According to the Daily Mail Britain is planning on a vote on July 23rd whether they want to remain in the European Union. Spain has threatened to invade Gibraltar if they do decide to leave.
Julia Reid, the party’s MEP for Gibraltar, lashed out at comments and warned off any move made by Spain.
She said: “Gibraltar has nothing to fear, any move for the outpost, which is as British and Britain itself, would be repelled, as every attempt has been for hundreds of years.
“And even if Britain votes to leave the EU, it doesn’t make any difference, Gibraltar will still be British territory and that’s that.
“It sounds more like an old communique from Buenos Aires, rather than a new one from Madrid.”
[Jose Manual Garcia-Margallo, Spain’s Foreign Minister] said “we’ll be talking about Gibraltar the very next day” if Britons vote to quit the bloc on June 23.
Britain got the tip of the Iberian Peninsula “in perpetuity” at the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 following the War of Spanish Succession. The Spanish had trouble fulfilling their obligations in the war against terror, but they’re willing to die on this hill? It doesn’t have the same strategic value that it had in the 18th century, so I’d just give it back to them and then leave the EU and see who gets the last laugh.
Gibraltar has some really mean Monkeys. We even had some E-3 and below stand monkey watch during our transit through one night in 1992 onboard CV-67.
They looked pretty damn sharp with their steel pots wrapped in Tin Foil, duty belts and nightsticks.
* puts coffee down * BWAAAAAHAAAAAAAHAAAAAAHAAAAA!
Gibraltar, like the Falkland islands, is British Territory. The Spaniards need to consult the Argentineans before going full retard with British territory.
they also need to consult their own history. 
Yeah, well, the British navy had a few more teeth back in 1982.
That being said, Spain, along with Greece, et al, are the EU welfare states, and they know if Britian leaves, so does their sugar tit.
They still have a Navy, and Gibraltar isn’t as far away from the UK as the Falkland Islands are… Maybe Argentina can try for an encore with the British not having as much teeth before…. “preepeep preepeep preepeep”…
Reading other articles on the topic, it appears that the more likely action that Spain would take would be financial, consistent with what they’ve done before when dealing with movement to and from Spain and Gibraltar, in order to make political statements and try to get a decision in their favor.
There’s also suggestion that they’re talking smack about taking more serious actions beyond that, just to “scare” the UK against exiting the EU.
Great. Let’s muddy the NATO waters while Putin and Daesh are wringing their hands. If Spain or Britain call for an Article 4 consultation it’ll be the 6th time in the organization’s history, all of which have happened since 2003.
See those storm clouds on the horizon?
I knew a fellow who had been a brown water Navy CPO in Vietnam. Somehow or other, the city Albuquerque came up in a conversation and he related that he always called it Alberturque, not out of fun but because he honestly thought Alberturque was the city’s name. I laughed. Well, it’s my turn now. When I saw “Gibraltar” in the thread, I thought nothing of it. I clicked the link to the UK paper and there was “Gibraltar.” Thought I, “Is there an alternate spelling or is that spelling a mistake?” Came back to the thread and, son of a gun, Jonn spelled it Gibraltar too. So, I googled it. Damn. Everybody spells it that way–except me. I would have bet the house that Gibraltar was Gibralta. So, there you go. Alberturque and Gibralta.
And lets not even get into the great debate about if there should be one or two ‘R’s in Albuquerque!
Well, if there are two, I’ll borrow one and stick it on Gibralta’s ass.
All I know is I’m not taking a left turn there
No, you are supposed to make a left, otherwise you’ll end up at Pismo Beach.
Go to the Partridge Family; they’d know. ;o)
That’s OK, seem to recall you’re a New Englander and they never lose their Rs – anytime they lose one from a word ending in R like Gibraltar, they find it again on the end of words like Afriker or Cuber.
Well,they did lose their Rs against Denver….
I thought it was their “As” they lost against Denver. (smile)
I see what you did there…well played…
Hondo will be here all week. Try the veal.
we always said “gararage” and I thought that was how you said it until I was made fun of in college. regional pronunciations are very interesting. Now let me get back to my chowda
Spain’s economy sucks and they have high unemployment for their 20 something’s. Guess they need a distraction. It’s the same with the Argies and the Falklands.
Spain?
The only way they can beat England is on the soccer pitch, the English team hasn’t been relevant since they won the cup 50 years ago….but the Spaniards can play some futbol…
But their Army and Air Force? Against the Brits?
Wow, I don’t think they want the world to see just how much of a weak assed paper tiger they really are these days.
I love retard fights.
Cute little hissyfit on Spain’s part, I wonder what they’ll do or say next?
Oh, dear me. So all that effort by the Brits during the Peninsular Wars back in the day are just the drek of history, huh?
The Spaniards invade the island? (Well, not an island, exactly, just a peninsula.) Just think – all those vacay dollars and luxury yachts that spend money on the Spanish economy will go trundling off to Nice and other prime spots in the Med.
Anyone wonder how quickly Spain might change its mind when/if the money goes elsewhere?
Did they decide the Juan Carlos I needed to be a submarine instead of an amphibious assault ship?
No one expects the Spanish Inquisition! Diabolical laughter)
Fine, let Spain first return Ceuta and Melilla to Morocco before we even talk about Britain returning Gibraltar to Spain…
why are you bringing up inconvenient history like that?
I have visited Gibraltar twice, it’s my favorite foreign port. The Spanish have tried everything they could diplomatically and economically (including completely closing the border) in attempts to pressure the UK into returning the Rock to no avail since 1713. And having met numerous Gibraltarians in my visits, I know for a fact they consider themselves proud Brits. Any country that attempts an invasion of the Rock would be surprised by the amount of resistance they would encounter as every citizen took up arms to defend their homes. And you would be surprised at just how much military hardware can be hidden inside the Rock. 😉 One of the main reasons the Nazis never attempted to expel the Brits and their allies during WWII.
Well nobody said the Spanish were the smartest people on the block. Add a stagnant economy and high unemployment maybe they can afford a few pea shooters to attack the Brits.
Someone needs to remind España that The Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.
And for our Spanish Friends
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axByUFSa7N8&w=854&h=480%5D
The Brits still have a treaty of allegiance with Portugal, I think. So, tie down the Spanish forces on the Gibraltar front, mount an expedition from Portugal (all the while supplying the Basques with arms) and get some good old Peninsular war loot.
Yeah, the Brits aren’t going to do any of that-but this is not a silly game that the Spanish want to play.
All this kerfluffle needs is a few Spanish Galleons, a British Man O’War or two, and Errol Flynn.
Although I’m a big fan of Sir Francis Drake, this sounds more like a Nelson at Trafalgar kind of thing…
Sir Francis Drake was in charge of the English Armada? 😀
Edit fail, originally a history tidbit question.
My money is on Nelson. He was one genius of naval warfare. Well, that and being a true badass.
Nelson a badass, you bet. Consider he was shot and mortally wounded at Trafalgar and still won the battle.
The last time I checked, Spain was not a member of the Atomic Bomb club. England is! That fact alone should sober the Spanish up. That, and the fact that the only segment of the Spanish economy not on life support is british fueled tourism.
No one is going to talk about the Great Siege? Didn’t turn out so well for Spain….
“… so I’d just give it back to them and then leave the EU and see who gets the last laugh.”
I wouldn’t give an inch and then leave the EU.
Never give in to losers and/or parasites. You gain nothing good from it but do encourage further loserism and parasitic infestations.
“Never give in to losers and/or parasites. You gain nothing good from it but do encourage further loserism and parasitic infestations.”
That sounds much like this administration’s foreign policy. Draw a line in the sand then claim victory/success while backing up to draw yet another line in the sand.
I remember a news clip right after 9/11, FOX news I think, in which they, the Spaniards, were holding a nationally-televised ceremony stating they were joining the United States in fighting world terror.
The same news organization gave them credit for being the first ones officially coming forward to stand beside the US in the GWOT.
I know they have not fulfilled their commitment, per se, but just an observation.