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Letters to the Editor

Our Managing Partner Nick Cruz felt the urge to put pen to paper as the elections are called in Gibraltar. The letter is reproduced here in full for those who decided not to part with a £1 today for the best newspaper on the Rock, the Gibraltar Chronicle.

Dear Sir, With the 3 electoral slates declared and a couple of independents we should all be very pleased that 32 candidates are prepared to commit to public service. It is a shame that for this election the failure to enlarge Parliament will not allow more than 17 to enter that chamber. I for one wish them luck and we should all listen carefully to what they have to offer before casting our vote. The GSD do offer some experience and decent people, but I also hope they may offer something far more positive and constructive than what they have demonstrated in opposition. It simply is not enough to be negative and critical, we must see their vision if they really have one.

The same applies to Together Gibraltar who should resist temptations to enter Trump like populist labelism. “White middle age lawyers” can be vilified today and probably have thick enough skins to deal with this, but rhetoric of this nature leads to only a slippery slope that precisely goes the opposite way that this new party claims to want politics to go. The current House of Commons debate should be avoided.

No doubt and with every good reason the GSLP/Alliance will point to the delicate place we all are with Brexit and rationally in would be a brave electorate that would throw newcomers even those with some experience into the mix. I am not sure we really can afford the luxury. But even putting Brexit to one side, the Alliance should point to their near miraculous achievements over the last 8 years built without a doubt on their previous time in office in 1988 (and Sir Peter Caruana’s contribution). I say miraculous because in the face of the worst recession in 100 years (when they entered office) and within 5 years of doing so the onslaught of Brexit, that can be the only fair description. The investment in much needed infrastructure in power stations, schools, hospitals, Banks, Universities, sports facilities and feel good projects like parks and marinas is extraordinary. Unemployment almost extinct and record investment cannot be ignored. I like others look forward to seeing their vision for the next 4 years and beyond, but on its record alone (whilst never faultless) it would not be unrealistic for the electorate to vote confidence in them in increaseD numbers in normal times. The Brexit landscape should encourage that vote to grow to reflect a message of stability and ambition.

Nick Cruz