However in Gibraltar where one, on the other hand notes a certain apathy from the man in the street over this whole brexit matter, and to some degree from the opposition; one must come to the conclusion that this can only be due to our ample faith in the work that has been and continues to be carried out by our Government.

There was a British official who told the Telegraph, that if the UK was to prepare for a move away from the EU, that it would trigger a revolution in better laws; with every corner of Whitehall to be uprooted in what might well become one of the more radical revisions of the British state since the 2nd world war. But is this happening?

Britain’s prosperity to some degree also depends on the UK`s chance to cut red tape and make it more competitive. They could also create the necessary infrastructure for their fish food production, so they would no longer have to buy their own fish back, caught in their own waters from the Netherlands! According to the Observer, the big issues at present are the fisheries; which I also highlighted recently; and Gibraltar, which will come back with a vengeance with the backstop hanging over the UK. Surely not Gibraltar? I believe that agreements can always change, if the signatories want to change. The EU is known to be a fractious bloc, which is often unable to agree on anything much. British compromises may yet be enough to create a change in tone from EU negotiators.

In Poland, for example, their key concerns are the UK budget contributions, and the million Poles living in the UK.

For Spain on the other hand, it’s not their millions of Spaniards living and working in the UK, nor its corporate interests, that give it any concern. For them it’s EU solidarity. How quaint!

Naturally their budget contributions does not worry them in the slightest, because they know that the EU will be standing by to give them all the necessary funds they need, as they have done countless times before.

Now the EU in the same way as Spain uses Gibraltar as a guinea pig in their Spanish- Anglo relations, has adopted the same guidelines, so to speak, when dealing with the UK. Brussels has not only become Spain’s guardian and enforcer, but now uses Gibraltar as the UK`s albatross.

The EU, despite its constant bravado, is not going through its best moments shall we say. If you look at France; one of its major pillars; it has seen major disruption to its services on account of the street riots; as happened in Cataluña, albeit the other way around; as it was the police who were on the attack with protesters on the defensive.

Their private sector has been badly hit, and has ground to a halt. No wonder that the package of 50 million Euros of help set for this year has been criticized by Italy as discriminatory; because of the pressure they have been receiving from the EU to bring down its budget deficit.

Meanwhile in Germany; another of Brussel’s pillars; its private sector activity has weakened to a four year low; with Germany terrified of a no deal brexit. They may by now have realized that the UK is the 5th largest destination for its goods; with 750,000 jobs depending on said exports.

The president of the Germany Industry federation says that they have only three months left, and nobody should be applying games; because without an agreement there is no transition phase, which threatens massive consequences for its economy.

People like Mr. Junker; who happens to have a very distasteful way of treating his fellow female delegates; have insisted that their treatment of the UK is not about punishment, but protection; but the cracks are showing in their rhetoric. In trying to keep the bloc’s unity intact; they were disregarding their members` interests and how they would be affected by the UK`s departure.

Perhaps after all, Theresa May has been playing her cards to her advantage, by slowing down decisions to be taken; and in this way, give everyone time to better consider their options.

The economic slowdown may yet force the EU to climb down on brexit. Although, Sir Crispin Tickell, who was on the negotiating team at the time when the UK was seeking to enter the common market; said the UK government thought that if a high profile negotiation of this kind lingered on too long, there would be a severe risk of a change of mood in the country, which would be hostile to the whole enterprise.

People did not understand what it was about then, and they still don’t now. Curiously when the UK was to join the EC, the terms were unclear. Now when the UK decides to leave, the terms still appear unclear i.e. with no overall vision of what can be achieved. At the end of the day it’s all a question of degrees and shades.

11-01-19 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR