Gibraltar Coincides with Channel Marmite at 5’S TV Show You Should Have Gone to Specsavers, Morrisons Writes Belinda Beckett
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www.theolivepress.es the olive press - February 5 - February 19 201419 1 ll about ibraltar AVol. 8 Issue 180 www.theolivepress.esG February 5 - February 19 2014 More than Britain in the Sun? You’re off your Rock-er... If your view of Gibraltar coincides with Channel Marmite at 5’s TV show you should have gone to Specsavers, Morrisons writes Belinda Beckett N 1987, Agent 007 parachuted onto the Rock in the open- ing sequence to The Living Daylights and, after dispatching a would-be assassin, sailed off in his yacht for more exotic climes. IIn those days, Gibraltar was not the kind of place to leave James Bond shaken or stirred. Fast-forward a quarter of a century and it’s a different story: Bond could have berthed his giga-yacht in swanky Ocean Village and strolled over to the casino for one of his trademark Martinis. After decades as ‘Little Britain in the Sun’, complete with old-school Tardis police boxes and Bobbies on the beat, Gibraltar has been forging a shiny new ID that is decidedly con- tinental – no thanks to Channel 5’s similarly- titled Tuesday night show, now on its second Turn to page 20 Photography by David Cussen 2 the olive press - February 5 - February 19 2014 www.theolivepress.es www.theolivepress.es the olive press - February 5 - February 19 20143 3 ll about ll about A Gibraltar A Gibraltar From Page 19 The continuing sovereignty dispute has seen Guinness World Record traffic queues at the border and the return of virtual series, which is doing a brilliant job resurrecting the Rule Brit- siege conditions – and over the centuries the Gibraltarians tania and fish ‘n’ chips image (ED: Thank heavens most of us have survived 14 of those. So Spain, take note. cannot watch it in southern Spain thanks to the ongoing satel- Whatever guerrilla tactics are planned next, Madrid might do lite signal shenanigans) A cultural well to remember that Gibraltar’s new Governor (the Queen’s With 1.1million viewers, it’s publicity; but is it good publicity? representative), is an ex-Royal Marine general who served in There’s the Health and Safety Officer whose car rolls into the the Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan! sea because he’s forgotten to apply the handbrake… the ‘Jolly If the locals were as daffy as Channel 5 suggests, would Gi- Boy’ marine maintenance engineer who is described as one braltar’s economy be growing at 7.8% a year with only 3% un- half of ‘a vaudeville act’ by his own mother… the monkey doc- fusion of employment. tor who carries his ketamine gun down the front of his trousers! The Britain that’s not in the sun would like those statistics! With the Laurel & Hardy music and narrator Timothy Spall’s Last summer, El Pais reported: ‘If it had been part of the IMF dry wit, you wonder who’s making a monkey out of who…or ranking of nations, Gibraltar would have the fourth-highest in- perhaps Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has shares in come per capita in the world, at 47,847€ a year’. the programme? Europeans That’s double Spain’s and you get the same sunshine, without The Gibraltar I’ve come to know is far removed from the clichéd FORTIFICATIONS: Gib was once practically a fortress the VAT! ‘land of hope and glorious sunshine’ portrayed by so-called ‘re- The social security’s on a pay-as-you-earn basis, attractive to ality TV’. Yet in a land where Cabinet Ministers are prefixed with ‘the tuguese, Genoese, Moroccans, Sephardic Jews …a global vil- impoverished freelances like me paying into Spain’s crippling, Park yourself in the Rock’s business district on a weekday Hon’, it’s easier to get an interview at Number 6 (Gibraltar’s lage in more ways than one (the youthful Chief Minister most anti-entrepreneurial, autónomo system. morning, with its City of London vibe, and count the suits and equivalent of 10 Downing Street) than it is to pay your electric- likely went to school with his doctor and everyone knows every- Low corporate tax attracts big business and low fuel costs at- ties. ity bill in Spain. one’s business). tracts big cruise liners. On the first working day of 2014, Cu- White collar workers in Gibraltar are too formal for polo shirts Gibraltarians may be British but they’re not all expats from Although English is the official language, most nard’s Queen Elizabeth docked in Gibraltar, de- Essex. They’re a cultural fusion of European immigrants who livering a potential 2,000 big-spending tourists and chinos. If in doubt as to how to greet one, try a handshake locals also speak Spanish, a lilting Spanglish If the locals were before a cheek kiss, or hedge your bets with both! have settled there over the past three centuries: Maltese, Por- patois called Llanito and, sometimes, their an- to the shops in Main Street at a stroke – and cestral mother tongue too – a veritable Tower as daffy as Channel 180 more liners are on the way this year. of Babel. 5 suggests would With up to 5,000 visitors also arriving daily by The glue that bonds them is their fierce national Gibraltar’s economy land and air in high summer, it’s a wonder they Did you know? can all fit into an area 16 times smaller than • The height of the Rock is approximately 426 metres or 1400 pride. What would Rajoy give to inspire one tenth be growning? THE END OF EUROPE: Europa Point and Africa beyond of the patriotic flag waving Gibraltarians demon- the municipality of Marbella! feet But Gibraltar lives up to its tourist board slogan, where but Britain, turbo-prop flights to Morocco are due for • The distance between Gibraltar and the coast of Africa is 24 strate on National Day, when there’s more red and white running through the Rock than in the eponymous ‘More than you can imagine’, packing as much take off in April with Your Flight). kilometres or 15 miles A hangover from its former days as a military fortress, Gibraltar • The Rock was formed approximately 200 million years ago and sticks of chewy stuff they sell on Brighton Pier. into its 6.2 square kilometres than any leading Costa resort. is composed of Jurassic Limestone For a population of 30,000 souls they punch way above their If you want to crunch numbers, that’s 52km of military tunnels, is big on pomp and circumstance, turning out in force for the • The UK pound can be used freely in Gibraltar, so there is no weight, coming second in Microsoft Network’s Hero of 2013 140 natural caves, 240 Barbary Macaques and a 1-million- Queen’s birthday parade and Changing the Guard on a daily need to convert UK notes to Gibraltar ones. However, Gibraltar awards for standing up to bully-boy Spain. passenger airport terminal (although you can’t yet jet to any- basis. banknotes are not legal tender in the UK and will not be ac- There’s a celebration of something every week, plus a version cepted there of the Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival and a pop festival • In recent referendums the nearly 30,000 Gibraltarians who live like Glastonbury’s, without the mud and marijuana. on the Rock voted overwhelmingly to reject any involvement by The next excitement (allegedly this month, but don’t hold your Spain in their government breath), will be opening of the Sunborn, the world’s first five- • Queen Elizabeth II last visited Gibraltar in 1954 star floating yacht hotel. • The border was closed by Franco in 1969 and was shut for 13 In short, there are more compelling reasons to visit Gibraltar Photography by David Cussen CLOSED DOWN: years, only reopened partially for pedestrians in 1982 before ROYAL VISIT: than monkeys and Marmite from Morrisons (the Rock is said ON GUARD: Outside the Governor’s residence Franco shut border being reopened fully in 1985 Queen in 1954 to hold the chain’s most profitable store) and you don’t need to queue. It’s only €1 to park on the waste land beside the frontier (note: Sticky Make sure to get there early though) and it goes to the unem- ployed people of La Linea, who are stuck between a Rock and a hard place quite literally. So take a large pinch of rock salt when you tune into Channel 5 Looking for a job in next Tuesday and enjoy - it’s the last in the series! Gibraltar or planning business recruitment for your Have a coke and a smile as Gibraltar’s apes get ever company? cheekier and more of a menace, writes Tom Powell We can help you find work or new staff in: • IT • Marketing • Secretarial • Legal Services • Online Gaming • Human Resources • Investment Banking • Company Administration • Accountancy • Finance • Insurance • Compliance Whether you are actively seeking a change of role, a new direction for your career, a temporary or contract position or planning recruitment for your business, Jon Clarke by Photos contact us today and one of our consultants MAJESTIC: An ape at the top of the Rock and (inset) inspecting a Coke can will be happy to discuss your requirements RABBING food out of bags, attacks continue to grow more and more and advise on the most efficient and snatching someone’s glasses frequent. cost-effective method of recruitment. and sneaking through a kitchen Last month, one Gibraltar family came window... but this one (inset right) back from work to find that their kitchen HABITAT: But new bat prefers dense foliage to caves Gtakes some beating.