If one is to take Mr. Terence Mustoe seriously - your issue of 21st Aug, refers - and I am not yet sure this is the writer's intention. The whole thing, of course, is nonsense.
I see no valid reason why I should be involved in a face to face discussion on a controversial issue that I have already made crystal clear what are my views on the strength of my argument and the strength of my conviction.
He seems to have overlooked the fact that we have indulged ourselves in a series of juggling correspondence to maintain a balance and therefore would be a waste of time to carry on discussing or indeed by correspondence to this newspaper.
Yours sincerely,
Francis Gonzalez
28-07-15 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR
Why not televise it?
Dear Sir,
Now that it is known about the 7th Sept evacuation concert at the Victoria Stadium complex, it wouldn't be a bad idea for GBC to televise the event since not every Gibraltarian can go to the concert on the day.
Thank you
I remain
Yours faithfully
C.A. Alvarez
28-07-15 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR
BREAKING NEWS: Spain gives UK full explanation on shooting incident; confirmed that live shots fired; cooperation to be stepped up
August 28, 2015
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office says that it has received a full explanation of the incident last Saturday when a Spanish SVA customs vessel opened fire in British Gibraltar Territorial Waters. It has been confirmed that live shots were fired. Law enforcement cooperation is to be stepped up.
A Foreign Office Spokesman said: "We remain deeply concerned at the fact that live shots are now confirmed to have been fired during this incident and we have been reassured by the Spanish Government that safety of lives at sea is a top priority for all concerned and their law enforcement agencies will operate with the utmost respect for this principle in order that this is fully upheld in the future.
"Without prejudice to our respective positions on questions of sovereignty and jurisdiction, it has been agreed to step up law enforcement cooperation in the fight against organised crime, including through timely co-operation and notification by the various seaborne agencies of pursuits of vessels involved in illegal activities to ensure effective action against criminals and a commitment to a mutual provision and exchange of evidence in order to better facilitate the successful prosecution of criminals in the relevant courts and tribunals."
Midnight29.08.2015 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR
Former Governor is Chancellor of Gibraltar's university
August 28, 2015
Former Governor Lord Luce has been appointed Chancellor of the University of Gibraltar. The Chancellor is the non-executive titular head of the University.
He currently sits on the Cross Benches of the House of Lords as an independent Life Peer and is the High Steward of Westminster Abbey. His career spans the army (National Service), the Overseas Civil Service,business, parliament (Conservative MP for 21 years), a Minister for 10 years (Minister of State,Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Arts and the Civil Service), Vice Chancellor of the University of Buckingham as well as Governor of Gibraltar.
Lord Luce retired in 2006 having served for six years as Lord Chamberlain to The Queen, the senior official in the Royal Household. He is serving or has served as a President, Chairman or Trustee of a number of charitable bodies. In 2008 The Queen made him a Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter.
Lord Luce has continued to be a regular visitor to Gibraltar, most recently in November 2014 where he was a speaker at the Gibraltar Philanthropy Forum.
Education minister Gilbert Licudi said that he was truly delighted that Lord Luce has accepted his invitation to become the first Chancellor of the University.
He added: "With his enormous experience particularly in Government, with the Royal Household and in Higher Education, he brings unique attributes and experience to this post. He will undoubtedly prove to be an asset and an excellent ambassador for the University of Gibraltar."
RENEWING LINK
Commenting on his appointment as Chancellor, Lord Luce said: "It is an immense privilege for me to accept Mr Licudi's invitation to become Chancellor of the new University of Gibraltar. It is a most exciting and well prepared venture with a fine team of academics and an excellent system of governance. It is a pleasure to be able to renew my former link with Gibraltar through the University. My wife Rose and I retain a great affection and admiration for all the people of Gibraltar."
The appointment of Lord Luce as Chancellor puts in place the final piece of the University's structure. As has already been confirmed, the University will be inaugurated on 21 September with the term starting on 28 September.
*Full details of the courses on offer can be found on the University's website
28-07-15 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR
GMF could form record label for local musicians in the future
August 28, 2015
The PANORAMA interview
With just a week left before what has been dubbed the greatest ever music event we have ever seen on the Rock, one of the organisers of the Gibraltar Music Festival took a few minutes out from his busy schedule to give us a lowdown on how things were going. Jonathan Scott from production company Word of Mouth explained just how important this event was for local bands who wanted to take their game to the next level.
"We hope their profile is elevated by taking part in the event," said Scott. "All of them are always really positive about it and they really enjoy the exposure. I'm a massive fan of Headwires, This Side Up, Jeremy Perez and Guy Valarino who are all young hardworking musicians who have a great future in music, although it is enough about luck as it is about talent.
"You could easily see any of them performing a great single and playing on UK radio to make a name for themselves but they need to be work hard at both the music and the contacts. And if someone said they had been signed up to a record label I wouldn't be surprised."
With all the artists getting changing rooms at the Tercentenary Sports Hall, Scott expressed to us how it gives around 30 of our local acts a point of contact with international stars: "They can learn how to launch that first record, how often they practice and how difficult it was to get that breakthrough and all the normal things that musicians have to deal with.
"It's a beautiful thing if you can make a living out of it but it's a lifestyle to get going, even for the big stars who, although they enjoy it, have their own challenges. One of the things that we're proud of is that local artists get to perform on a stage with one of the best sound systems in the world, brilliant lights and massive screens. It is one of the pinnacles of their music year.
"In the long-term one of our goals is to create more of a local music scene so that in five years' time we have a GMF record label to help get these bands to play in other festivals in Spain and UK."
Double work
Scott was involved from the first GMF back on 8 September 2012, when along with Owen Smith they agreed to bring over Jesse J while Dylan Ferro booked Ali Campbell from UB40 and along some local bands put out our stall to the musical world. They brought Scottish rock band Texas the next year, followed by The Script in 2014 and are now breaking new ground with worldwide big hitters Kings of Leon.
But Owen Smith, who worked with Scott in organising the GMF, told Panorama that it proved no mean feat to bring over the international superstars: "It was a very long process to secure an act like Kings of Leon. It took months of negotiations even before last year's festival to get acts for the this edition of the event. But it was an enjoyable experience even though it was such hard work."
Smith and Scott established a production company called Word of Mouth combining with Dylan Ferro's Active Media to put on the GMF show every September in the height of the National Week celebrations. Together they go through a production list of over 100 items, which this year is complicated even more by the fact that for the first time, the event will be held over two days.
"Last year we set up once before we were able to bring everything down," recalled Scott. "This time we will set up for Saturday night and as soon as that finishes we have to start setting things up for the Sunday.
"In some respects it means putting up twice as many lights because Duran Duran asked for different ones to Kings of Leon and you have to see how you can put them together and make it work over the weekend."
28-07-15 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR
GSD member resigns Parliamentary seat
August 28, 2015
GSD elected member Isobel Ellul-Hammond has resigned her seat in Parliament with immediate effect.
This is another blow for the Feetham-lead Opposition. She had decided to become a backbencher and now leaves Parliament completely.
In a letter to the Speaker Adolfo Canepa, she says that there are various reasons why she leaves politics. "Mainly, I am keen to get started on my new job as the GHA's Cancer Services Coordinator, commencing 1st September, which will enable me to give positive and valuable service to the community and which I am unable to do from the Opposition benches," she writes.
But what is particularly damaging politically, for Mr Feetham and the GSD, is the next sentence in her letter where she says: "Additionally, my Party no longer inspires me nor does it give me confidence for the future."
Predicting that the GSD will not win the upcoming general election, she adds: "I would be unable to cope with another four years of lethargy in Opposition."
Another political dimension that flows from her resignation is that her husband, Trevor Hammond, is the party's Chairman. That the party no longer inspires her and that, nor does it give her confidence for the future, is an indictment for both party leader Mr Feetham and Chairman Mr Hammond.
Both Feetham and Hammond have been at the helm of the scaremongering campaign about the new power station, even before the final conclusions to be taken by the Government have not been known. It has been seen as reflecting a high level of political irresponsibility.
Normally, when an MP resigns his or her seat in Parliament there follows a by-election, however this is thought to be unlikely in this case given the immediacy of the general election.
RESIGNATION LETTER IN FULL
"Dear Mr Speaker,
"Re: Resignation of Seat in Parliament
"In compliance with Section 29(3) of the 2006 Gibraltar Constitution Order, I hereby give notice of the resignation of my seat in Parliament as a Backbench MP for the Opposition as from today, Thursday 27th August 2015.
"There are various reasons why I leave politics. Mainly, I am keen to get started on my new job as the GHA's Cancer Services Coordinator, commencing 1st September, which will enable me to give positive and valuable service to the community and which I am unable to do from the Opposition benches.
"Additionally, my Party no longer inspires me nor does it give me confidence for the future. I would be unable to cope with another four years of lethargy in Opposition.
"It has been an honour and a privilege to have served with you during this Parliament and I thank you for all your assistance during this time.
"With my very best wishes
"Yours truly
"Isobel"
Chief minister thanks Mrs Ellul-Hammond
The Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, in his capacity as Leader of the House in Parliament, has thanked Mrs Isobel Ellul-Hammond for her service as a Member of Parliament since December 2011.
Mr Picardo said: "Although we have been on opposite sides in Parliament I have enjoyed a good working relationship with Isobel throughout her time as an MP. I thank her on behalf of the whole
House ad the People of Gibraltar for her service in Parliament and look forward to her continued contribution to the Community in the area of cancer care which is so close to her heart. Isobel has a lot to give in this area and the GHA and Gibraltar will no doubt greatly benefit as a result of her future endeavours."
28-07-15 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR
Picardo and Franco to work together for mutual interests of Gibraltar and La Linea
August 28, 2015
New La Linea mayor Juan Franco hopes to go even further than his predecessor in his relationship with Gibraltar.
This is the message from the man who formed a combined majority local government after his party 100% La Linea won an equal nine seats to pip Gemma Araujo's PSOE to power back in March.
"We want to have a relationship with the Government of Gibraltar so we can work towards private investment in La Linea," said Franco. "We will continue the relationship of respect and collaboration but we will want to even increase it because [PSOE] could have gone even further.
"We want to create the right conditions so we can even take one more step so that at least they will be just as good and will end up materialising in a real impact on our towns."
The La Linea mayor said that rather than acting as an impediment, having the PP in his united council could have an effect in Madrid: "We are working well with the party at the moment and have a certain affinity to be able to take on what are our relations with Gibraltar.
"The fact that the Partido Popular are in the governmental team could give us access to national government institutions like the ministry for foreign affairs to put across that this is not the same council situation as anywhere else in Spain."
Co-existence
Chief Minister Fabian Picardo called the meeting with Franco "a very positive first contact", looking forward to a healthy relationship with the young politician.
"We've had a very fluid discussion dealing with all areas of co-operation whether it is sport or investment in La Linea," said Picardo. "We all have the same view that it should be a very positive one in the interests of people on both sides of the frontier so there is a lot to be working on for the future.
"There's a lot of symbiosis between the what the people of Gibraltar and La Linea think, so what we are doing is work at that level where there is a great will to work together.
For his part, Franco (whose surname may create more stigma than his reputation) said "the bridges between La Linea and Gibraltar were stronger each time". He hoped to collaborate for co-existence between both sides of the border: "We are condemned to understand each other so during my mandate I hope to reinforce the cultural, social and economic matters maintaining our communications during the forthcoming months."
Spanish Govt wants tension
Picardo, challenged by the Spanish media over recent incursions, reinforced his view that "everyone who committed criminal acts be confronted by the relevant police force" although he said this was entirely under the jurisdiction of the RGP which is independent of Government.
"There seems to be a wish within some sections of the Government of the Spanish nation to create tensions with Gibraltar or the UK in relation to Gibraltar," he said. "What we want is that there be friendship between all the parties of the region as long as it is clear that Gibraltar has its own British jurisdictional zone which needs to be respected.
"We have tried to continue that tripartite process and it is the Spanish national government that is the only one that has left the table of dialogue."
The CM added that he did not want to comment further on the claim by Landaluce as to the nationality of the drug smugglers who supposedly hide in Gibraltar, and that anyone who believed such a thing "was living in a parallel universe and needed to see a psychologist".
28-07-15 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR
Will we get 'stuffed' again?
August 28, 2015
Dear Sir,
A quick resume of the last week or so in the never ending "Tale of two Cities" Gibraltar & its neighbours, who are more difficult to define.
Juan Franco, PP sympathiser, 100% of 100% (whatever that means) new Mayor of La Linea pays his first official visit to Gibraltar. Guess what for? "To develop cross border relations".
That in principle was what the Córdoba agreement was supposed to have aimed for and we all know how that ended. They got gullible, or not so gullible, Britain to pay £millions of retrospective pensions to Spanish workers who were withdrawn from their posts by another 'gentleman' fondly remembered as Francisco. And what did we get, "STUFFED".
Now in a week where an SVA patrol boat is caught on sound camera, allegedly firing shots at a Gibraltar leisure fishing boat, (let's not forget the 2013 incident where the GC were also filmed firing shots at a leisure jet skier), both in BGTW, the Mayor of Algeciras and PP senator Sñr Llandaluce replaying his malicious and vindictive diatribe against Gibraltar, the PP minister for Justice denying that Spanish law-enforcement officers throw bricks, but not the incident itself, the Assiación Unificada de La Guardia Civil politely requests a protocol for collaboration between them and The Royal Gibraltar Police with a 'before there is a serious accident' caveat, and of course last but neither least nor last our 'bosom-buddy' Minister for Foreign affairs (no love affair, let me assure you) jokes to his national democratic press cohorts that the incursions into BGTW are simply 'lawful excursions', yes excursion, against crime in what the Spanish Government continue to assert are Spanish waters.
Forgive for that long-winded sentence, but really is our new 'friend' Juan really seeking improving cross border relations "to our mutual satisfaction", or is this simply a sequel to Córdoba. It is more likely that, should we fall for it again, Juan ends up boasting to the La Linea electorate "see what voting for the PP has achieved for you", all this in the run-up to the Spanish government elections.
What about what we may be promised, but more likely never to receive?
We'll simply get "STUFFED" again. Unfortunately that's how it works with our EU Partners and NATO Allies, but surely the UK is fully aware of all this, and much more than we think.
The 'law of the funnel' is our neighbour's motto.
Good luck to us all,
Joe Brugada.
28-07-15 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR