Chief Minister’s National Day Address
Hello Gibraltar.
Wherever you are today.
Whatever you are doing today.
I know you are in red and white.
And you always look great in red and white! – our colours.
And I know many of you will be watching from hospital or from outside Gibraltar.
I welcome all of you to the spirit of this celebration of our National Day.
Because today, the 10th of September, is our day.
The day in which we celebrate the most important date in our political calendar.
It breaks my heart that we cannot all be together at Casemates, the home of National Day.
But we must avoid gathering in large numbers in order that we can win the fight against COVID. And next year, we will return to Casemates in 2021 for the biggest party in our history!
But I tell you one thing.
However difficult this year has been,
However painful it is to have to celebrate National Day in a different way,
My heart is overflowing with pride in the People of Gibraltar!
When I look back at everything we have achieved in this year.
And when I see in our time and generation the same grit; the same steel resolve; and the same unity and commitment to our nation as our forefathers have shown.
I can feel ONLY pride in who we are.
Pride in what we can achieve when we set our mind to it.
Pride in Gibraltar and the Gibraltarians.
I know that we are not perfect.
That there is a lot we need to fix and improve.
But that is our journey as a people.
And I know that we will continue to do our patriotic duty by Gibraltar for many years to come.
Our patriotic duty this year on National Day is different to other years.
Our patriotic duty this year is to be prudent and responsible as we celebrate.
So please be conscious of that.
I say this especially to our young people.
Be conscious that the consequences of all your actions in the next 24hours will be felt in the next 5 to 14 days.
SO PLEASE, do not fail Gibraltar today.
Politically, National Day is a celebration of our identity;
A demonstration of our unity;
And an expression of our political determination that no one other than the Gibraltarians will choose the path that we take as a people.
The path we have CHOSEN is to STICK WITH BRITAIN.
We will never choose otherwise.
Because no one will ever untie the unbreakable knot that joins Gibraltar and Britain.
We have chosen to stick with Britain because we have never been closer to Britain than we are today.
We have never worked harder together.
And I am very proud indeed that we have never enjoyed a better relationship with Britain than we do today.
Faced with a choice between the EU and UK we will always choose the UK.
But the negotiations on the future relationship with Europe are NOT a zero sum game.
We are working with ambition.
We are working with imagination.
And we are working with the determination that Gibraltar can have a differentiated solution to the UK.
A solution that provides us advantages WITHOUT JEOPARDISING the strength of our bonds with the U.K.
In fact, we will be closer to Britain at the end of this process than we were before. And the time is approaching when a deal needs to be done.
But if a deal is not done, we will be ready too.
Deal or no deal, the Gibraltarians will prosper.
But we will continue to work for a deal that works for Gibraltar.
A deal that is safe for Gibraltar.
A deal that fully respects our sovereignty, jurisdiction and control over our land, our sea and our air.
That is the differentiated solution we seek.
One that recognises that our geographic, social and economic differences with UK require a different deal with the EU for the future.
But one that keeps us closer to Britain than to anyone else.
So pay no attention to anyone who suggests the opposite.
Because we are working to give effect to the choices of the people of Gibraltar.
We are working to give effect to the various expressions of our will as a people.
Our expressions of our inalienable right of self determination.
And in that work we are being ambitious for all of us.
And I believe that we may be successful for all of us.
But we will only achieve the best for our children, our people and our nation by sticking together.
Understand this:
We will never undermine our rights.
We will never allow anyone to undermine our rights.
We will never make any concession over the sovereignty, jurisdiction or control of our nation that undermines our rights.
And if a deal is bad for Gibraltar
Or if a deal cannot be done without concessions.
We will walk away.
So let our message to the world today be that we are united, as a people.
And as we celebrate, let us show our resolve that our right to self determination is ours and ours alone.
That we alone will decide the fate of Gibraltar.
Of our nation.
Of our people.
Our right to self determination is non negotiable.
Our relationship with Britain is unbreakable.
And in that perpetual partnership with Britain, we can conclude EU negotiations successfully, without crossing our red lines.
In perpetual partnership with Britain, we will safely navigate stormy seas.
In permanent partnership with Britain, Gibraltar is up to any challenge that may come our way.
We will allow no-one to untie the knot between us.
We will work together to achieve the decolonisation of Gibraltar.
We will continue to argue together for our removal from the list of non-self governing territories at the United Nations.
And let us have the confidence that we will prevail.
Let us have the confidence that in 2021 we will celebrate our success against all the challenges of 2020.
Let us have the confidence that next year we will be able to celebrate once again.
And that we will steer a clear path to continued prosperity as the storms clear, and the sun rises once again on the Rock of the Gibraltarians.
And you can have the full confidence of your Government's guarantee; My personal guarantee;
That we will never falter in our defence of Gibraltar.
That we will never fail before the challenge of protecting our land. Because this is OUR land.
This is OUR home.
WE are the MASTERS here.
No one will cross our red lines while there is air in my lungs and blood flowing in my veins. That is my promise, my guarantee to you on this, our National Day.
Please enjoy our National Day prudently, safely and sensibly.
Please don’t let Gibraltar down.
Remember that we are the great Gibraltarians.
Red white and blue,
Red white and proud,
Red white and free.
Have a great Gibraltar National Day.
And long may we be, forever free, in Gibraltar, our own land.
Thank you.
