A FAREWELL TO PETER
After 16 years as Chief Minister and an even longer stretch as head of the GSD, Peter Caruana was given a formal send-off with a party recently. Daniel Feetham, his successor, delivered a lengthy and impassioned tribute to a man he called "the greatest Gibraltarian of our time."
Now that this important era in Gibraltarian politics is over, it is perhaps appropriate to assess Caruana's career and impact. While this blog will not join Feetham in his hyperbolic praise of Caruana's historical importance, even the most die-hard Caruana opponent must admit that here was a man whose achievements in local politics have been unprecedented.
Caruana's skills lay in an acute political know-how and fierce determination to protect Gibraltar's interests even in unchartered territory and facing formidable international opposition. He was the right man to fight for our cause during the joint sovereignty threat of 2002 where what Gibraltar needed was a level-headed approach that secured the moral high ground at a time when our closest allies were poised to betray us. It was at this point that any doubts harboured by extremists concerning Caruana's patriotism were conclusively quashed.
Caruana was also a great ambassador for Gibraltar during a time which saw impressive economic growth. The local economy today was nurtured and moulded under his watch as was the international image of Gibraltar as a respectable and well-regulated financial centre. We often forget that as recently as 1995, Gibraltar's reputation experienced a shameful low point during the fast launch riots.
Perhaps Caurana's greatest achievement came with the Cordoba Agreement and Tripartite framework for talks. That Gibraltar would be discussing matters of mutual interest as an equal partner with Spain and the UK would have been unthinkable when he first came to power but even more extraordinary is the fact that he was able to present, to initially sceptical locals, the idea of dialogue with Spain as a rational, sensible path which could further our interests. That the Tripartite is now dead should not detract from the recognition that the mere fact that it ever happened at all was an important and bold step towards a normal relationship with Spain.
Caruana was, of course, not without his faults. He lacked the popular appeal of some of his other ministers and was commonly perceived to be unapproachable and slightly dictatorial. Although most of the evidence for this is purely anecdotal, one always felt that he ran a one-man government where ministers were restricted in what they could do or say. In his defence, perhaps a necessary consequence of those very character traits that the voters valued him for was that he would often come across as superior, self-satisfied or out of touch. If one wanted to make a comparison, Picardo is very much the slick PR man of Gibraltar Plc, while Caruana was its frequently ruthless, detached director. In the end, it was probably this lack of popular appeal that lost him the last election, an interpretation further supported by the 2011 campaign's obsession with the concept of a "style of government."
What is also of some concern is Caurana's current status as a self-styled backbench MP, a title that doesn't really possess any definite meaning in the context of Gibraltar's parliament. If he is going to retire from frontline politics, the correct thing to do would be to resign thereby triggering a by-election. Such a contest, taking place perhaps before the summer, would be a fascinating way to gauge public opinion following a year and a half of GSLP-Liberal rule and might prove to be a fitting parting gesture from Caruana, a final move of major tactical importance.
The Political Editor
