The Chief Minister has said that he has been delighted with the response received from residents of Alameda Estate who have thanked him for writing directly to them in relation to what the Government terms “misleading communications” they had been sent about the fair being transferred to Grand Parade this year.
The GSD has said that the Chief Minister’s decision to send a letter to residents of Alameda Estate is a move which “confirms the view of many that Gibraltar is being led by a politician who has a greater interest in his popularity than in doing the right thing and getting the job done.” The Chief Minister has written personally, on No. 6 letterhead, to the residents of the Estate in response, says the GSD, to the postcards sent by the Opposition seeking the views of residents on the location of the fair at Grand Parade.
The Government has replied to the latest accusations made by the GSD by stating that the Chief Minister has “not made any concession to Spain” in relation to reclamation or anything else calling Danny Feetham’s criticism of a remark made by Mr Picardo during a recent session of Direct Democracy “irresponsible and ill-considered…purposely misleading and wrong”.
Following a few weeks of its popularity rising in the polls, UKIP last week visited Gibraltar in an effort to launch their European Parliament election campaign, ahead of May’s voting day. Heading the campaign is former Tory Minister Neil Hamilton, who attributes his move to the UK Independence Party in 2002 to the decision to ‘start going straight’, following a number of turbulent years representing the Tories in Parliament.
The candidate presented to an almost empty room at the Eliott Hotel on Friday evening was Gawain Towler, a former UKIP Press Officer and small business owner. He pledged to bring a new wave of representation for Gibraltar in Brussels, insisting that he will ‘listen, speak, shout and cause as much hassle as possible’.
The GSD Opposition has expressed surprise at the statement made by the Chief Minister during his recent Direct Democracy programme that it was not possible to reclaim further land on the eastside without first consulting Spain because such further reclamation would have a “transboundary effect” on Spain.
