Navy warships dispatched as Spain invades seas around Gibraltar

[OwlHoot]

From today's Daily Mail

Navy warships dispatched as Spain invades seas around Gibraltar

Royal Navy warships have forced heavily armed Spanish ships to retreat from British waters around Gibraltar.

Relations between the 30,000 residents of the British outpost and mainland Spain have become strained following what the Foreign Office described as 'a violation of British sovereignty'.

The warships were dispatched after Spanish ships sent boarding parties to inspect fishing boats in British waters, despite having no authority to do so.

Sounds like a rather pitiful and transparent attempt, secretly prearranged with Spain, to distract the public from the MPs' expenses scandal.

I wonder what Britain has conceded in return. To actually hand Gibraltar back in due course? Wouldn't put it past McDoom, in his desperation.

[bogeyman]

Oh gawd. Please don't tell me this is Brown's "Falklands Moment".

Surely there must be more belligerent powers he could gee up a war against.

[Cliphead]

Haven't seen any mainstream news references to this so far. Should I cancel my trip to Spain next month?

[bogeyman]

Haven't seen any mainstream news references to this so far. Should I cancel my trip to Spain next month?

Not at all old chap. Just make sure you pick up your complimentary tin hat and SA80 before you leave.

[Cliphead]

Not at all old chap. Just make sure you pick up your complimentary tin hat and SA80 before you leave.

Well prepared, they're only Spanish after all

[eliquant]

If true its a classic strategy from Spain, similar to that old B&W movie "The Mouse That Roared" where the plot was something along the lines of a small, economically weak country ,militarily defenceless country declares war on a more powerful nation only to surrender promptly and seek internaional aid for the terrible hardships that it's country has had to endure under "war" and the unbearable invasion led by an evil fat Scotsman.

But more likely the Spanish navy are doing manouvers and some journo idiot decided to form his own conclusions.

[BolshieBastard]

From today's Daily Mail

Navy warships dispatched as Spain invades seas around Gibraltar




Sounds like a rather pitiful and transparent attempt, secretly prearranged with Spain, to distract the public from the MPs' expenses scandal.

I wonder what Britain has conceded in return. To actually hand Gibraltar back in due course? Wouldn't put it past McDoom, in his desperation.

Sounds like gross paranoia to me.

[HairyArsedBloke]

Haven't seen any mainstream news references to this so far. Should I cancel my trip to Spain next month?

What you talking about. It's in The Sun: Spain invades British waters

It's also in The Express: RETURN OF THE ARMADA AS SPAIN ‘INVADES’ GIBRALTAR , but that is a comic.

Edit:

I wondered what the local press had to say.

Gibraltar Chronicle: BRITAIN TELLS SPAIN WATERS VIOLATION ‘UNACCEPTABLE’

The incident with vessel 'Tarifa' happened on May 8, just a day after the Gibraltar Government announced it was taking legal action following a row about Gibraltar waters.

The row stems from a decision by Brussels to approve a Spanish request to list most of Gibraltar's territorial sea - and an area of international waters too - as one of Spain's protected sites under EU law.

[Cliphead]

What you talking about. It's in The Sun

Ah right

[Cliphead]

...an evil fat Scotsman

Do I know you?