Number Six: Point Scoring Is More Important To Opposition Than Consensus Politics
The Government has said that it is “sadly already clear” that this Opposition is going to be “more petty and nit-picking than its predecessor.” This is despite the fact, says Number Six, that the new Leader of the Opposition promised consensus and cooperation with the Government.
A statement continued: “Their latest statement raises two issues.
“The first are the actual comments made by the Ambassador which we are all agreed are not acceptable.
“The second is that the Opposition should react to and draw conclusions from a press report about those comments without being in full possession of the facts.
“The Opposition need to be aware of the consequences of misinformed comment on sensitive subjects. It is therefore quite incredible that they should now pick a fight in public on an issue as important as Brexit trade deals, knowing full well that this could be counterproductive to the wider interests of Gibraltar.
“It is also highly presumptuous for the Opposition to assume that the Government raised the matter with the UK as a result of their comments. The Ambassador gave the radio interview in question on 21 November!
“They also know that the structure for briefings under the cover of a Select Committee is being put in place following the last general election.
“In the absence of that structure, the notion that the Government should somehow predict what the Opposition is going to say next in order to brief them in advance before they do so is absurd. We are not clairvoyants. If they are not sure about something, as they clearly were not in this particular case, it is up to them to contact the Government and ask the question.
“Their failure to do this suggests that cheap point-scoring is once again more important to them than consensus politics.”
