gibraltar if the UK safeguards the rights of Spanish fishermen.
Frankly, I'd tell Spain and the EU to go to hell; Gibraltar is British and almost its entire population wishes to remain so. What the UK government should now do is to make it very clear to the EU and Spain that the position of Gibraltar is not on the table, full stop.
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