Sep 29 - Chief Minister's Address To Gibraltar Reception - Full Text
Here is the full text of the Chief Minister's address to the Gibraltar Reception at the Conservative Party Conference:
Foreign Secretary, Ministers, My Lord Ashcroft
Welcome to this annual reception at Conservative Party Conference.
It is of course my pleasure to once again host the best attended of the Gibraltar reception of the three we offer across the political divide.
The friendship of both the grass roots and the upper echelons of this party for Gibraltar is unrivalled.
And that is well noted amongst the people of the Rock.
I am very pleased in particular to welcome Philip Hammond today in his guise as Foreign Secretary.
I have previously had the pleasure of dealing with Philip when he was at defence and I have no doubt he will be as strong an advocate for Gibraltar in King Charles Street as he was across the road at the MoD.
Having just spent half an hour with him before the reception this evening, I am reinforced in that view.
Welcome, Minister, on behalf of the people and Government of Gibraltar.
The United Kingdom has been clear in its commitment to the people of Gibraltar.
Clear when we have faced politically motivated and disproportionate frontier queues.
Clear in supporting us in the face of boycotts in the EU.
And clear in telling the world that you stand shoulder to shoulder with Gibraltar when we are the subject of unjustified bullying.
And the people of Gibraltar reciprocate whenever we are called upon.
In conflicts through the centuries we have been there.
75 years ago this year the civilian population of Gibraltar was entirely evacuated from our beloved Rock to London, Jamaica, Northern Ireland and further afield to facilitate the defence of Fortress Gibraltar and the launching of Operation Torch.
During the Falklands Conflict, a time when a Conservative Prime Minister stood up to be counted in defence of the right to self determination of the people of another Overseas Territory.
Gibraltar was there too.
A general strike was immediately suspended so that the Cruiser Uganda could be converted to a hospital ship.
In the allied bombing of Libya in the late eighties, when others did not allow their runways to be used for fear of reprisals from General Gadaffi, Gibraltar's runway was the one used to stage aircraft enroute to Tripoli.
And now, as a proud British forward mounting base, we are there, 1,500 miles closer to the action, closer to a middle east that is increasingly unstable and requiring of British fire-power.
Today, a black beauty by the name of HMS Astute sailed majestically into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters to berth at the naval base.
No word of a complaint from a welcoming civilian population that has seen a huge increase in the past two years in calls by British nuclear submarines and vessels of the Royal Navy.
Very, very welcome they are too and there is no friendlier port in the Mediterranean than the Rock!
And I very much look forward to seeing the welcome sight of aircraft carriers HMS Elizabeth the Second and HMS Prince of Wales sailing into the Bay of Gibraltar and our safe harbour very soon indeed.
Because the waters around Gibraltar are unquestionably British and Gibraltar itself is and will remain, unquestionably British FOREVER.
And in ensuring that our proud history endures, we must continue to work, in partnership as this government's White Paper on the Overseas Territories set out.
As we diversify further an economy that used to be 65% based on MoD spending - a proportion now reduced to below 5%.
As we build prosperity further with new areas of development like online gaming and financial services helping deliver GDP growth this year of 10.3% - but always complying with EU and UK standards of transparency on which the Prime Minister has led when he chaired the G8.
And as we continue to build a Europe that is a truly open single market, and NOT a political union as rigged as a Eurovision Song Contest.
But we can only do that effectively in two ways, for both of which you have my own commitment:
First, we must always at government level work together in lock-step, even if that is harder than simply arguing about the things where at first blush we may find it harder to agree.
The second is in valuing the work done not just by your hard-working and committed ministers, but also the work done at all levels of political activity.
The work of Members of Parliament like staunch Gibraltar supporters like Jack Lopreski and the formidable force of nature that is my good friend Andrew Rosindale.
The work of members of the Upper House, like Lord Ashcroft, following in the commitment of now long gone friends like Lord Bethel in his day.
And the work of the grass roots members of the Conservative Party like Nara Hodge, who is here with us tonight, truly a social media keyboard warrior; never found wanting when a twitter storm requires.
And of course, the work of my good friend and Minister for Europe, David Lidington, who is travelling today, who fights the Gibraltar corner in Brussels and knows and understands the issues like a Gibraltarian.
But Gibraltar is not just a grass roots issue in the Conservative Party. And that is why we owe our thanks also to David Cameron, the Prime Minister who, when the chips have been down, has been ready to vocalise his personal and political commitment to Gibraltar.
To all of you, sincere thanks.
Action may be required in weeks and months to come.
Action in diplomacy and on the waters around Gibraltar.
Action reflecting the commitments already so fulsomely expressed and so gratefully received.
But always action that is measured and responsible and helps assert the undoubted British sovereignty of the waters around Gibraltar, of our rights in Europe and our rights to determine our perpetually British future without external interference.
But of course, alongside such calls for action, we will also jointly happily engage in dialogue with our neighbour, Spain, in talking about matters of mutual interest and benefit to citizens.
We have jointly repeatedly reaffirmed our commitment to the Trilateral Forum for Dialogue.
And we have also gone the extra mile to propose a parallel mechanism for technical talks, or "ad hoc talks", which William Hague first put on the agenda.
Because Gibraltar always stretches out its hand to co-operate; but too often our neighbours fail to unclench their fist in welcome.
And in protecting Gibraltar whilst seeking a resumption of safe and reasonable dialogue we will no doubt continue to work in lock-step with colleagues in Her Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom.
Because, as we in Gibraltar know full well, we are BETTER TOGETHER.
So what a pleasure it is to introduce you now to the Foreign Secretary, the Rt Hon, Philip Hammond and thank you all for your continued support.
Gibraltar. British. Forever.
Thank you.
