Do You Care About Gibraltar?

Spain is getting all up in Britain's grill about which country Gibraltar belongs to. As a British overseas territory home to around 30,000 souls, there are a lot of people who think the slab of rock should stay part of UK territory, and a lot of sceptics who reckon Spain are just using this topic to distance themselves from other domestic and political issues.

Regardless of the reasoning, I wanted to know what the people of London thought about the situation, so I asked a few of them a question: Do you give a shit about Gibraltar?

Nici, 40, global safety adviser: Does the UK still have any actual hold there?

VICE: The current government’s intention is to hold onto Gibraltar for as long as the people of Gibraltar want to remain British. Unfortunately the Spanish government is now talking (again) about imposing punitive border taxes and closing airspace.
Fair enough.

So do you care about any of that?
I care from an empathetic point of view. If I lived there I’m sure I wouldn’t be happy with it. Does it directly affect me, where I care as much as I probably should? To be honest with you, before you mentioned it, I had no idea.

Chris, 22, recruitment consultant: Holy shit. Okay. Is this to do with the Spanish levy?

Yeah.
It’s probably to divert attention. The prime minister is extremely corrupt there [in Spain]. They've got an amazing unemployment rate and the economy’s just fucked overall, isn’t it?

So you think it’s a hobby horse to beat when shit is hitting the fan in Spain?
I think it’s being used to divert attention away from other things. From the prime minister’s point of view, they’re under such a large amount of pressure that it seems like a smart idea to divert attention to something quite menial and make a big issue out of it.

But do you, as a British citizen, care about any of that?
Of course. I care about any British territory.

Isn't Gibraltar a vestige of an imperial past that has no place in the 21st century?
I completely agree with that. But, at the end of the day, we’ve moved past that phase – the people of Gibraltar and the people of the Falklands have spoken and they want to remain part of the UK. They’ve adopted a British lifestyle.

What if mainland Spain had a referendum and the majority of Spaniards said, “We consider Gibraltar to be Spanish”? What then?
I don’t think it’s up to the people of Spain. It’s up to the people of Gibraltar. It shouldn’t be up to us or Spain.

Olivier, 26, recruitment consultant: The first thing I think is, 'Why now?' Gibraltar has been British for so long – why bring it up now?

So you think it’s a way for the Spanish authorities to divert attention from significant issues, like their economy?
That’s what happens in any country when there’s any social or economic issue.

Do you care about any of this?
To us, as individual British citizens living on mainland UK, at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter. But to individual Gibraltarians who see themselves as being part of the UK, that’s their identity and they want to keep that. It should be their choice, not ours.

Mai, 23, graphic design student: Uh…

It’s the British territory on the tip of Spain.
Oh, yes. I don’t give a shit because I’ve never been. My flatmate went. He loved it.

What did he love about it?
I’m trying to remember… He said it’s really English, but the people there live a Spanish lifestyle.

That sounds kind of fun, I guess? Should it stay British territory?
I don’t know. I don’t really have an opinion.

Fine.

Alex, 18, in the process of joining the British army: About my what?

Do you care about Gibraltar?
Oh, that’s in Greece…

Spain, actually.
Oh. Not too much.

How come?
Because I don’t know too much about it. I know the army’s there and stuff – or the air force.

Well, everyone there is British and Spain is pissed off about it. Now Spain is talking about shutting down airspace and imposing big taxes on those who cross the border. As a British citizen, do you care?
I’m interested in it – so yeah, a little bit.

Do you view it as a remnant of the British Empire that has no place in 2013?
A little bit, yeah.

I get the feeling that, actually, you care very little about this subject.
The weird thing is I’m joining the army.

That is weird.

Previously – Do You Know Who Robert Mugabe Is?